Black Maternal Health Week 2026 Mission
Black Maternal Health Week 2026 exists to center the voices, leadership, and lived experiences of Black mothers while advancing community-led systems change rooted in healing, trust, and collaboration. Through culturally grounded programming, intergenerational learning, and the S.O.U.L. Framework, we create spaces where families, youth, providers, and institutions come together to repair harm and reimagine care. Guided by the Nguzo Saba, this work honors ancestral wisdom while inspiring the next generation of leaders, healers, and changemakers. When Black mothers are supported, families strengthen and communities thrive.
Community-Led Systems Change
Advancing people-centered systems by centering community wisdom, lived experience, and cross-sector collaboration, moving from harm to healing, and from policy to practice.
Investing in the Next Generation
Creating spaces that inspire, protect, and empower children and youth, recognizing them as future leaders, innovators, healers, and changemakers.
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Healing, Joy & Cultural Grounding
Uplifting healing as both a personal and collective practice, rooted in African-centered values, ancestral knowledge, creativity, and joy as essential tools for transformation.
Innovation Through Collaboration
Demonstrating how trust-building, partnership across systems, and creative approaches (art, dialogue, wellness, education) lead to sustainable, community-driven solutions.
Centering Black Mothers & Families
Amplifying the voices, leadership, and lived experiences of Black mothers while ensuring care, dignity, and support before, during, and after birth.
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Day 1 ~ April 4th
Black Maternal Health Convention
Amazing Breakout sessions followes by resouces and Lunch
Join us during Black Maternal Health Week 2026 for the Black Maternal Health Convention, a powerful, community-centered gathering hosted by Shades of Motherhood (SOMN) that uplifts Black and Brown mothers, doulas, birth workers, and families while advancing maternal health equity. Through inspiring workshops, honest dialogue, and collective action, this event focuses on educating communities about racism and bias in healthcare, economically empowering birth workers as essential professionals, and normalizing culturally rooted, community-based care. Your RSVP supports real, local impact, funding education, empowerment, and wellness initiatives in Spokane—so come connect, learn, and be part of building healthier, more just futures for our families.
Day 2 ~ April 11th
The Child Birth Knowledge Exhibits
Some Art exhibits are up all week and at multiple locations
The Child Birth Knowledge Exhibit, taking place during Black Maternal Health Week 2026, is an interactive, community-centered educational experience hosted by Shades of Motherhood Network (SOMN) in partnership with Providence Health, designed to empower Black and Brown families with essential knowledge around childbirth, perinatal care, postpartum health, and maternal health justice. By centering culturally rooted care and lived experience, the exhibit bridges community wisdom with healthcare systems—creating space for learning, healing, and advocacy while addressing the urgent disparities impacting Black maternal health. Join us to gain tools, build confidence, and be part of collective action toward more equitable, accountable, and responsive maternal healthcare.
Day 3 ~ April 12th
Family Fun Day
Bring the whole family for a day of joy, connection, and cultural celebration!
Family Fun Day 2026 is a joyful, community-centered kickoff to Black Maternal Health Week, hosted by Shades of Motherhood Network (SOMN) that celebrates connection, play, and collective healing as essential parts of family and maternal wellness. Taking place at Get Air Trampoline Park in Northtown, this free, uplifting event invites families to come together for laughter, movement, and meaningful connection in a welcoming space designed to support Black families and strengthen community bonds. By centering joy, rest, and togetherness, Family Fun Day intentionally creates space for resilience and well-being, reminding us that joy and play are vital to healthy families and stronger communities.
Day 4 ~ April 13th
Policy & Poetry Night
Addressing Social Determinants of Health & Advancing Maternal Justice
The Policy & Poetry Social, held during Black Maternal Health Week 2026, is an evening where art, lived experience, and policy come together to spark transformative dialogue on Black maternal health. Hosted by Shades of Motherhood Network (SOMN), this powerful gathering uses poetry, storytelling, and facilitated conversation to explore how social determinants like housing, education, economic stability, and healthcare access shape maternal outcomes. By centering Black voices and community wisdom, the event creates space for truth-telling, healing, and meaningful connection—humanizing data, inspiring civic engagement, and fueling systems change rooted in lived experience. Join us for a creative, reflective, and action-oriented evening that moves hearts and informs policy.
Day 5 ~ April 14th
Movie Night
Come to the Premiere of our Documentary: Girl Get A Doula
Girl Get a Doula is an inspiring documentary screening and community gathering hosted by Shades of Motherhood Network (SOMN) during Black Maternal Health Week 2026, spotlighting how a doula-desert community transformed maternal health through trust, culturally responsive care, and collective action. Through powerful storytelling and lived experience, the film highlights the life-changing impact of doula support in improving birth outcomes, strengthening advocacy, and building sustainable systems of care for Black families. Join us for an evening of reflection, connection, and learning that uplifts community-led solutions and shows how investing in doulas means investing in healthier births, empowered families, and lasting systems change.
