Black Women for Wellness Activates City-Wide Projection in Los Angeles to Amplify Black Maternal Health Week 2024
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LOS ANGELES, April 12, 2024 ~ Los Angeles, CA - Black Women for Wellness, in partnership with the African American Infant and Maternal Mortality Prevention Initiative and California Black Women's Health Project, launched a city-wide projection activation to kick off Black Maternal Health Week (BMHW). The event took place on Thursday, April 11th, coinciding with the start of Black Maternal Health Week 2024, which runs from April 11-17th.

The initiative was founded by Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Inc. and is centered around the theme "Our Bodies STILL Belong to Us: Reproductive Justice NOW!". This week serves as a crucial moment for raising awareness, promoting activism, and building community. With a focus on amplifying the voices of Black mothers and highlighting Black-led maternal health initiatives, BMHW centers around the values and traditions of the reproductive and birth justice movements.

The projection activation spanned across key locations in greater Los Angeles, including Hollywood, Downtown LA, South LA, Inglewood, and Long Beach. The projections were displayed on the sides of buildings and featured an empowering graphic with a simple message: "Black Mothers, reclaim your joy!"

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Gabrielle Brown, the Black Maternal and Infant Health program manager at Black Women for Wellness stated that "While the challenges and statistics are undeniable, this Black Maternal Health Week we want Black Mamas to know there is STILL joy to be experienced." She continued by saying that "This week is not only a time for raising awareness about the challenges faced by Black mothers but also an opportunity to celebrate their resilience and joy. We are reclaiming that joy and calling for meaningful action towards achieving racial and birth justice."

To further engage the community in this important cause, Black Women for Wellness encouraged individuals to capture photos of the projections using the hashtag #BlackMaternalResilience. Participants were also directed to visit BlackMamasWeek.com for more information on events and programming throughout the week.

Black Maternal Health Week highlights the urgent need for comprehensive public and private insurance coverage for maternal, sexual, and reproductive health care. It also emphasizes the importance of improving access to care and providing equitable, high-quality services. By centering the experiences and needs of Black women and birthing people, this initiative aims to drive systemic change and address the alarming disparities in maternal health outcomes. According to data from 2021, the maternal mortality rate for non-Hispanic Black women was 69.9 deaths per 100,000 live births, which is 2.6 times higher than the rate for non-Hispanic White women. Additionally, in the United States, Black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than White women.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that more than 80 percent of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable. This is why initiatives like Black Maternal Health Week are crucial in bringing attention to these issues and advocating for change.

As BMHW continues throughout the week, it is important to remember that Black mothers deserve access to quality healthcare and support during their pregnancies. By coming together as a community and taking action, we can work towards achieving racial and birth justice for all mothers.
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