Birth Queen - a Nonprofit Organization to Combat the Black Maternal Health Crisis
Posted on April 12 2021
For as long as I can remember I dreamt of becoming a mother.
Today, all of my Black friends from their 20’s to 40’s are questioning motherhood because they are afraid they will die. As you may know, there is a Black maternal health crisis in this country. Black women are 3-4 times more likely to die in childbirth, 12 times more likely to die in New York City, and Black babies are twice as likely not to make it to their first birthday.
Our sisters are not broken, the system is broken.
Growing up in Oakland, CA I was surrounded by strong mothers who birthed beautiful, intelligent, healthy babies and it was my belief I would do the same. Fast forward to 2021 and I am thrilled to share that I am a mother to two healthy sons. I chose to birth in a hospital setting with the support of a midwife, doula, and my loving husband. I was educated, supported and empowered. I have had two beautiful breastfeeding journeys. I breastfed my first son for 19 months and am currently breastfeeding my 6 month old son.
2020 was a LOT for all of us, to keep it short. Nothing about it was simple and for most of us there was little to nothing sweet about it . Last summer, every evening as I felt the sun starting to set I started to feel a wave of anxiety envelop my body. That anxiety beget more anxiety because I knew it would be yet another sleepless night. I desperately needed rest, I was pregnant with a 2 year old still working and keeping our household afloat in the midst of a pandemic. I remember myself and others blaming my sleepless nights on my unborn child. One afternoon it hit me that it was not my unborn son that was keeping me awake at night. It was my paralyzing fear of bringing another beautiful black son into this racist world knowing that everyone in this country would not value his humanity and I may lose him. I was blessed to survive my births and thrive but every day for the rest of my life I will worry if my father, brother, and sons will make it home alive.
Please do not stop reading.
This is hard to read.
This is uncomfortable.
This is scary.
This is every Black person's daily reality.
I have a solution!
I choose joy and I want you to choose joy with me and be the solution.
After having Baldwin 6 months ago I was contemplating having a third baby so I birthed my baby girl and her name is Birth Queen. I founded a nonprofit organization to combat the Black maternal health crisis. Birth Queen educates, supports and empowers Black women, parents and birthing people, enriching the Black birth experience and saving lives! Our inclusive, Black-owned and operated organization funds trainings for doulas, midwives, and lactation consultants.
How can you help?
1. Donate money
2. Donating in kind
3. Follow us @birthqueenorg and join our community www.BirthQueen.org
4. Share and discuss the Black maternal health crisis AND solution
5. Speak up when you witness injustice and racism
6. Create change where you can
Birth Queen is the vessel. We bring awareness to the Black maternal health crisis. The money we raise will go to organizations we trust that are doing amazing work to educate and empower Black birthing people and train birth workers. Studies prove that when Black mothers are educated, supported, surrounded with birth workers who look like them they are empowered to have beautiful and empowered birth experiences. As a result, mom and baby begin a healthy, happy, and fruitful journey together.
My dream is that you join the Birth Queen family and grow with us as we reconnect to joy, beauty, and abundance and together we will save and nurture the lives of deserving mothers and babies.