ATLANTA — Organizers teamed up with the city of Atlanta on Saturday to find a way to help bring attention to Black maternal health while bringing some celebration into the educational mix.
“We’re going straight for the neck of this thing," Alicia Scarborough said.
She is just one of many who have had enough with the way maternal care among Black women has been lacking in the state.
“We don’t want any other moms to die unnecessarily while giving childbirth during the most happy time of their lives," Scarborough said.
As executive director for the group 4KiraforMoms, she wants to see more mothers survive.
This was behind a community block party Saturday at Martin Luther King Jr Recreation Center and Aquatic center.
Among those who helped organize the event was Dr. Shani Clay. For her, the need to help others is inspired by a personal loss.
“My husband and I recently lost our son at 12-days-old a few months ago and so we wanted to do something in honor of both of their legacies," Dr. Clay said.
Clay said Black women are often not given the proper information or care -- saying it might be due to bias within the medical industry.
“I think a lot of it is rooted in racism and rooted in cultural awareness that a lot of providers may not have," Dr. Clay said.
Saturday’s event also brought first-time mother Jasmine Williams who is hoping to get advice as she looks to care for her toddler.
“When I had my baby I didn’t really have a lot of mom advice or mom anything," Williams said. "So having people that have been through motherhood already that’s what I’m looking into."
Mixed in with the free food, gifts and workshops, Scarborough hopes the block party will have some real impact.
“There’s a saying that people perish due to a lack of knowledge," she said. "So what we are doing today is arming them with the tools and resources, the knowledge and therapy.”