The United States is experiencing a maternal health crisis. To meet Sustainable Development Goals, many countries are working to decrease their maternal mortality ratio (MMR), currently achieving a 38% global decrease between 2000 and 2017. However, the United States continues to report a significant MMR increase and racial inequities, with Black women dying at nearly three times the rate of white women. Black birthing women are also twice as likely as white women to experience severe pregnancy complications.

The Black Mamas Matter Alliance (BMMA), founded in 2016, serves as a national voice and coordinating entity for stakeholders advancing Black maternal health, rights, and justice. We envision a world where Black mamas have the rights, respect, and resources to thrive before, during, and after pregnancy. BMMA believes that community empowerment and mobilization is a vital strategy, one that involves small-scale organizations, health workers, and everyday citizens interacting to increase education and engagement in preventative health promotion activities. Our approach utilizes the strengths of doulas, midwives, and other skilled maternal health actors working with the communities they serve.

This panel will provide an overview of BMMA; the work conducted within our four key pillars of policy, research, care, and culture shift; and the impact on maternal health in the United States. Speakers will describe BMMA's process for leveraging Black women's lived experiences and scholarship to decolonize research, develop policy priorities, principles for holistic maternity care, and the application of BMMA's research principles across a variety of projects addressing Black maternal health.