Rep. Alma Adams Hosts Black Maternal Health Mother's Day at 11 AM Today

Press Release

he first Black Maternal Health Mother's Day will highlight the health crisis and the solutions
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, Friday May 14, Black Maternal Health Caucus Co-Founder and Co-Chair Congresswoman Alma Adams (NC-12) will host the first Black Maternal Health Mother's Day with special guests Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (IL-14), co-founder and co-chair of the Black Maternal Health Caucus, and Congresswoman Cori Bush (MO-01), one of the many women affected by the Black Maternal Health Crisis.

The video will premiere on Congresswoman Adams' YouTube page and Facebook page today at 11:00 AM ET.

Members of the media interested in a copy of the presentation for clipping purposes can download it here.

Organizations and individuals interested in sharing information from the presentation can access it here or join the conversation on the #BMHMothersDay hashtag.

"This past Sunday, like many Americans, I celebrated Mother's Day with my family," said Congresswoman Adams. "Unfortunately, for too many families, Mother's Day can be a day when the heart is too heavy. Even though 60 percent of maternal deaths in our country are preventable, we continue to lose moms who should be there for their children. The racial disparities in mortality, severe morbidity, and birthing outcomes that Black mamas and pregnant people face are simply unacceptable, but this Mother's Day 2021, we are not hopeless; and, we are not helpless either. It's my hope that, by the time I leave Congress, we won't need programs like this to end racial disparities in maternal health care and health outcomes, and the Black maternal health crisis will finally be history."

Participants in the program include:

Congresswoman Alma Adams
Congresswoman Lauren Underwood
Congresswoman Cori Bush
Jeanelle Lindsay
Charles Johnson, Founder of 4Kira4Moms
Jamille Fields Allsbrook, Center for American Progress
Jennie Jacoby, Center for Reproductive Rights
Dr. Jamila Taylor, The Century Foundation
Renee F. Smith, MFALP, Black Mamas Matter Alliance

The  Black Maternal Health  Momnibus Act, was  reintroduced  in  February  by Adams, Underwood, and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ). The Momnibus builds on existing maternal health legislation with 12 bills to comprehensively address the clinical and non-clinical drivers of the maternal health crisis in the United States. The Momnibus makes critical investments in addressing social determinants of health, funding community-based organizations, growing and diversifying the perinatal workforce, and improving data collection processes. The  Momnibus  also includes new legislation to address the impacts of COVID-19 and climate change on maternal and infant  health outcomes.

Congresswoman Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. is serving her fourth full term in Congress. She represents the 12th District of North Carolina, which includes parts of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. In 2018, she introduced the first Black Maternal Health Week resolution with then-Senator Kamala Harris. In 2019, she co-founded the Black Maternal Health Caucus with Rep. Lauren Underwood (IL-14). In March 2020, Adams, along with Harris and Underwood, introduced the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act for the first time, and in February 2021 reintroduced an expanded version of the package with Senator Cory Booker. Adams is a mother of two and a grandmother of four.

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