March for Moms bridges grassroots maternal health with national advocacy & resources

The United States has one of the highest maternal mortality rates of any industrial nation - nearly 24 moms and birthing people die for every 100,00 babies born during pregnancy, childbirth, or from complications with pregnancy. The rate is almost twice as high in Louisiana and across the U.S. South. And even worse for Black moms and birthing people who live here. Problem is, most people don’t know about the issue.

“It’s hard for folks to wrap their heads around that this is happening,” said Laneceya Russ, Executive Director for March for Moms, an organization working to improve maternal health outcomes in Louisiana and across the country. “Folks think it can’t happen to them… Advocating around these things can make a difference, can improve the outcomes.”

March for Moms started in 2017 as a bridge between grassroots organizations working directly with moms and birthing people and national advocacy groups. The organization hired Russ as its one employee in 2021. That was also the year the Black Maternal Health Caucus introduced a comprehensive maternal health policy package known as the “Momnibus.” It was an all-hands-on-deck time for maternal health organizations like March for Moms. Russ’s workload was full.

“We needed help with community engagement,” said Russ, who applied to Serve Louisiana for a Corps member to help March for Moms strengthen its Louisiana partnerships and engage more moms and birthing people. Russ explained, “This was a way our organization could invest in someone in Louisiana doing social justice work and benefit from it as well.”

Through the partnership, corps member Mya Prean has helped March for Moms build partnerships with 15 grassroots maternal health groups in Louisiana, develop a community engagement plan for the organization, and assemble resource directories for birthing people to find a midwife, a mental health provider, and other resources.

With its partners, March for Moms is raising awareness of the maternal health crisis, as well as some of the solutions that can save peoples lives, including the Momnibus. They are also uplifting grassroots maternal health organizations and amplifying the voices of moms and birthing people, to advocate for themselves, talk about any mistreatment they received, and work for changes.

While many parts of the Momnibus package have not passed into law, some have. Meanwhile, maternal deaths continue to rise. The work of March for Moms, supported by Serve Louisiana and Prean, will continue to serve a critical role connecting local organizations to national resources. After all, the lives, health, and wellbeing of mothers, birthing people, and children are at stake.

“These disparities exist… In order for our communities to truly understand what is happening, we have to raise our voices a little bit louder,” said Russ. “There is strength in numbers. The only way this is going to change is if we come together.”

By: David Ferris