Table of Contents
What can we do?
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Black Mamas Matter: Advancing the Human Right to Safe and Respectful Maternal Health CareThis toolkit provides a comprehensive overview of information and resources on Black maternal health and identifies action policymakers can take to address maternal health within the human rights and reproductive justice frameworks
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Black Mamas Matter: In Policy and PracticeThis policy agenda is organized into six overarching policy issues: Structural and Social Determinants of Black Maternal Health; Full Spectrum Maternal, Sexual, and Reproductive Healthcare; Black Maternal and Perinatal Workforce Development; Criminalization of Black Women, Birthing People, and Families; Research and Data Transformation; Black Women and Birthing People’s Leadership.
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Black Reproductive Justice Policy Agenda - June 2021Created by over 30 Black reproductive justice orgs and activists, this document compiles information on 25 key issue areas and proposes policy recommendations for each.
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Raising the Bar for Maternal Health Equity and ExcellenceRaising the Bar for Maternal Health Equity and Excellence is a practical guide designed to support institutions in creating a tailored approach to providing high-quality care tailored to the needs of individual birthing families.
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The Road to Black Birth Justice in CaliforniaThis report summarizes the findings of a multipart project that the UCSF California Preterm Birth Initiative conducted, in partnership with the First 5 Center for Children’s Policy, to understand the challenges and opportunities to improve the birth outcomes and experiences of Black people and their families in California.
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Working Together to Reduce Black Maternal MortalityCDC featured article: Black Maternal Health Week is recognized each year from April 11-17 to bring attention and action in improving Black maternal health. Everyone can play a role in working to prevent pregnancy-related deaths and improving maternal health outcomes.
Creating Positive Parenting Experiences: from the voices of Black women.
Action items developed for Black women, by Black women and facilitated by six dimensions.
- Listen to, trust, and respect the perspectives of Black mothers and pregnant people.
- Provide education and space to support people to be actively involved throughout the perinatal period.
- Support doula care for parents who are interested in expanding their support team.
- Provide education on the perinatal conditions that can affect mothers. Such as fibroids, miscarriage, and postpartum health.
- Discuss various parenting options. Such as adoption, fostering, and fertility treatment.
- Address perinatal mental health through education. Such as postpartum depression, anxiety, and other mental health concerns.
- Connect mothers with the necessary supportive resources in a timely and cohesive manner.
- Assist mothers in exploring options for managing labor.
- Provide evidence-based information on delivery options available.
- Involve faith-based organizations to connect families with community resources.
- Create community resource guides for expecting families.
- Develop and disseminate an advocacy guide to help empower families when making perinatal decisions.
Speak Up!
Are you looking for a way to get involved? Use your voice. Call or write your elected officials. Write a letter to the editor for your local newspaper. See the following resources for effective strategies.
Advocacy Groups - Get Involved
California Bay Area
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#DeliverBirthJustice#DeliverBirthJustice is part of the Perinatal Equity Initiative (PEI) — a statewide effort to address the causes of persistent inequity and health disparities that threaten Black maternal and infant health.
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Expecting JusticeExpecting Justice is a Black-led collaborative, mobilizing leaders from across San Francisco to take action to improve maternal and infant health in Black and Pacific Islander Communities.
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Ivy & Pearls FoundationThe Ivy and Pearls Foundation's mission is to serve communities of color with a special focus on women and girls. Primarily serving Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, they strive to improve the quality of life by promoting health and wellness, academic excellence, economic empowerment, civic engagement, arts appreciation, and environmental and social justice.
California
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California Black Women's Health ProjectCalifornia Black Women's Health Project (CABWHP) is the only statewide, non-profit organization that is solely committed to improving the health of California's 1.2 million Black women and girls through advocacy, education, outreach and policy. We focus on empowering Black women to take personal responsibility for our own health and to advocate for changes in policies that negatively affect Black women's health status.
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California Coalition for Black Birth JusticeThe California Coalition for Black Birth Justice is a statewide collective of birth equity and reproductive justice experts that are creating strategic, coordinated efforts to accelerate birth justice across California. The Coalition is co-led by Black women leaders from the UCSF Preterm Birth Initiative and Cherished Futures for Black Moms & Babies.
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Voices for Birth Justice: FresnoIn partnership with Fresno County’s Perinatal Equity Initiative, Voices for Birth Justice: Fresno will raise awareness of the racial inequities in infant mortality in Fresno County. Led by Community Champions, this campaign will truthfully represent what’s happening in our communities and provide a platform for people to share their stories.
