Event empowers women, uplifts voices during Black Maternal Health Week

INDIANAPOLIS — This week is Black Maternal Health Week and local advocates are raising awareness to shed light on disparities in hopes of getting one step closer to eliminating them. “So often black voices are not heard,” said Registered Nurse Sierra Woods. “Nourishing our Roots” Woods helped organize an event Saturday called “Nourishing Our Roots: Nurturing Conversations on Black Maternal Health” to uplift voices she believes have long been ignored. “My goal is always to spread the information, but also educate people so that they can then share that information with other people,” she explained. Saturday’s session featured a planting workshop to encourage everyone to nourish their own roots first. There was also a chance for Black women to connect and learn from a panel of medical experts. “Nourishing our Roots” It comes amid Black Maternal Health Week, which is April 11-17. The goal is to shed light on racial inequities women of color face while giving birth. “Black moms are three times more likely to die from pregnancy related complications compared to white women. In Indiana, we rank third highest in maternal mortality, which is really a shocking number,” explained Aliscia Pace, a Family Nurse Practitioner who also helped...