A number of our MCH students attended the 2021 Black Maternal Health Conference, hosted by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance (BMMA), April 16-17, online. What follows is a post from one of the attendees.
By Crysta Meekins, BPH
This year I had the privilege to virtually attend the Black Maternal Health Conference. Virtual conferences are not a new thing for me, as this was my second conference that I have attended virtually. The Black Maternal Health Conference was a unique experience jam packed with amazing Black women who are committed to advancing black maternal health in unique and creative ways.
All of the sessions were profound and insightful but the session that stood out to me the most was the plenary with Dr. Dorothy Roberts, the author of Killing the Black Body. In her talk, Dr. Roberts really highlighted the idea of how sacred and precious the lived experiences of Black mamas are. She emphasized that the systems and institutions that were developed during slavery times have been reinforced and reincarnated in different forms today to control Black women’s bodies. She also touched on the language that exists and is used to police Black women’s bodies when they choose to have children or choose not to have children. Either way, Black women are constantly under a microscope when it comes to what we do with our bodies. It was such a powerful conversation!
As a maternal and child health MPH student focused on Black lack maternal health, this conference made me even more excited and inspired to immerse myself in the work!
Crysta Meekins, BPH, is a second-year MPH student, concentrating in Maternal & Child Health. She plans to graduate in May 2021. Her interests include maternal & infant mortality and morbidity, reproductive health, and health disparities affecting minority populations. She also loves Grey’s Anatomy, reading, and fitness.
