The Work Continues: Supporting Black Maternal Vitality & Resiliency
During my time at the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence (NRCDV), I had the privilege of leading a project that brought together a diverse group of survivors and public health professionals to examine the intersections of maternal health, domestic violence, and racism. This report, Supporting Black Maternal Vitality & Resiliency, is one of the outcomes of that work.
This report would not exist without the brilliance, courage, and dedication of the Black and Brown survivors and professionals who made these convenings possible. Midwives, maternal health providers, domestic violence advocates, social workers, grassroots leaders, and policy experts all gave their time and energy over two years to share their experiences. Their voices shaped every page. This body of knowledge belongs to them, and it is to them that we owe its truth and power.
Supporting Black Maternal Vitality & Resiliency is built on an undeniable truth: the health of Black women and birthing people in the U.S. remains in crisis. Maternal mortality rates continue to rise, and Black women are still three to five times more likely to die during pregnancy, childbirth, or postpartum than their white counterparts.
When layered with the realities of intimate partner violence (IPV), the risks are even more devastating. Pregnancy is one of the most dangerous times for IPV homicide, and Black women are disproportionately affected
This crisis is not just about health; it is about policy. The federal government’s recent decisions to slash maternal health and domestic violence research at agencies like the CDC and NIH, along with millions in survivor-serving grants, have devastating consequences. These cuts don’t simply limit research; they erase the very evidence needed to hold systems accountable. They shut down housing programs, restrict access to medical care, cut off food assistance, and dismantle frameworks that help professionals respond without bias and with real safety in mind. In effect, the government is silencing proof of harm while abandoning the very communities most at risk, leaving Black women and birthing people exposed to deeper systemic neglect.
And yet, there is hope.
The convenings that informed this report surfaced strategies rooted in community wisdom and practice:
• Integrating midwives and doulas into domestic violence response to ensure culturally grounded, survivor-centered care.
• Building strong cross-sector collaborations so that healthcare providers, advocates, and community organizations work as one.
• Centering prevention and empowerment, especially for youth, through education on healthy relationships, reproductive justice, and resilience.
• Investing in provider sustainability and diversity, so that the workforce reflects and supports the communities they serve.
• Expanding provider education on the complexities of maternal exposure to violence, ensuring that clinicians, advocates, and systems responders are trained to recognize risks, remove bias, and respond with safety and equity in mind
These are not abstract ideas. They are best practices already being piloted in communities across the country, and they work
The federal government has shown, time and again, that it is unwilling to protect women and girls, especially Black women and birthing people. But we are not powerless. Together, we can implement the solutions outlined in this report and other Black feminist movements. We can fund and scale community-driven models. We can hold systems accountable. We can uplift the expertise of survivors and providers who already know what works.
Check out the full report on my resources page or directly here.
This is the work that I have been doing for a decade, centering survivor voices to build bridges between advocates, providers, and systems so that survivor-led, trauma-informed, community-based strategies become the standard of care.
We cannot wait for federal leadership that may never come. Change is happening now, in our communities, and we are the ones making it possible.
