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Recognizing and supporting the health and wellness of Black mamas and birthing people by acknowledging April 11-17, 2022, as "Black Maternal Health Week".
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WHEREAS, The fifth annual national Black Maternal Health Week, held April 11-17, 2022, will be a week of awareness, activism, and community building intended to deepen the national conversation about Black maternal health in the United States; and
WHEREAS, The BMHW 2022 theme, "Building for Liberation: Centering Black Mamas, Black Families and Black Systems of Care," centers Black women's scholarship, maternity care work, and advocacy across the full-spectrum of sexual, maternal, and reproductive health care, services, programs, and initiatives. Additionally, the 2022 theme reflects the critical need for learning about Black Feminist and womanist approaches in strengthening wellness structures within our communities, across the Diaspora, as a revolutionary act in the pursuit of liberation and in the global fight to END maternal mortality; and
WHEREAS, According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black women in the United States are 3 to 4 times more likely than white women to die from pregnancy-relate causes; and
WHEREAS, Black women in the United States suffer from life-threatening pregnancy complications, known as "maternal morbidities," twice as often as white women; and
WHEREAS, The high rates of maternal mortality among Black women span across income levels, education levels and socioeconomic status; and
WHEREAS, Racism and discrimination play a consequential role in maternal health care experiences and outcomes of Black birthing people; and
WHEREAS, Between 2013-2018, there were 110 pregnancy-associated deaths of Philadelphia residents at an average of 18 deaths per year. Fifty-two percent of the pregnancy-associated deaths occurred in women younger than 30; and
WHEREAS, In Philadelphia, Black women are 4 times more likely to die from pregnancy related causes than whit...
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