Each year, April 11–17 marks Black Maternal Health Week (BMHW)—a vital time to amplify the voices, stories, and solutions of Black Mamas and birthing people. In 2025, the theme “Healing Legacies: Strengthening Black Maternal Health Through Collective Action and Advocacy” highlights both the pain and power woven into the Black maternal health journey.
Founded and led by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance (BMMA), BMHW is more than a campaign—it’s a national movement grounded in Black liberation, reproductive justice, and community wellness. This year’s theme honors the legacy of struggle against systemic oppression and health inequities, while also uplifting the healing power of advocacy, ancestral care, and community-led solutions.
A legacy of injustice—and resistance
The statistics remain stark: Black women in the U.S. are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women, regardless of income or education. These disparities reflect a long-standing legacy of medical racism, structural inequality, and underinvestment in Black communities.
But BMHW25 reminds us that this legacy is not only one of harm—it is also a legacy of resilience. The focus on healing acknowledges the trauma caused by unjust systems while calling on all to help create pathways for restorative maternal health care.
Black-led organizations at the forefront
At the heart of this work are Black-led maternal and reproductive health organizations, which provide culturally aligned care, trauma-informed practices, and vital community resources. Whether through doula collectives, midwifery clinics, birth centers, or policy coalitions, these organizations are reshaping care from the ground up.
BMHW25 honors their leadership and celebrates their essential role in closing the gap in care and delivering justice through healing.
Power in unity: Collective action as the blueprint
This year’s theme underscores that healing is a collective act. Progress requires partnerships—between advocates, healthcare providers, researchers, policymakers, and families. Collective action, not individual efforts, is the blueprint for sustainable change.
BMHW25 calls on everyone—Black Mamas, birthworkers, families, and allies—to come together and co-create a world where Black birthing people thrive, not just survive.
A global and local call to action
Held during National Minority Health Month, BMHW begins on April 11 to align with the International Day for Maternal Health and Rights. The message: maternal health equity is a global issue.
Throughout the week, BMMA and partners will host events, art showcases, webinars, and panel discussions designed to inspire reflection, education, and mobilization—centered on Black voices and lived experiences.
A time to reflect. A time to act.
“Healing Legacies” is more than a theme—it’s a call to honor the past and invest in the future. It urges all of us to support Black-led solutions, center joy and wellness, and demand care that reflects dignity, safety, and justice.
As we observe BMHW25, may we commit to building a world where Black birth is safe, sacred, and celebrated—because every life saved, every Mama heard, and every system transformed brings us closer to that reality.