Black Mothers & Childbirth Conference

The first conference on ‘action to reduce the disparate deaths and damage to Black mothers and babies in England' will be held at The Wellcome Collection, Euston on the 23 September from 9:30 - 4:00.  

Entitled “A Reproductive Sankofa” it features Professor Dorothy Roberts (author of Killing the Black Body) and Midwife Jennie Joseph (creator of The JJ Way).  Its purpose is:

• To raise awareness of social, economic, political and environmental factors that influence maternal and perinatal mortality in black women in the UK.

• To exchange knowledge regarding midwifery practice from projects which have achieved reduction in maternal and perinatal mortality; in particular the most vulnerable groups.

• To examine how midwifery practice can be improved

• To enable the voices and experiences of black women service users to be heard.

• To begin the work of realising and embedding the factors which will cause a step change in maternity outcomes for black mothers and babies.

Please see the Awarding Body's web page: https://www.iolanthe.org/latest/groundbreaking-conference-action-reduce-mortality-black-women-and-babies

The issues have been discussed on Womens Hour recently: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0006sg5

and on Galaxyafiwe radio: https://m.mixcloud.com/AfrikaSpeaks/can-we-be-liberated-if-black-maternal-mortality-rates-are-so-high-130519/  (Starting at 52 seconds in)

The conference is aimed at Black women users of maternity services, Midwives, researchers involved in research on perinatal mortality, student midwives, midwifery lecturers, policymakers, maternity service managers, maternity service planners, health service commissioners, health and social care professionals/workers.