EverThrive Illinois is inviting organizations to participate in this important campaign called The Gathering to address maternal mortality and morbidity in Black communities. “The campaign is unique because community voice is centered throughout the campaign development. We formed the campaign based on focus groups held on Chicago’s south and west sides and tested the imagery and messaging with community members,” said Tamela Milan – Alexander, Director of Community Engagement. “It’s important to educate our communities on the impact of maternal mortality affecting Black birthing people because many are unaware of this racial disparity.”
Research shows that Black women in Chicago are six times more likely to die while pregnant, having a baby, or in the year after pregnancy than their white counterparts. The majority of these deaths are preventable. We believe that community-centered education can address the root causes of Chicago’s maternal mortality and morbidity crisis, including the systemic racism within the health care ecosystem that breeds mistrust. “The campaign also provides other health care stakeholders with a glossary of engaging, relatable, and useful language for the families they serve,” said Tamela. The campaign’s focus is to support and provide community education and resources to Black pregnant or recently pregnant people and family and friends.
This digital campaign includes the following:
- The Gathering Landing Page
- During Your Pregnancy Fact Sheet
- After You Give Birth Fact Sheet
- Family and Friends Resource
- Glossary of Terms for Doctors and Clinics
- Social Media Graphics
- The Gathering Video
Your organization is an integral part of the success of this campaign. We hope you will participate in this campaign to save lives and help increase healthy outcomes for Black birthing people in Chicago.
We also invite you to use our campaign guidelines with tips on amplifying this digital resource to the communities you serve.
Thank you for helping make The Gathering Campaign a great success!
– EverThrive IL Team
EverThrive Illinois is committed to saving lives as co-lead with AllianceChicago and our partners through the Chicago Collaboration for Maternal Health (CCMH).