The statistics are alarming: 45% of children in California live in low-income households. Of that group of children, 57% are Black and 61% are Latino. Youth from low-income neighborhoods are 20% more likely to end up in prison and 61% of the incarcerated population are Black or Latino. Youth With a Purpose (YWAP) has made it its mission to weaken the school to prison pipeline and improve outcomes for low-income youth. And their plan starts at the very beginning: before birth.    

“Our mission is to plant seeds of hope, and water purpose by providing supportive services to minority youth and young adults,” stated YWAP. “African-Americans have higher infant mortality rates, lower levels of support, and higher levels of stress during and after birth. Our mission is to decrease infant mortality rates by increasing support, providing opportunities to foster a positive sense of self in pregnant moms, decrease stress, find outcomes on post-partum support, and engage the community.”

YWAP directly addresses Black infant and maternal mortality through its Mommy Mentor Academy (MMA) which provides respite care, child care assistance, transportation, spiritual support, and postpartum recovery. In addition, MMA looks at maternal health in a holistic way by addressing all factors contributing to maternal stress and wellbeing. It fosters a sense of self via an 11-week mentorship program (“Hello Beautiful”) which includes free makeovers to build esteem and increases protective factors through building community and care, culminating in graduation and completion certificates. 

Mentees have praised the program, saying, "I love being a part of such a strong community of black women," and, "I feel supported and heard!" The program is also helpful for those who are not in close proximity to their community—offering another level of support. One mentee said, "Now that I have a mentor, I feel better about being away from my family that lives in a different state.”

Youth With a Purpose and The Village Fund

Youth With a Purpose used its funding in partnership with Harper Haven to expand its current services by creating a mommy mentor cohort for its Hello Beautiful program co-led by Levy Harper, a special education para-educator and creator of the Hello Beautiful curriculum, and Shameka Beaugard, who has a Masters degree in Social Work with an emphasis in Children, Youth, and Family Services. Part of this expansion includes increasing communications efforts to educate the community on the impact of Black infant and maternal stress via newsletters, text campaigns, social media, tabling, and a billboard with Black infant mortality statistics and ways to help.

Additionally, stipends for Hello Beautiful mommy mentors, academy speakers, and teachers will be provided through grant funding. 

Over the past two years, 20 women and youth have already successfully graduated from the academy. “The Hello Beautiful program allowed me to believe in myself again,” one graduate said in a testimonial. “My credit score has increased; I am enrolled in school to be a nurse, and now I have my own apartment with my children.”  

Immediate plans for the program expansion include enrolling 10 seasoned moms to mentor 10 younger moms under the age of 29. The mentors will meet with mentees as needed, assist with planning and implementing ”mommy dates” (movie nights, spa days, picnics, and book clubs), operate an exclusive group chat to answer mentee’s pregnancy-related questions, assist with facilitating the academy, and provide specialized postpartum recovery care packages. 

“In Fortune 500 companies, 71% have (implemented) mentoring programs and 97% of those with a mentor say they are valuable,” stated YWAP. “Our goal is to take the concept of mentorship and add it to pregnancy.” Hello Beautiful has proven results to help women transition from mentally depleted with low self-esteem to full steam ahead!

So far, the program has been a success. “The Village Fund has helped YWAP tremendously!” Beaugard stated in a follow-up email. The program has been running since the beginning of 2021 and resumes from potential Mommy Mentors are still coming in. “The Antelope Valley loves the Mommy Mentor Network and received about 15 resumes to be mommy mentors,” said Beaugard. 

“Expanding our capacity allows us to grow and hopefully create this program as a yearly program for black moms,” stated YWAP. “Although this is a 1-year pilot program, our program can be replicated and sustained long term. We hope to continue to break the stigma that black women can come together and lift one another up.”

For more information on the Village Fund, please visit www.blackinfantsandfamilies.org/the_village_fund.

