CARBONDALE, Ill. — The City of Carbondale has proclaimed an annual Black Maternal Health Week.
The week starts April 11 and lasts until the 17th. The city hopes the proclamation will help African American moms receive more equal rights during their reproductive years.
A push from the Little Resource Center in Carbondale helped make the proclamation a reality before the center’s Black Maternal Health Fair on Saturday. The week-long celebration aligns with the Black Mamas Matter Alliance to push for equality among African-American women’s health. The theme for the week in 2024 is “Our Bodies Still Belong to Us: Reproductive Justice NOW!”
Mayor Pro Tempore Jeff Doherty presented the statement to members of the center, the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, and the Gamma Kappa Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority on Wednesday.