Black Maternal Health Week

Black Maternal Health Week (BMHW) takes place every year from April 11-17. This year will mark the eighth anniversary of the BMHW campaign, founded and led by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance (BMMA). BMHW is a week of awareness, activism, and community building intended to deepen the conversation about Black maternal health in the United States. BMHW’s mission is driven by amplifying community-driven policy, research, and care solutions that keep Black mothers, women, families, and stakeholders at their center. It is also an opportunity to uplift and broaden the platforms of Black-led entities and efforts on maternal health and reproductive justice, both at the national and community level.  

Rates of maternal mortality vary across Colorado, but there is one critical constant: More than 75% of maternal deaths in Colorado are preventable. From national data, we know that systemically racist practices within the healthcare system leave Black mothers more likely to die even when income and educational level are held constant across demographics. Further, maternal mortality rates only scratch the surface of maternal health inequities. For every maternal death, dozens more people experience traumatic near-death events, including severe maternal morbidity that can lead to a lifetime of complications. The pandemic has also compounded significant stressors for the maternal mental health of Colorado’s pregnant and postpartum populations. 

There are many Black-led organizations in Colorado leading advocacy in Black maternal and family health. We encourage you to engage with and support their programs. The Families Forward Resource Center is a Black-led non-profit based in Denver. Their Healthy Babies, Strong Families initiative focuses on closing the disparity gap, improving birth outcomes, and ensuring equal opportunity and access to optimal prenatal health services for Black women. Soul 2 Soul Sisters is another Colorado-based, grassroots nonprofit with the mission of transforming Colorado through Black women-led programs which focus on healing, health, and ending anti-Black racism. The Denver-based Center for African American Health offers a variety of programs which focus on culturally-sensitive child, family, mental, and community health education and support. Click here to read CAAH’s analysis of maternal health in Colorado, based on the lived experiences of CAAH CEO Deidre Johnson. 

Click here to learn more about BMHW, explore resources and writing, and see BMMA’s schedule of upcoming events.