Black Maternal Health Week 2025 5K Walk

🌍 Event Overview

Black Maternal Health Week 2025 is almost here. April 11-17th is Black Maternal Health Week and we are hosting our 3rd annual 5K Walk to help raise awareness.

The Black infant and maternal mortality crisis in the U.S. is a national issue. Beauty for Ashes Maternal Wellness Inc.is hosting a 5K Walk to raise awareness, and to raise funds to provide support to families in need.

⚠️ The Crisis

• Disparity: Black women and birthing people are 3-4 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes and complications than their white counterparts.
• Preventable deaths: Most pregnancy-related deaths are preventable.
• Contributing factors: Structural racism, implicit bias, and healthcare quality variations contribute to these disparities.
• Opportunity gaps: Social determinants have historically limited the opportunities for racial and ethnic minority groups.

📅 Black Maternal Health Week

Black Maternal Health Week (BMHW) was founded and is led by Black Mamas Matter Alliance. BMHW takes place annually from April 11-17 and was recognized by the White House on April 13, 2021. It is a week of awareness, advocacy, activism, and collaboration to amplify the voices, perspectives, and lived experiences of Black Mamas and birthing people. This year's theme is "Healing Legacies: Strengthening Black Maternal Health Through Collective Action and Advocacy!

👶 Infant Mortality Facts

Infant mortality is defined as death during the first year of life. The United States has a high infant mortality rate, and Black babies are in the gravest danger, with an infant mortality rate in 2018 of 10.8 deaths per 1,000 live births, compared to a rate of 4.6 White babies per 1,000 live births.

🗓️ Important Dates

• April 16: The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors declared April 16 as the Day of the Black Infant.
• Doula Support: Doula support has been shown to help improve birth outcomes.
• Access Support: We are working to make doula support more accessible to Black birthing families.
• Research: Click here to learn more about the evidence on doula support

💖 Our Commitment

Beauty for Ashes Maternal Wellness, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization committed to improving the lives of women, infants, and birthing families as well as the birth workers that are called to serve them. Funds raised will be used to cover the cost of labor and postpartum doula support, lactation support, and supplemental supportive services including transportation and nutritional support. To learn more about the programs and services we provide, please click here.

🏃‍♀️ Walk Details

The walk will be held in Los Angeles on Saturday, April 12, 2025, at the Birth Equity Consortium Doula Hub located at 5838 Overhill Dr. #3 L.A. CA, 90043.

Our Virtual walk is for people that are not local to Los Angeles but would still like to support and show solidarity. We will kick off the virtual walk on Saturday April 12th and continue through Sunday April 13th. Participants can walk anytime, anywhere. We look forward to seeing and sharing all of your pictures and videos, so don't forget to tag www.instagram.com/beauty4ashesmaternalwellness. Join us and help save Black moms and babies.

📢 Spread the Word

DON'T FORGET THE HASHTAGS

#BMHW2025 #BFAMW #BEAUTY4ASHESWELLNESS #BLACKMATERNALHEALTHWEEK #BIRTHJUSTICE #ENDMATERNALMORTALITY

🔔 Dates to Remember

• APRIL 1-30: NATIONAL MINORITY HEALTH MONTH
• APRIL 1: VIRTUAL WALK KICK-OFF Walk anytime, anywhere throughout the month of April in solidarity with us.
• APRIL 11: INTERNATIONAL DAY for MATERNAL HEALTH RIGHTS
• APRIL 11-17: BLACK MATERNAL HEALTH WEEK
• APRIL 13: COMMUNITY 5K WALK IN LOS ANGELES
• APRIL 16: DAY OF THE BLACK INFANT

For more information, visit our registration page.