Black Maternal Health Week
There is a human rights crisis in the United States, and the crisis is that too many Black women are dying during pregnancy and childbirth. Black women are three to four times more likely to experience a pregnancy-related death than white women. Most of these deaths are preventable! And it’s not just poor, black women that are dying, these deaths span income and education levels.
In the United States
Of the 7,208 deaths within a year of the end of pregnancy that occurred during 2011–2014 and were reported to CDC, 2,726 were found to be pregnancy-related.
Considerable racial disparities in pregnancy-related mortality exist. During 2011–2014, the pregnancy-related mortality ratios were:
12.4 deaths per 100,000 live births for white women.
40.0 deaths per 100,000 live births for black women.
17.8 deaths per 100,000 live births for women of other races.
The Black Mamas Matter Alliance wanted to ensure that this crisis was addressed, so they created Black Maternal Health Week (BMHW). This is a national campaign that was founded and is led by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance. BMHW is from April 11th- 17th every year and is a week of awareness, activism, and community building intended to:
Increase attention to the state of Black maternal health in the US, the root causes of poor maternal health outcomes, and community-driven policy, program, and care solutions;
Amplify the voices of Black mamas, women, families, and stakeholders on this important issue;
Serve as a national platform for Black women-led entities and efforts on maternal health, birth justice, and reproductive justice, including African immigrant and Afro Latinx groups; and
Enhance community organizing on Black maternal health via community conversations, events, and outreach.
(This information is directly from https://blackmamasmatter.org )
Follow them on social media to stay updated on the events happening during this BMHW 2019!
IG: https://www.instagram.com/blackmamasmatter/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/blkmamasmatter
