NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Pregnancy and giving birth can come with dangerous, life-threatening health risks that hit some communities harder than others.
To raise awareness for birth equity, The Melanated Birth Collective Nashville held a special walk Sunday at Centennial Park in honor of mothers who have died while giving birth or shortly after.
"We remember you, we speak your names, we carry your stories, we honor your lives with every step we take," said Nakishia Fouse, a doula and member of The Melanated Birth Collective Nashville, reading a poem.
According to the Tennessee Department of Health, Black mothers have nearly triple the chance of dying while giving birth compared to non-Hispanic White mothers.
Fouse and many other members of the collective, including Alisha Caruthers, are doulas working with mothers to make sure they can be heard about their concerns throughout the pregnancy process.
"Ask all the questions and then don't stop asking questions until you feel like you are confident in what your options are and what you're being told," Caruthers said.
"This is a mission of ours, that every Black mother comes out of birth alive, healthy and happy," Fouse said.
Phyllis Lanier took part in the walk.
Her daughter, Kelsey Thompson Wallace, died giving birth in 2021 despite being in good health.
"We lost my daughter in childbirth," Lanier said. "You're expecting to hear the good news that they're both doing well, that the baby is ok, and when we get the call, he said she didn't make it."
The walk is just one part of an entire week of outreach efforts for the collective, to help educate women to speak up during their pregnancies about how they’re feeling.
Click here for more information from The Melanated Birth Collective Nashville.
Click here for more information on resources for new moms in Tennessee.
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