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Maternal mortality, particularly for Black mothers in America, is a crisis we need to solve. The maternal mortality rate in our country is worse now than it was a quarter-century ago, and “Black women are three to four times as likely to die from pregnancy-related causes as their white counterparts,” according to a 2018 New York Times Magazine story by Linda Villarosa. The statistics continue to go in the wrong direction — maternal mortality was worse in 2019 than it was in 2018.
4Kira4Moms was founded by Charles Johnson IV, whose wife, Kira, died shortly after giving birth in 2016. The organization is an advocate for legislation to help ensure better maternal health in the United States. Every Mother Counts, founded by the model Christy Turlington Burns, works in the United States and a handful of countries abroad to help women get better care during and after their pregnancies, and is also an advocate for maternal-health legislation.
Finally, I’m a huge fan of A Better Balance, a legal organization that works to protect and advance the rights of workers who are also caregivers. It has a free and confidential legal help line in English and Spanish that helps workers understand their rights. The Center for WorkLife Law does similar and important work.
Tiny Victories
Parenting can be a grind. Let’s celebrate the tiny victories.
My 2-year-old became defiant on a forest hike and refused to hold my hand along a narrow hillside path. I asked her to hold my hand so I didn’t fall, and she was happy to help keep Mommy safe.
— Lauren Hall-Stigerts, Seattle
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