BLACK MATERNAL HEALTH WEEK 2025 RECAP!
- Shantay Davies-Balch
- Apr 25
- 4 min read
Black Maternal Health Week (BMHW) 2025 was filled with so many beautiful moments connecting, learning, and celebrating with our community! From the Black Maternal Health Exhibition to the Health Fair & Jubilee, we welcomed hundreds of guests and came together to uplift Black maternal health through education, awareness, and community building.
BLACK MATERNAL HEALTH EXHIBITION
We welcomed almost 200 attendees to our unique exhibition honoring this year’s Black Maternal Health Week theme: Healing Legacies: Strengthening Black Health through Collective Action and Advocacy.
Our representative scientific illustrations and illustrated birth stories continue to be impactful, educational, and inspiring sections of our exhibition every year. We also introduced new sections, including Local Advocates, which aligned with the BMHW theme and highlighted transformative leaders and organizations in Fresno.
Honorees such as Mother Cynthia Sterling and Mother Dezie Woods-Jones, (BWOPA), Nia Hodge (ALTA), Dr. Venise Curry (Concerned Citizens), and Rod Wade (Advanced Peace) joined us. It was a special evening to honor their work.
Learn more about our Local Advocates here.
BWPC’s Kimsa Nguyen, MPH, showcased her project, 15 Pregnancy Questions, created in collaboration with providers across the state. Each provider recorded their answer to one of the selected pregnancy questions and their responses were compiled into videos and a special booklet. Two providers who collaborated on the project, Dr. Sharon Kopacz and Dr. Amanda Williams, stopped by to show their support!
Learn more about the project, watch the recording, and check out the 15 Pregnancy Questions booklet here.
Our History of Black Midwives section honored midwives of the past and celebrated the ongoing contributions of today’s, including our own Certified Nurse Midwife, Brittany Mbong.
Read about the History of Black Midwives here
Birth simulations with our high-fidelity birthing simulator, Olivia, were led by Certified Nurse Midwife, Brittany Mbong, and doulas Ta-She-Ra Manning and Breyonna Gaines-Barrett, offering attendees a unique educational experience of the birth process.
The exhibition was a very special event, and attendees expressed positive feedback and gratitude. After watching a birth simulation, one teenager left the room exclaiming, “I know what I want to be when I grow up—a midwife!
HEALTH FAIR & JUBILEE
Nearly 300 community members joined us for our Health Fair & Jubilee! It was a full day of learning, resources, food, music, giveaways, and fun! We’re especially proud of the educational opportunities we provided throughout the event.
New and expectant moms had the opportunity to meet one-on-one with BWPC’s Certified Lactation Educator, Hollye Jenkins, for breastfeeding support.
UCSF’s Dr. Aimee Abu-Shamsieh, resident Endya Hamilton, and Dr. Claire Gibson, focused on newborn health topics and care tips.
Our partners from Stanford University, including Dr. Dierdre Lyell, Dr. Irogue Igbinosa, Tayler Hughes, and Ijeoma Iwekaogwu led discussions on anemia in pregnancy and shared updates on our joint research creating an Anemia Prevention Toolkit to reduce disparities in iron deficiency anemia.
Dr. Subhashini Ladella educated attendees on preterm birth and postpartum hemorrhage. In the same space, our partners from Stanford CMQCC, Joanne Tillman and Lindsay du Plessis, shared resources on preeclampsia.
Cultural Brokers team, Savannah Finley and Chrysta St. James demonstrated safer sleep practices to help families prevent Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). Tanya Rodriguez, BWPC’s certified child passenger safety technician, also shared essential tips to help families keep their babies safer on the road.
Get more info about our Safer Sleep and Car Seat Safety trainings here
Dr. Venise Curry, long time environmental health advocate highlighted important work being done to address pollution and to bring about environmental justice in Fresno, particularly in Southwest Fresno.
BLACK Doula Network Doula and Nurse Practitioner Starr Gaines led reproductive health and STI education alongside our volunteer medical students from California Health Sciences University and nursing students from Samuel Merritt University College of Nursing.
We also proudly released the 2025 edition of the Black Maternal Child Health Guide, printed specially for our Mommy & Me Gift Bags. View the guide on our website here. Thanks to all those who sponsored and purchased an ad to be included!
Seeing so many families come out and receive free expert education, information and resources was amazing. We are so grateful to all of our providers and partners who made this event a success!
You can find all the photos we took throughout the events at our website:
THANK YOU!
TO OUR COMMUNITY, THANK YOU FOR SHOWING UP AND SHOWING OUT!
Vendors! The resources and education you shared were incredible. Many attendees expressed how much they appreciated learning about the services and resources you offer.
Volunteers! Your energy, dedication and support are so appreciated. We can’t do these events without you!
Not all of our vendors or volunteers are pictured here, but we love you all!
IN CASE YOU MISSSED IT!
Throughout the event, we enrolled many attendees as BWPC clients, giving them access to a community health advocates, resources, and referral services!
Start your enrollment today by filling out our interest form here and a community health advocate will be in touch!
SUPPORT OUR WORK!
Help us continue to provide resources and support to
moms and families, all year long. Donate today!
