MANA Honors Black Maternal Health Week – Six Things We Can All Do

MANA honors the third annual Black Maternal Health Week this week, April 11 – 17.  This campaign was created by Black Mamas Matter Alliance to bring awareness to the plight of Black maternal health and mortality. Too many Black women are dying in pregnancy and childbirth! Maternal and infant health disparities between the African American community and other communities are significant. The preterm birth rate for black women is 44 percent higher than the rate among all other women and 55 percent higher than white women.  Women of color are most at risk of facing pregnancy complications, and black women are more than three to four times as likely as white women to die from pregnancy-related causes. The same conditions that contribute to increased maternal mortality also make Black communities more susceptible to COVID-19 — and more likely to die from it.

Six things you can do to support Black Maternal Health Week:

1. Educate yourself! Look, listen, and learn why the history and statistics on black maternal health is a national crisis.
2. Participate! Communicate! Advocate! Take action and share what you are learning, locally and abroad! Conversations, social media, blogs, etc., help to reveal the inequalities and inequities that ‎make black maternal health a national problem for ALL. 
3. Put your money into action! As Black Mamas Matter Alliance fiercely continues to raise awareness about black maternal health, consider joining other sister organizations‎ to increase financial support.
4. Help change the narrative‎! MANA proudly acknowledges all of our members who encourage consumer demand efforts by offering free or reduced services ‎within the black communities ‎they serve! We are about building healthy, thriving black mamas and babies! 
5. Shift History! Support the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2020. It is working its way through congress now.
6. Join MANA and continue building Midwifery! MANA honors Black Maternal Health Week! We will continue to pursue healthy, vibrant black mamas and black babies! The Midwives Alliance of North America is building for ALL Black Midwives, Midwives of Color and Every Midwife doing the work to advance Midwifery for every family and every community in North America!