National Groups
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BCR Birthing Cultural RigorBirthing Cultural Rigor®️was founded by Dr. Karen A. Scott, MD, MPH, FACOG with the primary objective to build community and hospital capacity and capability to recognize and respond to the phenomenon of obstetric racism as Black women, girls, and gender expansive people seek help or health care in hospital settings for any pregnancy-related condition, with a focus on hospital labor, birth, and immediate postpartum.
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Black Coalition for Safe MotherhoodBCFSM™ is a 501c3 nonprofit organization established by a group of committed birth justice activists to promote healthcare advocacy education in the Black community. They promote the ACTT Curriculum, a healthcare advocacy toolkit created by Black women for Black birthing people.
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Black Mamas Matter AllianceThe Black Mamas Matter Alliance is a national network of Black women-led and Black-led, birth and reproductive justice organizations and multi-disciplinary professionals, working across the full-spectrum of maternal and reproductive health.
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Black Women's Health Imperative (BWHI)BWHI is a nationally recognized organization leading health policy, education, research, knowledge and leadership development and communications designed to improve the healthy outcomes of Black women.
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Every Mother CountsEvery Mother Counts is an international organization that works to achieve quality, respectful, and equitable maternity care for all by giving grants and working with partners and thought leaders to increase awareness and mobilize communities to take action.
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In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice AgendaIn Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda is a national-state partnership focused on lifting up the voices of Black women leaders at the national and regional levels in the fight to secure Reproductive Justice for all women, femmes, and girls.
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Interfaith Voices for Reproductive JusticeInterfaith Voices for Reproductive Justice (IVRJ) is an organization of interfaith and progressive voices working to create transformative theological narratives that center the moral authority of Black women and girls. As an education and advocacy organization, they work with religious scholars, clergy, and ethicists to strengthen their grounding in reproductive justice.
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National Association to Advance Black Birth (NAABB)The National Association to Advance Black Birth is a nonprofit organization that provides advocacy, support and programs that directly help black women and persons throughout the birthing process.
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National Birth Equity Collaborative (NBEC)National Birth Equity Collaborative (NBEC) is one of the nation’s leading experts and an advocate for change in the Black maternal health and infant mortality crises. As an organization focused on the sexual reproductive health and wellbeing of Black women and birthing people world-wide, NBEC creates transnational solutions that optimize Black maternal, infant, sexual, and reproductive wellbeing. We shift systems and culture through training, research, technical assistance, policy, advocacy, and community-centered collaboration.
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National Partnership for Women & FamiliesThe National Partnership for Women & Families is a national, non-profit, non-partisan organization that works to change policy and culture.
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Restoring Our Own Through Transformation (ROOTT)ROOTT is a Black women-led reproductive justice organization dedicated to collectively restoring our well-being through self-determination, collaboration, and resources to meet the needs of women and families within communities.
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Sister Song Women of Color Reproductive Justice CollectiveSisterSong is a Southern based, national membership organization; our purpose is to build an effective network of individuals and organizations to improve institutional policies and systems that impact the reproductive lives of marginalized communities.
Community Resources - Get Help
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ACTT for Safe MotherhoodHealthcare advocacy toolkit, created by Black women for Black birthing people, and available to anyone to help improve the pregnancy, birth, and post-birth outcomes of Black birthing people and families.
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Black Birthing Bill of RightsThe Black Birthing Bill of Rights is a resource for every Black person that engages in maternity care, so they know their rights and have the tools to confidently exercise these rights.
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Black Infant Health (BIH) ProgramThe County of Santa Clara Black Infant Health (BIH) Program empowers pregnant and parenting African and African American mothers by connecting them with the care they need for good health during pregnancy and beyond. Our program helps participants reduce stress, eat well and connect with others for support. BIH is a state-wide program that has served Santa Clara County since 1991.
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Child Health, Pregnancy and ParentingCounty of Santa Clara Public Health Department programs and services assist expecting parents in preparing for baby and provide families with additional parenting resources, assistance, and information.
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Irth Mobile AppThe only app where you can find prenatal, birthing, postpartum and pediatric reviews of care from other Black and brown women. The #1 “Yelp-like” platform for the pregnancy and new motherhood journey, made by and for people of color. Search doctor and hospital reviews from your community! Leave a review today to help inform and protect others! Spanish language available.
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National Maternal Mental Health HotlineThe National Maternal Mental Health Hotline provides 24/7, free, confidential support before, during, and after pregnancy.
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Women of Wellness (WoW)The WoW program helps educate, motivate, and support Black women of childbearing age to be healthy and well, through virtual group and one-on-one sessions.