Black Mamas Matter: A Toolkit for Advancing the Human Right to Safe and Respectful Maternal Health Care

(Revised 05.08.18) The
Center originally published this toolkit in 2016. Since then, our collaborators
have taken the movement for Black maternal health, rights, and justice to new
levels. The Black Mamas Matter Alliance (BMMA) is now an independent entity,
led by Black women with expertise in a range of disciplines. The Center
continues to work closely with BMMA to advance the human right to safe and respectful
maternal health care through a strategic partnership. This redesigned version
of the Black Mamas Matter toolkit features a preface outlining BMMA’s evolution
and accomplishments, as well as new photos of BMMA members and partners. With
the exception of a small update to the human rights brief, the text of the
toolkit remains unchanged.

In June 2015, the Center for
Reproductive Rights partnered with SisterSong Women
of Color Reproductive Justice
Collective to host Black Mamas
Matter, a cross-sectoral convening
of leaders on Black maternal
health. Researchers, service
providers, policy experts, and
community organizers gathered
at the SisterSong Mother House
in Atlanta, Georgia, to identify
innovative strategies for improving
Black maternal health outcomes.
Among the many ideas generated
on that day, participants identified
a need for advocacy tools that
would move the conversation
one step closer to a rights-based
maternal health policy agenda.

This toolkit is a direct response to that call. The Center has
worked closely with convening participants and other experts
to develop materials that will support the work of state
maternal health advocates as they mobilize their communities
and communicate with state policy leaders. The resources
contained here take a human rights based approach to
maternal health, emphasizing the rights of pregnant and
birthing women and calling out government responsibilities
to ensure safe and respectful maternal health care for all.
Because Black women in Southern states face some of the
highest risks for poor maternal health outcomes and care,
their experiences are centered throughout this publication.
At the same time, the Center recognizes that poor maternal
health outcomes affect many other groups of women, and that
maternal health rights go well beyond the issues of maternal
death and illness. Moving forward, the Center will continue to
develop advocacy materials from a human rights based frame
that expand the scope of this conversation.

The materials included here attempt to distill outcomes from
the Black Mamas Matter conversations (on race, reproduction,
parenting, and rights) into concrete steps to improve the
maternal health of Black women in the South. Through a series
of separate but related briefs, this toolkit presents a collection
of resources that advocates can use and adapt to their own
needs. It begins by explaining the human rights framework as
it applies to maternal health, and then examines the data and
research on maternal health in the United States, with a special
focus on racial disparities. To help bring that data to life, the
toolkit includes personal stories about sexual, reproductive, and
maternal health from Black women living in the South.

Moving from an assessment of maternal health challenges
to an exploration of potential solutions, the toolkit contains
an overview of policy recommendations proposed by various
stakeholders. This snapshot of the policy landscape is not
intended as a one-size-fits-all prescription for action, but rather
a menu of options for advocates to explore and adapt to their
local priorities. The policy brief is followed by a list of resources
that advocates can consult for more information, a set of talking points on maternal health, and a set of suggestions for building connections and dialogue with other
stakeholders engaged in Black maternal health across the country.