Ten years in and Black Maternal Health Week, the annual call to confront the Black Maternal Health crisis in the country, remains rooted in justice and joy. Monday’s virtual pep rally only made that abundantly clear.
Beginning at noon with an upbeat remix of Jill Scott’s “Golden,” the rally’s energy was palpable. Midwives across time zones called in from mobile clinics, organizers checked in from conference rooms and community centers, and advocates greeted one another like family in the stream’s comments. There were minor technical glitches, laughter, and plenty of grace before a steady flow took hold. The 10th annual Black Maternal Health Week had officially begun.
This week, themed “rooted in justice and joy” for 2026, officially opened following an annual walk in Atlanta on Saturday, April 11, where families, birth workers, and advocates alike gathered for what has become a rallying kickoff.
“Campaign 2026 is a significant year for BMHW as we mark 10 years of establishing the global Black maternal health movement,” one speaker said early on during the virtual rally. “We have worked alongside Black mamas, families, birth workers, advocates, researchers and organizers to sound the alarm of the rising maternal mortality rates, confront inequities in maternity care and lift up community-driven solutions rooted in birth and reproductive justice.”
When BMHW was initially launched in 2016 by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Roe v. Wade, the federal protection that once guaranteed a person’s right to abortion access in this country, was still the law of the land. After it was overturned in 2022, and a wave of restrictions that have reshaped reproductive care across the country was ushered in, the already dangerous landscape has become that much more precarious for Black women. In addition to some of the first deaths tied to the fall of Roe v. Wade being those of Black women, some of the first to be criminalized for their pregnancy outcomes have also been Black.
Meanwhile, Black women, who have some of the highest rates for poor pregnancy outcomes, are still over three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than any other demographic in the United States, with more than 80% of those deaths considered preventable. These figures have barely budged, even as awareness has grown over the last decade.
“We are at a critical moment where many of the policies being made are intentionally harmful to Black women and families, and where other policy making erases or ignores us all together,” said Elizabeth Dawes, co-founder of the Black Mamas Matter Alliance.
As that reality remained top of mind, it became clear from the other rally participants that solving this problem and improving those odds once and for all is on all of us.
“We are here. We are the solution,” one speaker said.
Organizers from around the country, one by one, offered insight into what they have been doing to help the situation in their individual corners. In North Miami, a mobile midwife clinic recently rolled out as the centerpiece of a new initiative, offering free care directly to families. The bus, outfitted with exam rooms and stocked with supplies, delivers midwife and doula care alongside mental health services, nutrition support and essential baby items.
“We are providing free midwife and doula care to every Black mama and every mama and family that needs us,” an organizer shared while virtually walking viewers through the space.
Meanwhile, in Philadelphia, a maternal mental health conference unfolded alongside a community baby shower that served more than 200 people. Over in Nebraska, organizers have trained dozens of community members as doulas, building a pipeline of culturally competent care. In Georgia, a statewide doula network is bringing its work directly to college campuses, making sure the next generation of health professionals understands what comprehensive care should look like.
The overarching feeling was one that’s been increasingly touted lately, “no one is coming to save us.” Communities are building infrastructures that do not rely on the institutions that have only continued to fail them. Federal policy advocates are pushing for structural change while local organizations are filling gaps in real time through mutual aid, education, and direct services.
“This is the time where we stand strong, where we demand justice from the current system, while creating our own infrastructure of care,” Dawes said.
There are plenty of more opportunities across the country throughout the week for people to get involved, whether through national events led by Black Mamas Matter Alliance or through local efforts by organizations.
In Washington, D.C., this includes a full slate of events from D.C.-based organization Mamatoto Village, which kicked things off with a 5K walk at National Harbor and will continue with community tabling, a maternal health fair at Howard University Hospital, and an inaugural Friday night soiree designed to bring culture and support into one room.
Meanwhile, in Los Angeles, organizers are hosting community baby showers and resource fairs across neighborhoods, pairing celebration with direct access to care. Then, in Austin, a weeklong summit is moving through conversations on mental health, physical health, advocacy, and fatherhood before closing out with a community celebration. The week spans through Friday, April 17, but organizers all attested that the work continues long after.
“Black maternal health week is more than a moment,” the opening speaker said. “It is a declaration that Black mamas deserve to thrive.”