Contact

Email: [email protected]
Phone: (213) 537-7794
Website: www.avmmn.com, www.youthwithapurpose.org, www.harperhaven.org 

Instagram: @ywap_CA, @harper_hav3n

(Los Angeles County, CA) “It takes a village to raise a child,” the African proverb states, and activation of that village begins before birth. In an effort to support healthy and joyous births for Black moms, families, and babies, the African American Infant and Maternal Mortality Prevention Initiative (AAIMM) has created a Tips to Activate Your Village Guide full of useful information and resources for each of the trimesters comprising the prenatal period and the first three months after the baby is born (the “fourth trimester”). The guide is now available for free to download from its website, blackinfantsandfamilies.org. 

San Fernando & Santa Clarita Valleys COVID-19 Panel: A Vaccine Conversation For African American Families
Held Wednesday, February 17th, 2021 from 10am-12pm

During this event we discussed concerns and explored options related to the COVID-19 vaccine with a panel of local medical and legal experts. It was an opportunity for our community to ask questions in a safe space. Panelists included:

•         Valley Presbyterian Hospital

•         General Counsel, Tamala Choma Esq.

•         Director of Women’s Services, Marcia Lynch, RN, MSN

•         Los Angeles County Department of Public Health – Tina Franco, MPH, Health Educator

•         September Williams, MD, Physician-Writer & Bioethicist

•         Kaiser Permanente – Sharon K. Okonkwo-Holmes, MD. Family Physician and Physician Lead for the Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity Council

Panel discussion was moderated by Aqueelah Russell from Northeast Valley WIC

View the event recap below: 

Each woman’s journey toward motherhood is unique and precious. In our work to end Black maternal and infant deaths in Los Angeles County, we sought to connect on an emotional level with the families that we are fighting to protect. We asked Black women to share their pregnancy and birthing journeys with us, as well as their hopes and dreams for their babies. We wanted to show the connection between maternal and infant health, which is a universal experience for all birthing persons and their babies. 

Those responses were turned into journal entries which became a video series of intimate messages and images from mother to baby called, “Dear Baby, When I Love Me, I Love You.” Join us in the fight to end Black maternal and Infant deaths in Los Angeles County. Take the “We Are The Village” pledge and follow us on social media so that you can share these videos with your followers.


Watch the first Journal entry below!

Watch the second Journal entry: 

Be the Village. Activate the Village. 

The LA County Department of Public Health and First 5 LA, in partnership with the LA County African American Infant and Maternal Mortality Initiative is holding a virtual briefing to kick off Los Angeles County’s Black Maternal Health Week – which was officially recognized by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in March -- and elevate awareness about Black infant and maternal mortality and emerging local solutions. The goal of the week is to raise awareness about the issue, and the efforts of public health and community leaders across the County to oppose racism and discrimination at its root and support healthy and joyous births for Black families.

At the virtual event, attendees will hear from a panel of experts about the racism Black mothers face that leads to health disparities and work across the county being done to make a difference. Panelists include:

• Deborah Allen, Deputy Director, Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
• Melissa Franklin, CEO of Growth Mindset Communications
• Raena Granberry, Perinatal Equity Initiative Coordinator, Dept. of Public Health
• Adjoa Jones, Founding Leader of African-American Infant and Maternal Mortality Community Action Team at L.A. County Department of Health Services Whole Person Care
• Michelle Sanders, AAIMM Doula Program Coordinator, Dept. of Public Health
• Brandi Sims, Health Systems Program Officer, First 5 LA
• Yolonda Roger Jones, Coordinator of Black Infant Health Program; Dept. of Public Health
• Dana Sherrod, Birth Equity & Racial Justice Manager for Cherished Futures for Black Moms and Babies, Public Health Alliance

Join Jan-Robinson Flint and Adjoa Jones for this weeks episode of I's Just Saying:

Click here to listen to the podcast: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1754954/8317019

We are still accepting donations for youth 0-5 years of age and gift cards fo children over 5. 

Donations may be dropped off Tuesday or Thursday until April 15th.

For questions and donations please contact Dr. Erica Melbourne at (213) 905-8861.

