This year’s Black and Brown Birthing Summit, hosted by African American Babies Coalition and Projects, was nothing short of powerful. It was our best yet — a deeply affirming space filled with truth-telling, wisdom-sharing, and community-building. From engaging panels to powerful presentations, we were blessed with high-quality speakers who didn’t just inform — they inspired.
We were honored to feature Dr. West Olatunji of the Center for Traumatic Stress Research and Ken L. Harris, Boston, MA, Maternal and Paternal health expert. Their words resonated deeply — calling us to action, reflection, and collective healing. One of the most moving aspects of this year’s summit was the focus on fathers — recognizing them as the first line of support in maternal health, not afterthoughts. Their presence was seen, honored, and lifted up in ways that challenged us to expand our understanding of care, protection, and provision within Black and Brown families.
Being together — in all our brilliance and complexity — reminded me that this work is sacred. I’m leaving this summit renewed, recharged, and recommitted to continuing this work, building safe and affirming spaces for our birthing people and families. Black and Brown Birthing Summit isn’t just an event — it’s a movement. A reminder that we are the experts of our own bodies, our own births, and our own stories. And we will be heard.
American legal scholar, Michele Bratcher Goodwin presenting on The Market of Black Body Parts.
