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NEW YORK, NY— In honor of Black Maternal Health Week (April 11-17, 2023), Carol’s Daughter has announced its Birthing While Black campaign, which showcases the real-life stories of Black people navigating the crisis. To kick off the campaign, Black birthing people everywhere are encouraged to share their birthing stories on social to raise awareness around Black Maternal Health, by using the hashtag: #BirthingWhileBlack and tagging @carolsdaughter. Each post will spark a donation to the Mama Glow Foundation that will help fund doula support for families in need.
Advocates such as Married to Medicine’s Dr. Jackie and Audra Curry and singer Lion Babe have joined in on the cause to shed light on this important initiative by sharing anecdotes from their own experience and encouraging their followers to do the same. Additional activities under Birthing While Black will be rolling out throughout the year.
According to a recent CDC study that examined maternal deaths during pregnancy or within 42 days of pregnancy, Black women had the highest maternal mortality rates across racial and ethnic groups during the pandemic in 2020 and 2021 and experienced the largest increase when compared to the year before. In New York City, Black women are 8 times more likely than white women to die from a pregnancy-related cause, and nearly 3 times more likely to experience severe maternal morbidity than white women.
“While the recent statistics are alarming and sobering, they only serve to further fuel our drive and commitment to this cause,” said Carol’s Daughter founder Lisa Price. “The work of birthing people should only be the work of giving birth and that experience being as beautiful as it can be. Our work is to advocate for them to have what they deserve.”
The health disparities are related to several factors, including access to quality healthcare, underlying chronic diseases, systemic racism, and implicit bias. This is why Love Delivered remains committed to expanding its efforts to empower, support and equip Black birthing people and the greater community to advocate for their health and wellness, and give allies the resources to be well-informed in supporting positive birthing experiences.
Since its inception, Love Delivered has engaged with over 190,000 people through events, doula grants, education, and webinars. Additional events and #BirthingWhileBlack activities will take place throughout the year to ensure that Black birthing people and their community have the resources they need to thrive.
“This year’s theme for Black Maternal Health Week is ‘Our Bodies Belong to Us: Restoring Black Autonomy and Joy’! It’s so important that as we center our health outcomes that we also lift up joy, celebration, and hope,” said Latham Thomas, founder of Mama Glow Foundation.
To celebrate Black Maternal Health Week, on April 12 at 6:30PM ET, Mama Glow is hosting a webinar, sponsored by Carol’s Daughter addressing birth worker burnout. To register, please visit mamaglow.com.
Additionally, families living in in NYC, Miami, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Washington D.C who are pregnant or recently postpartum will be selected to receive doula services through the grant program.
Love Delivered programming includes:
- Access to online resources and maternity experts for expectant and new families
- Community building events and forums for expectant and new families and their allies for sharing joyful, inspiring, birthing experiences
- Love Delivered self-care deliveries, including a partnership with the NewYork-Presbyterian Dalio Center for Health Justice that began in 2022. After an initial donation of Carol’s Daughter hair products in Obstetrics and Pediatrics at the NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist campus, the health system is planning to distribute an additional 25,000-45,000 kits across the enterprise beginning this Fall.
Join Carol’s Daughter in the fight for Black Maternal Health. Head to www.carolsdaughter.com/lovedelivered for more information on how to become an advocate and learn more. Also, follow @CarolsDaughter and @MamaGlow on Instagram for program announcements and information.
About Carol’s Daughter
In 1993, encouraged by my mother, Carol, I began creating high-quality products made with love in my Brooklyn kitchen. As family and friends experienced how these products transformed their hair and skin, I knew that I was onto something good. I needed a name for my company, so I made a list of everything I was and everything I wanted to be, and I realized that the most special thing that I am is Lisa, Carol’s Daughter.
-Lisa Price, Carol’s Daughter Founder
About The Mama Glow Foundation
Mama Glow Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit organization committed to advancing reproductive justice through Education, Advocacy and The Arts. The Mama Glow Foundation was founded by the dynamic world-renowned doula and Oprah Super Soul 100 member, Latham Thomas. www.mamaglowfoundation.org
About Mama Glow
Mama Glow is a global maternal health company that is transforming the landscape of birth. Through their game-changing professional doula training programs, Mama Glow is home to a community of doulas from every corner of the USA and 6 continents. www.mamaglow.com
For more information, please contact Dominique.McDonald@Civic-US.com
