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. While people of all races and identities are part of the collective, The experiences of Black families and other families of color are centered. With their annual Black Birth Matters conference, which started in 2016, Birthmark works statewide to improve Black maternal care in Louisiana. 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. “We’re creating this mutual...