Tragically, more than 80% of pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. are preventable.
This public health crisis is bringing together celebrities and state officials like Illinois Lt. Gov. Julianna Stratton to sound the alarm.
The Chicago Chapter Charities Foundation (CCCF) will host their sixth annual Power & Purpose luncheon with keynote speaker Tonya Lee Lewis, award-winning filmmaker, author, and entrepreneur whose work often explores the personal impact of social justice issues. Co-director and co-producer of AFTERSHOCK (HULU), a documentary exploring the U.S. maternal mortality crises that has received numerous awards, including a 2024 DuPont-Columbia Award, a 2023 Peabody Award, a 2022 Sundance Special Jury Impact for Change Award, and a 2023 Emmy Award nomination. AFTERSHOCK examines the tragic implications of a healthcare system that neglects maternity patients in distress seeking help. From an often-overlooked perspective, the documentary follows two families left to raise children without their mothers due to preventable childbirth complications.
The event Hear Me! See Me! Empower Me: Promoting Black Maternal Health: Highlighting the Impact on Chicago's Black Community, will take place on Tuesday, October 8, at the Union League Club of Chicago - 65 West Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois, beginning with a VIP Reception at 11 a.m., followed by the luncheon program and panel of experts at noon. Other speakers include Illinois Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton, Congresswoman Lauren Underwood and Dr. Joy West.
The goal of the luncheon is to promote, champion and provide financial support to community-based organizations that are working to improve Black maternal health, increase efforts to raise awareness and provide greater access to services and support with the overarching goal of reducing the impact of this public health crisis, on the physical and mental wellness of families and communities.
"Black women are 2.6 times more likely to experience maternal mortality than white women. We have to make sure that the broader community understands that these women are dying at an alarming rate and there are things that we can do collectively to stop that trend," says Annette Johnson, Chairwomen of this year's event. "I am thrilled that we at CCCF will be able to provide impactful grants to those organizations committed to saving mothers from death during and after delivery."
According to the World Health Organization, 287,000 women died during and following childbirth in 2020. Almost 95% of all maternal deaths occurred in low and lower to middle-income countries and communities and most could have been prevented. In 2022, there were 817 women in the United Stated alone, who died of maternal causes.