Editor’s note: Carrie Murphy was previously a doula with Birthmark.
What if every Black parent in Louisiana had the support they needed for a healthy, happy pregnancy and childbirth? For one organization, that’s not just a rhetorical question—it’s the goal they’re working towards with a new reproductive health mutual aid fund.
Birthmark is a worker-owned birth justice collective that’s been providing doula care, lactation support, and advocacy work for more than a decade in New Orleans. While people of all races and identities are part of the collective, The experiences of Black families and other families of color are centered. With their annual Black Birth Matters conference, which started in 2016, Birthmark works statewide to improve Black maternal care in Louisiana. This year, they’ve launched their Maternal Health Fund, a community-driven, mutual aid fund designed to support Louisiana families with financial support for reproductive care.
Victoria Williams, Birthmark’s advocacy director, said the fund is about collective liberation.
“There’s a growing demand for broader maternal health support, from addressing social determinants of health to child-care needs,” said Williams, who also holds a doctorate in health-care administration and works as a doula, certified lactation specialist, and social worker. “We’re creating this mutual aid fund because Birthmark represents the community, and the reality is that what many people need is financial help.”
Taking matters into their own hands
The state of maternal health in Louisiana is dire, especially for Black parents. With a cesarean rate of more than 35 percent, more than one-fourth of the state’s parishes considered maternal health deserts, and one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country, Black families face significant, compounded risks. While lawmakers have taken steps to expand access to doula care, there’s still a long way to go until the state’s reproductive care successfully and sustainably serves people. For Birthmark and its community, the Maternal Health Fund is a way to fill the growing care gap.
Birthmark’s birth workers are not waiting for anyone to provide for their community. They are doing it themselves, Williams said.
“In a post-Dobbs world, we’re not waiting for policy change,” Williams said. “We’re collectively reimagining how we can support each other. We want Black mothers and families to thrive, and we’re not waiting for permission to make that happen.”
The group has long used a “one for one” sliding-scale model to fund doula and lactation services, where people paying the highest price fund the care of people who have lower budgets or cannot pay at all (the birth workers get paid the same amount, no matter where their clients fall on the spectrum). The new fund takes this general idea and expands it beyond the organization’s own services.
The Maternal Health Fund will provide mutual aid funds for all aspects of reproductive care, health, and justice—from pelvic floor therapy and postpartum support, to home-birth midwifery fees and child-care payments. It’s about meeting people where they are and helping them with their immediate needs, Williams said.
‘Birthmark’s fund is different’
Birthmark’s Maternal Health Fund doesn’t have the celebrity star power or corporate funding of Birth Fund, the midwifery care fund started earlier this year by former Teen Vogue editor and Project Runway host Elaine Welteroth. But that’s not what it’s about. For Williams, centering the community is the point.
“This is also an opportunity for people who may only have $5 or $2 to give, but want to support the movement of Black, BIPOC, queer families—or just reproductive health in general,” she said.
Another difference is that Birthmark’s mutual aid money can also be used to support birth workers themselves—doulas, midwives, lactation consultants, and others can apply for funds. Picture a nascent doula applying for training fees or an experienced community midwife who needs funds to pay for a babysitter while she attends births—these professionals will also be able to benefit from the Maternal Health Fund. Williams said the money will be available to other groups doing reproductive justice work in the state, too.
To access funding, applicants will fill out a Google form with their funding request. Each month at the organization’s member-owner meeting, the group will collectively decide which requests to fund and then distribute the money to the recipients. Requests will be considered on a first come, first served basis. If the money runs out, the community will be informed. And when the fund is full again, people will be able to submit requests once more.
Frankie Robinson, a lobbyist, doula, and the founder of social justice consulting firm the Amandla Group in Baton Rouge, said she contributed $500 to the fund at this year’s Black Birth Matters Conference.
“I believe in the work Birthmark does because I understand the challenges birthing people face in our state, particularly Black birthing people,” she said. “Funds like this are crucial because they often don’t come with the bureaucracy and red tape of other aid. When people need help, they need it immediately. They shouldn’t be dehumanized or questioned extensively just for needing support.”
Birthmark hopes to raise $100,000 to kick off the fund and will begin granting donations in April during Black Maternal Health Week. Birthmark’s advocacy doesn’t end there—the group has just been named as a plaintiff in a new lawsuit challenging Louisiana’s classification of misoprostol and mifepristone as controlled substances.
Balancing political advocacy with direct mutual aid is a core value of Birthmark’s work. The group offers support where traditional systems fall short, while also working to overhaul those very systems.
“Birthmark’s fund is different,” Robinson said. “It’s administered by people who are part of the community and understand its needs. They make the mutual aid process inviting, dignified, and respectful, ensuring that people get the support they deserve. This fund will allow birthing people to thrive, not just survive.”
