Maternal Health Heroes
December 2019
Black Mamas Community Collective
Interview given by Nakeenya Wilson, Executive Director of BMCC
What is the mission of Black Mamas Community Collective?
The Black Mamas Community Collective was founded to keep Black women from dying before, during, and after childbirth in the 5 county Austin region. Our mission is to help Black women survive and thrive through pregnancy. You can read more about the mission and work of BMCC at our website: www.Blackmamasatx.com
Why does maternal health matter to you?
The health of moms is important for so many reasons! I have a personal history of a traumatic birth experience with the birth of my second child. This personal experience opened my eyes to the reality that many women—particularly Black women—experience trauma during pregnancy, childbirth, or postpartum.
It is my firm belief that every woman should be able to bring life into this world without the fear of and the reality of negative outcomes based on her race.
More broadly, our society relies on the ability of women to have and sustain healthy pregnancies and to deliver healthy children. In order for our communities to thrive, women—and again, Black women in particular—must be supported and provided with the tools and resources needed to procreate safely and without fear.
What is something you think Texas is doing well when it comes to combatting maternal mortality?
The first step in addressing a problem is acknowledging that one exists, and Texas has recognized that maternal mortality is a pressing issue in the state and has begun to take steps to address it.
For example, Texas has had a Maternal Morbidity and Mortality Review Committee for several years, and their work has identified many underlying causes and trends in poor maternal outcomes. Based on this work, the legislature has allocated money for specific initiatives, and hospitals across the state are now implementing evidence-based AIM safety and quality bundles to improve maternal outcomes.
Where do you see opportunities for Texas/Texans to improve maternal health?
From our perspective, a big gap is that there has not yet been anything at the state level that focuses specifically on improving maternal health outcomes for Black women. Of course, broad, non-specific efforts to improve maternal health are likely to improve outcomes for Black women, but we know that these efforts are not sufficient as they do not address structural or interpersonal racism or even implicit biases. This is really important because we know from both personal experience and accumulating research evidence that racism plays a huge part in the worse outcomes experienced by Black women.
Earlier in 2019, California passed legislation mandating that all healthcare providers involved in caring for women during pregnancy and childbirth undergo bias training. We would love to see something similar happen in Texas. There is an AIM bundle that is specifically focused on racial bias that Texas has not yet implemented. This is another opportunity for addressing racism, but we would prefer that racial bias training be interwoven into all of the AIM bundles and be part of every conversation related to improving maternal health in Texas.
Of course, we would also love to see Texas expand Medicaid to cover women for a full year post-partum. Currently, women roll off Medicaid at 60 days after giving birth, and we know that the majority of maternal deaths happen after that 60-day benchmark. We are also advocating for Texas Medicaid to pay for doula services as we know that doula services are often more person-centered and culturally appropriate.
Finally, we know that we must address social determinants of health in order to help moms thrive.
Through the work that we have done with low-income women in East Austin, we’ve found that this is crucial. For example, women need to be able to take time off from work after giving birth, so we encourage Texas policymakers to look closely at paid time off policies. Additionally, women need access to safe and affordable childcare so that they can return to work when the time is appropriate.
What has been your biggest takeaway or discovery since starting your work to improve maternal health?
For me personally, my biggest takeaway has been the realization that my own experience of not being listened to during my second child’s birth was not an isolated incident. What I’ve come to understand is that this is the reality of Black women across the country. I’ve met so many other Black women who have had similar experiences to mine, and the common thread is that our healthcare providers did not listen to us when we shared with them what we were feeling or what we knew we needed. So, the bottom line is that if healthcare providers started really listening to Black women when we express our needs, things would improve across the board.
How can people support the ways in which you are involved in improving maternal health?
There are several ways that people can support and get more involved with our work. First, we recommend that anyone who is interested in the issue of maternal health attend a Groundwater Analysis of Racial Inequities training. These trainings are designed specifically to help attendees better understand how racism is embedded in our structures and policies and, ultimately, cause disparities in health outcomes. People can also volunteer with the BMCC. We have several committees that do the work that keeps the organization going. For instance, we have committees focused on community organizing, on health, and on policy, and people can lend their time and talents to those committees if they are interested. Finally, we are a non-profit organization, so monetary donations are always welcome. Financial support helps to sustain this life-saving work. We encourage anyone who is interested in learning more about ways to get involved or supporting us financially to visit our website.
When it comes to maternal health, what is the accomplishment or victory in which you take the most pride?
We have so much that we are proud of! In less than two years, we have convened a group of talented Black women interested in this work, and we have accomplished so much without any paid staff for the first 1.5 years. For example, we have established partnerships with the University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing, worked on legislation, conducted community education, and we are building a doula program. I think we truly embody the idea of a collective. We are also particularly proud to have received the Community Impact Award from the Council on the Role and Status of Women in Social Work in October 2019.
What else do you want people to know about the ways in which you or your organization is helping to improve maternal health in Texas?
BMCC is a social movement, working on multiple levels.
That is, we are really designed differently than a traditional non-profit that works on specific programs. Instead, we are operating on all levels – direct service for moms, legislative work, community organizing, institutional racism and implicit bias trainings, and community awareness – and established a non-profit entity in order to sustain this social movement.
Finally, our doula program is flourishing! We have two full-time doulas who work with moms throughout their pregnancies, deliveries, and postpartum period. They do both home-visiting and convene sister circles in which Black mothers come together once a month for social support and interaction. We are also developing a daddy doula program so that fathers can also receive the support they need as they transition into fatherhood.