This year’s Black Maternal Health Week includes opportunities to support and celebrate Black motherhood in Greater Cleveland. Health professionals and community advocates are working to reduce the number of Black mothers who die during pregnancy or within a year of giving birth.
Cleveland City Council plans to recognize Black Maternal Health Week with a resolution “honoring the efforts of Black-led organizations and committing to supporting initiatives that promote equity, healing and thriving communities.”
Here’s a few ways to learn, heal and advocate this week and throughout the month.
She Breathes, She Births, She Belongs
Today you can participate in “She Breathes, She Births, She Belongs” from 3 to 5 p.m. at the University Hospitals Glenville Wellness Center at 10527 Orville Ave. Register for the event here.
Birth Center groundbreaking
On Tuesday, April 15, Birthing Beautiful Communities is breaking ground on its new Birth Center & Headquarters. It’s a project that has been years in the making. The event is at 1 p.m. at 1802 E. 65th Street. (Organizers suggest parking at MAGNET at 1800 E. 63rd St. or the Cleveland Foundation at 1966 E. 66th St.)
Can’t make it to the event? Revisit the conversation with Birthing Beautiful Communities President & CEO Jazmin Long on the Living for We podcast produced by Ideastream Public Media and based on research from Project Noir.
Advocacy & Action
On Tuesday, April 15, the Junior League of Cleveland is hosting a “Collective Action and Advocacy” panel discussion from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at Junior League Loft at 3615 Superior Ave., Building 44, 4th Floor, Suite 4404C. The panel includes Dana M. Langford of Village of Healing Cleveland, Angela Newman-White of FirstYear Cleveland and Dionne E. Jones of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women Greater Cleveland. They’ll discuss the challenges, experiences and disparities Black women face when it comes to maternal health outcomes. Community members should RSVP to [email protected].
Yesterday, We Dreamed of Tomorrow
On Saturday, April 26, catch the second in a series of events that explores and celebrates Black motherhood through an Afrofuturistic lens. “Yesterday, We Dreamed of Tomorrow” is hosted by All Our Babies Cleveland. The event is from 1 to 5 p.m. at the Cleveland Clinic Langston Hughes Community Health & Education Center at 2390 E. 79th Street. Find all of the events in the series here.
Project Milk Mission
On April 26, Project Milk Mission will host a session, “Supporting Partner Involvement in Breastfeeding,” from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Summit Lake Community Center, 380 W. Crosier Street, Akron. The event is free and open to the public. To register, go to www.projectmilkmission.org.
Project Milk Mission serves pregnant and postpartum mothers in Cuyahoga and Summit counties. It provides free breastfeeding education, guidance and support through both in-person and virtual services. The organization supports families from pregnancy through 12 months postpartum.
Founder and CEO Gina VanCant told Signal Cleveland that Project Milk Mission is “passionate about creating a future where all mothers, regardless of background, have equitable access to breastfeeding resources and education.”
