New Maternal Health Fund aims to support Black Louisiana parents
Editor’s note: Carrie Murphy was previously a doula with Birthmark.
What if every Black parent in Louisiana had the support they needed for a healthy, happy pregnancy and childbirth? For one organization, that’s not just a rhetorical question–it’s the goal they’re working towards with a new reproductive health mutual aid fund.
Birthmark is a worker-owned birth justice collective that’s been providing doula care, lactation support, and advocacy work for more than a decade in New Orleans. Although people of all races, identities and backgrounds are included in the collective’s work, Black families and families of color have a special place. Birthmark launched their Maternal Health Fund, a community-driven mutual aid fund designed to support Louisiana families with financial support for reproductive care. This year, they’ve launched their Maternal Health Fund, a community-driven, mutual aid fund designed to support Louisiana families with financial support for reproductive care.
Victoria Williams, Birthmark’s advocacy director, said the fund is about collective liberation.
“There’s a growing demand for broader maternal health support, from addressing social determinants of health to child-care needs,” said Williams, who also holds a doctorate in health-care administration and works as a doula, certified lactation specialist, and social worker. Birthmark is a community-based organization, and we know that many people are in need of financial assistance. Black families are at risk due to a high cesarean rate (over 35%), the fact that more than a quarter of Louisiana’s parishes are considered “maternal health deserts”, and the fact that the maternal mortality rate in Louisiana is among the highest in the nation. There’s a long road ahead before the state’s reproductive health care is sustainable and successful. While lawmakers have taken measures to increase access to doulas, there are still many obstacles to overcome. For Birthmark and its community, the Maternal Health Fund is a way to fill the growing care gap.
Birthmark’s birth workers are not waiting for anyone to provide for their community. Williams stated that they are providing for their community themselves.
“In a post Dobbs World, we don’t wait for policy changes,” Williams said. We’re reimagining together how we can help each other. The group has used a sliding-scale “one for one model” to fund lactation and doula services. People paying the highest prices fund those who cannot afford to pay. Birth workers are paid the same regardless of where clients fall in the spectrum. The Maternal Health Fund expands this idea beyond the organization’s services. It will offer mutual aid funds to cover all aspects of reproductive health, justice, and health–from postpartum care and pelvic floor therapy, to child-care fees and home-birth midwifery. It’s about meeting people where they are and helping them with their immediate needs, Williams said.
‘Birthmark’s fund is different’
Birthmark’s Maternal Health Fund doesn’t have the celebrity star power or corporate funding of Birth Fund, the midwifery care fund started earlier this year by former Teen Vogue editor and Project Runway host Elaine Welteroth. Williams says that the focus is on bringing people together. “This is an opportunity for people with only $5 or $2, but who want to support Black, BIPOC and queer families, or just reproductive health generally,” said Williams. Maternal Health Fund can help professionals like a new doula who wants to pay training fees, or a community midwife with a need to hire a babysitter to attend births. Williams stated that the money would be available to groups working on reproductive justice in the state.
Applicants will need to fill out a Google Form with their funding request. The group decides which funding requests will be funded at its monthly member-owner meetings. They then give the money to recipients. The requests will be evaluated on a “first come, first serve” basis. The community will be notified if the fund runs out. And when the fund is full again, people will be able to submit requests once more.
Frankie Robinson, a lobbyist, doula, and the founder of social justice consulting firm the Amandla Group in Baton Rouge, said she contributed $500 to the fund at this year’s Black Birth Matters Conference.
“I believe in the work Birthmark does because I understand the challenges birthing people face in our state, particularly Black birthing people,” she said. She said, “I believe in the work Birthmark does because I understand the challenges birthing people face in our state, especially Black birthing people.” People need immediate help when they are in need. They shouldn’t be dehumanized or questioned extensively just for needing support.”
Birthmark hopes to raise $100,000 to kick off the fund and will begin granting donations in April during Black Maternal Health Week. Birthmark’s advocacy doesn’t end there–the group has just been named as a plaintiff in a new lawsuit challenging Louisiana’s classification of misoprostol and mifepristone as controlled substances.
Balancing political advocacy with direct mutual aid is a core value of Birthmark’s work. The group offers support where traditional systems fall short, while also working to overhaul those very systems.
“Birthmark’s fund is different,” Robinson said. It’s run by community members who understand the needs of their locality. The mutual aid process is made inviting, respectful and dignified. This ensures that the people receiving the help they need receive it. This fund will enable birthing people not only to survive, but also thrive.”
