Black Maternal Health Week (BMHW), taking place April 11-17, is an annual campaign founded and led by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance to build awareness, activism, and community-building​. Each year, BMHW kicks off on April 11 to coincide with the annual International Day for Maternal Health and Rights. This year’s theme is “Our Bodies Belong to Us: Restoring Black Autonomy and Joy.”

RESOURCES:

BlackMamasMatter.org/BMHW

African America Health Program S.M.I.L.E. Program

Babies Born Healthy

Black Maternal Health Resource List (Every Mother Counts)

Maternal deaths in the U.S. spiked in 2021, CDC reports (NPR, March 13, 2023)

Racial Disparities in Maternal and Infant Health: Current Status and Efforts to Address Them (Kaiser Family Foundation, Nov. 1, 2022)

Watch a short video about Black Maternal Health Week in Montgomery County, featuring Christin Statkiewicz, Nurse Case Manager at the African American Health Program, and footage from the Montgomery County Council’s 2023 BMHW Proclamation.