From our Village to yours, happy holidays and best wishes for an impactful 2024. As we close out this year, we're sharing some of our highlights from 2023 and upcoming events, and honoring one of our founders and champions. 

Thank you so much for your continued support as we continue our work to bring joy and justice to Black families in Los Angeles County. 

It feels like 2023 flew by! In our 5th year as an initiative, we're proud of so many accomplishments in our efforts to bring about equitable birthing outcomes for all Black women and birthing persons and their infants. This year, however, showed us some wonderful wins, dynamic community events, and campaigns.

Here are just a few of our favorite moments celebrated as an AAIMM Village in 2023:

• AAIMM becoming a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 2023 Culture of Health prize recipient 
  
  
• Expanding our Safe Space breast/chestfeeding efforts to include an online directory and Safe Space tent at Taste of Soul
  
  
• Welcoming new doulas into our award-winning Doula program
  
  
• Recreating our AAIMM Village with our Community Action Teams, Fatherhood and Doula programs at both the KJLH Women's Health Expo and Taste of Soul—both of which were attended by hundreds of thousands of people
  
  
• CDU's Black Maternal Health Center of Excellence (BMHCE) awarded a 5-year, $9 Million HRSA Integrated Health Services Grant
  
  
• Welcoming seven new Village Fund grantees
  
  
• Proclamation made by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors designating October 2023 as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month and Sunday, October 15, 2023 as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day of Remembrance

Honoring Dr. Deborah Allen

(c) 2023 Annabel Clark. Photo courtesy of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

We pay homage to and celebrate the legacy of Dr. Deborah Allen, deputy director of Los Angeles County’s Department of Public Health, as she enters retirement at the end of 2023. When AAIMM was launched in 2018, initially planned as a five-year initiative jointly led by First 5 LA and the LA County Department of Public Health, Dr. Allen was at the helm.

In a beautifully written e-mail, Dr. Allen noted, “When I look back on the five years since AAIMM was formally established, I’m amazed at how far we’ve come. I know there are hard questions to be resolved in building a new AAIMM structure, and huge programmatic issues to grapple with around Guaranteed Income, the AAIMM Doula Program, clinical linkages, support for fathers, etc., etc., but I have faith that you will collectively knock every one of those challenges out of the park. Ultimately, I share the belief reflected in the Robert Wood Johnson award AAIMM received, that Los Angeles can lead the nation in finally closing the gap that graphs the brutal impact of racism on Black bodies and Black lives.”

Thank you, Dr. Allen, for being a champion for Black mothers and birthing persons, infants, and their families. Thank you for helping to create, build and grow our AAIMM Village. 

Upcoming Events...

Join AAIMM's Community Action Teams for our end-of-year holiday celebration! The celebration will take place at Hart Park in Santa Clarita from 11am-2pm. Enjoy a delicious holiday meal and fellowship with us as we also honor members of the community, have a toy giveaway and white elephant gift exchange. Space is limited, so please RSVP only if you are able to attend. Click to RSVP or email [email protected]. 

CinnaMoms Crenshaw is holding a Holiday Resource Fair on Wednesday, December 20 from 11am-1pm. This event will feature giveaways of groceries, toys, diapers and wipes, family resources, and children's clothing while supplies last. Black Santa will also be available for family photos. Don't miss out!