“Birthing Justice” Film and Panelists Discussion leading into Black Maternal Health Week
BROOKLYN, N.Y. – April 5, 2023 – PRLog — Leading into Black Maternal Health Week, the New York Premiere Screening of Birthing Justice, a new feature-length documentary from Women in the Room Productions focuses on the stark reality for Black mothers who are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women in the United States. In addition, Black infants in the US are two times more likely to die than white infants. The screening and panel discussion with Film Director Monique Matthews, New York State Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn, Yvonne Secreto, RN, Wellness Expert and Sharonda Gardner, M.ED, Certified Postpartum Doula with Moderator Chanel Porchia-Albert, Commission Member of the NYC Commission on Gender Equity will occur at the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, 145 Brooklyn Avenue, Brooklyn, New York on Friday, April 7, 2023, at 6:30 pm, hosted by B-Bullard LLC, Mocha Moms, Inc, the Shirley Chisholm Cultural Institute, and the Brooklyn Children’s Museum.
Birthing Justice follows the stories of several women and healthcare providers and explores why giving birth is so dangerous for Black women and their babies. The film illuminates the women advocating for themselves and their infants and people within the medical community affecting real and lasting changes to the way we care for Black mothers and their babies. The film highlights bright spots and reasons for celebration as well as the challenges.
Previously, researchers believed that mortality rates among this demographic were thought to affect poor, less educated women. Now, one major factor recognized by experts is the impact of systemic racism and stress on Black women, negatively affecting their birth outcomes.
“Black joy is a tool, a weapon, we have used to meet, resist, and fight injustice since our journey in America began. Birthing Justice brings this front and center as we show clear and specific examples of birth workers, clinicians, advocates, moms, and dads committed to end this healthcare crisis now”. – Monique Matthews, Film Director
“The key to solving this problem is complex, but a path exists as do reasons to be optimistic,”
Birthing Justice places Black women at the center of the fight to repair our broken maternal healthcare system” says Denise Pines, Co-Founder, Women in the Room Productions. “Our goal is to see the solutions presented in this documentary replicated nationally.”
Support for the film was provided by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Missouri Foundation for Health, Meadow Fund, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the California Endowment, National Birth Equity Collaborative (NBEC), and others.
For more information on Birthing Justice, visit www.birthingjustice.com. The documentary is produced by Women in the Room Productions, a comprehensive media company that drives social impact for women and persons of color through storytelling and community.
To RSVP: Eventbrite https://www.eventbrite.com/