Thank you to our sponsors: Casa Bella Foundation in collaboration with Sun Bum and Yumi 

*socially distant walk-up distribution also available* 

LA COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS PROCLAIMS APRIL 11-17 AS BLACK MATERNAL HEALTH WEEK AND APRIL 16 AS THE DAY OF THE BLACK INFANT

Motion aims to bring attention to birth justice and the importance of reducing the Black maternal and infant mortality rates in Los Angeles

(Los Angeles County, CA) Today, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors passed a motion recognizing April 11-17 as Black Maternal Health Week. The motion, brought forward by LA County District 2 Supervisor, Holly Mitchell, is a win for the county’s African American Infant and Maternal Mortality Prevention Initiative (AAIMM), its Steering Committee and Community Action Teams. Launched in late 2018, AAIMM is a coalition of the LA County Alliance for Health Integration (Departments of Mental Health, Public Health, and Health Services), First 5 LA, community organizations, mental and health care providers, funders, and community members.

The AAIMM Initiative mission is to end the unacceptably high rates of Black infant and maternal deaths in Los Angeles County and ensure access to healthy and joyous births for Black families. AAIMM approaches its work by recognizing racism as a root cause of birth inequities faced by the Black community. Black Maternal Health Week was introduced and led nationally by Black Mamas Matter Alliance four years ago and brought to Los Angeles by Black Women for Wellness.

The motion’s text reads:

“Black Maternal Health Week” (April 11-17, 2021) was established four years ago as a national, weeklong amplification of Black voices regarding the maternal health care crisis in the Black community. Locally, the week is celebrated by bringing attention to reproductive and birth justice and the importance of reducing the rate of Black maternal mortality in Los Angeles County(County). In the County, Black women die due to perinatal complications at four times the rate of White women and Black infants die before their first birthday at more than three times the rate of White infants. High mortality rates among Black women and Black infants span across income and education levels, as well as geography, and place a glaring spotlight on the intersection of historical and structural racism, gender oppression, and inequities in the social determinants of health that contribute to disproportionate stress on Black women/birthing people and result in unequal health outcomes that harm both them and their babies.

The Departments of Public Health and Health Services, alongside First 5 LA, launched the African American Infant and Maternal Mortality Prevention Initiative to address birth outcome inequities. The response to this crisis requires stakeholders of all kinds, with Black women in leadership roles, coming together to advance change, practice anti-racism, and ensure access to high quality, comprehensive, culturally relevant reproductive and maternal health care.”

By unanimous decision, the Board agreed to “Proclaim the week of April 11-17, 2021 as ’Black Maternal Health Week’ and within that week, April 16, 2021 ‘The Day of the Black Infant’ in Los Angeles County.”

The AAIMM Prevention Initiative and collaborative partners will be hosting a series of virtual events, celebrations, and social media efforts to create awareness about the unjustly high rates of Black infant and maternal deaths in the county, the roles everyone can play to combat discriminatory systems, as well as resources to support Black families so that they can have access to healthy and joyous births. Information will be shared through the initiative’s website (www.blackinfantsandfamilies.org) and social media channels (@blackinfantsandfamiliesla).

Click here to access the press release. 

Racism in the United States is bad for your health. This is especially true for Black people, who for centuries have endured the harmful effects of racist systems. 

College degrees and higher earnings are usually associated with lower incidences of preventable disease. But that’s often not true in communities of color, especially for those who are Black. They continue to experience the most disproportionately negative health outcomes across the board.

Five hospitals across Los Angeles County, along with guidance from Black women community leaders and the support of several health care partners, are working to change that. 

Compared to their white counterparts, Black babies across the country are twice as likely to die in their first year – in Los Angeles, they are three times more likely. Black moms, women, and birthing people are three times more likely than white people to die from pregnancy-related causes. Most pregnancy-related deaths are preventable, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Read the full article here!

Acknowledgment: In the wake of a centuries-long struggle to thrive and following an especially poignant 2020, many Black people want to be heard. Not through the raw emotion of their most appalling experiences but from their voices of wisdom. The fact that the Black community is still being defined by racial inequities and health disparities is a testament to the work that lies ahead. Yet there is a light that shows the way forward – the healing power Black women, mothers, and birthing people bring to their communities.

The phrase “Black women, mothers, and birthing people” is used throughout this 3-part series to recognize people who identify as non-binary, honor surrogates, and pay respect to those who have lost a child.