Day 6 ~ April 15th
Spotlight: Women's Wellness Conversations
Black & Brown Wellness Movements | Black Maternal Health Week 2026
Spotlight: Women’s Wellness Conversations is a powerful, full-day virtual podcast experience hosted by Shades of Motherhood Network (SOMN) during Black Maternal Health Week 2026, amplifying Black and Brown wellness movements and centering storytelling as a catalyst for systems change. Led by Stephanie Courtney, M.Ed., and featuring holistic health expert Dr. Rekishia McMillan, this immersive event creates space for healing-centered dialogue on wellness, maternal health, and culturally rooted care—uplifting voices too often excluded from mainstream narratives. Join us online for a day of reflection, learning, and connection that affirms wellness as both personal and political, and essential to advancing Black maternal health equity.
Day 7 Part 1 ~ April 16th
Black Maternal Mental Health Conference
Healing • Connection • Community | Black Maternal Health Week 2026
The Black Maternal Mental Health Conference is a powerful, healing-centered gathering hosted by Shades of Motherhood Network (SOMN) during Black Maternal Health Week 2026, dedicated to connection, compassion, and community-driven systems change. Bringing together lived experience, clinical expertise, and peer support, the conference creates an affirming space to address fertility journeys, pregnancy after loss, postpartum mental health, and the emotional realities often carried in silence by Black mothers. Featuring perinatal mental health expert Lyndsey Williams, LCSW-C, PMH-C, alongside SOMN’s Community Peer Support Task Force, this event uplifts culturally responsive care, reduces stigma, and strengthens pathways to long-term wellbeing—because mental health is essential to maternal health, and healing is a collective practice.
Day 7 Part 2 ~ April 16th
Movement of Joy: Hypertension Zumba
Move • Connect • Heal | Black Maternal Health Week 2026
Movement of Joy: Hypertension Zumba is a high-energy, heart-centered wellness experience hosted by Shades of Motherhood Network (SOMN) during Black Maternal Health Week 2026, designed to support hypertension prevention, stress reduction, and community care for Black and Brown women. Through joyful, accessible movement and connection, this event transforms prevention into action, creating a culturally affirming space where heart health education, laughter, and Zumba come together to promote long-term maternal wellness. Join us to move, connect, and heal, and experience how joy, community, and prevention are powerful tools for advancing Black maternal health.
Day 8 ~ April 17th
Dear Sis | History In Motion
Sacred Motherhood Runway – A Decade of Us | Black Maternal Health Week 2026
Dear Sis: History in Motion is a powerful Sacred Motherhood runway experience hosted by Shades of Motherhood Network (SOMN) during Black Maternal Health Week 2026, honoring a decade of Black maternal health advocacy through culture, education, and birth justice. Curated through the S.O.U.L. Framework, this purpose-driven event brings history to life through fashion, storytelling, music, and movement, centering Black women as knowledge holders, culture bearers, and architects of systems change. More than a fashion show, the runway serves as a living archive that celebrates resilience, resistance, and collective care across generations, reminding us that culture is a powerful force for remembrance, healing, and transformation.
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Sponsors For 2026
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the sponsors who have supported and contributed to making BMHW a reality! Thank you for tackling the challenges surrounding Maternal Health.
Platinum Sponsor
Sponsors
Our Partners
BMHW 2025 Recap
During Black Maternal Health Week 2025 (April 11–17), the Shades of Motherhood Network led a powerful community celebration and awareness campaign centered on the theme “Art of Birth: The Road to Liberation.” This annual week of events honored Black birth and maternal justice through art exhibits, family gatherings, storytelling, policy dialogues, film screenings, movement and wellness activities, and other culturally grounded programming that amplified the voices and lived experiences of Black birthing people and families. In alignment with the broader Black Maternal Health Week national movement, which focused on strengthening Black maternal health through collective action and advocacy—SOMN’s locally rooted events fostered connection, education, and empowerment, while highlighting systemic inequities and uplifting culturally responsive care solutions. By integrating artistic expression, community engagement, and advocacy, the week strengthened awareness of maternal health disparities and inspired both community solidarity and action toward equitable care and birth justice.
2025 Events
Sponsors For 2025
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all the sponsors who have supported and contributed to making BMHW a reality! Thank you for tackling the challenges surrounding Maternal Health.
Platinum Sponsor
Sponsors
Our Partners
