Family

Family Act Key for Blacks, Coalition Says

WASHINGTON INFORMER — A national family and medical paid leave program must be passed by Congress to ensure all American workers can care for their families without worrying about jeopardizing their income, according to officials at The Leadership Conference for Civil and Human Rights, a District-based coalition of more than 200 national organizations that work to promote and protect the civil and human rights of all in the United States.

Published

6 years ago

June 14, 2019

Stacy Brown

By Stacy Brown

A national family and medical paid leave program must be passed by Congress to ensure all American workers can care for their families without worrying about jeopardizing their income, according to officials at The Leadership Conference for Civil and Human Rights, a District-based coalition of more than 200 national organizations that work to promote and protect the civil and human rights of all in the United States.

Leadership Conference officials joined others at a Tri-Caucus briefing on the importance of paid family and medical leave at the federal level to achieve racial justice.

A panel experts at the June 5 gathering at the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill discussed a wide range of topics, most notably the current federal and state landscape of family and medical leave with a special focus on how the Family Act will make vital improvements for people of color.

The gathering was co-sponsored by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, National Partnership for Women & Families, Black Women’s Roundtable, Family Values at Work, UnidosUS, United for Respect, and the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance in conjunction with the Congressional Black Caucus, Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, and Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

“We believe passage of the Family Act is key for Black women and men to achieve economic security and prosperity,” said event moderator Melanie Campbell, who serves as president and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation and convener of the Black Women’s Roundtable.

“As a program that ensures that people can take time from work when they need it to care for themselves and family, the Family Act speaks directly to the needs of Black women and their families because three out of four Black women — 75 percent — are the primary source of income in their family units,” Campbell said. “Also, nearly 30 percent of Black family caregivers are young family members between the ages 18 to 34 and who earn less than $30,000 annually.”

Earlier this month, Connecticut became just the seventh state to create a system of paid leave. Under the new law, minimum wage employees could have up to 95 percent of their pay covered, capped at $900 per week.

New York’s recently-passed paid leave policy offers only a 55 percent wage replacement, which will increase to 67 percent when the law is fully implemented.

“Paid leave is a critical step forward for women’s economic security, especially for low-wage workers and women of color who are an increasing number of primary breadwinners for their families,” Catherine Bailey of the Connecticut Women’s Education and Legal Fund told the Connecticut Mirror. “We are proud to join the rest of the world and become just the seventh state in the U.S. to create a system of paid leave.”

The need for all states to create a substantial family leave law is underscored by a recent Harvard University report.

“Following decades of decline, maternal deaths began to rise in the United States around 1990 — a significant departure from the world’s other affluent countries,” the report said. “By 2013, rates had more than doubled.”

The CDC now estimates that 700 to 900 new and expectant mothers die in the U.S. each year, and an additional 500,000 women experience life-threatening postpartum complications.

More than half of these deaths and near deaths are from preventable causes, and a disproportionate number of the women suffering are Black.

“Put simply, for Black women far more than for white women, giving birth can amount to a death sentence,” the Harvard report said. “African-American women are three to four times more likely to die during or after delivery than are white women. According to the World Health Organization, their odds of surviving childbirth are comparable to those of women in countries such as Mexico and Uzbekistan, where significant proportions of the population live in poverty.”

This article originally appeared in the Washington Informer.

Stacy Brown

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Activism

Sacramento: Lawmakers Hear From Health Advocates on “State of Black Maternal Health”

Participants highlighted several past and current bills going through the state Legislature that focus on improving maternal health equity. The proposals address systemic inequities to improve the healthcare experiences of Black women during pregnancy, labor, and postpartum.

Published

2 months ago

September 10, 2025

Oakland Post

CBHN Executive Director Rhonda Smith convened a panel of experts—including health policy advocates, public health directors, researchers, and birth workers—for the organization’s legislative briefing on the state of Black maternal health. Sacramento, CA, Aug. 27, 2025. CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey.

By Antonio Ray Harvey, California Black Media

Adjoa Jones is a Los Angeles-based health and community leader who has dedicated her career to advocating for equitable birth outcomes for Black mothers and infants.

Participating in a legislative briefing hosted by the California Black Health Network (CBHN) on Aug. 27, Jones shared stories that shed light on the disproportionately high rate of pregnancy-related complications and deaths among Black women.

Two Black women in Southern California, Jones says, suddenly passed away after giving birth. From Jones’s perspective, those maternal mortalities could have been prevented.

“I come to you speaking from the voices of our community. From the stories of two unforgettable mothers, but it really speaks to the most preventable tragedies,” said, Jones, who is the Director of African American Infant and Maternal Mortality Prevention Initiative at the L.A. County Department.

“It’s not just impacting California, but our nation far and wide,” Jones added during the event titled “The State of Black Maternal Health” and held at the California State Museum in Sacramento.

Panelists included Sandra Poole, Health Policy advocate for the Western Center on Law and Poverty, and Brittany Chambers, Associate Professor for the Department of Human Ecology at the University of California at Davis.

Other panelists were Palav Babaria, Deputy Director for the California Department of Health Care Services, and Zea Malawa, Director of Expecting Justice.

Rhonda Smith, the Executive Director of CBHN, served as the host and moderator of the briefing.

“There are amazing and incredible women who are doing amazing work here in the state,” Smith said of the panelists who discussed potential policy solutions and accountability.

During Jones’ presentation, she shared the tragic stories of two women. One was April Valentine, who died on Jan. 10, 2023, after giving birth at Centinela Hospital Medical Center in Inglewood.

According to reports, Valentine died from a blood clot, a pulmonary embolism, that formed in her leg and circulated to her lung. A well-known complication during pregnancy. Valentine’s family members said her condition was preventable, and they filed a wrongful-death claim.

The second woman, 32-year-old Briget Cromer, died in 2023 at California Hospital Medical Center, hours after giving birth to her fifth child. Her family believes her death was due to medical negligence.

Her family’s legal team filed a formal complaint with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (USDHH) alleging systemic racial bias in care.

According to the California Department of Public Health, Black women are more likely than their counterparts to die during pregnancy. They represent 5% pregnancies in the state but account for 21% of pregnancy-related deaths.

“We’re doing all that we can to ensure that pregnancy is uplifted (and) pregnancy is a place that’s where folks can enjoy the journey, Jones said.

Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson (D-San Diego), an obstetrician-gynecologist, was the keynote speaker.

“Here in California, we tragically lose another mother due to pregnancy-related complications every five days,” Weber Pierson said. “Here and nationally, Black mothers are three to four times likely to be one of those mothers lost. That’s coming from 40% of maternal deaths.”

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Activism

Painter Carla J. Lawson Captures Black Elegance in Bold Prints for Oakland’s Black-Eyed Pea Festival

As a Black woman, Lawson values the connection between her art and her community. She said that her art “needs to feel like Black people to me,” in hopes that her art will culturally resonate with others. Many parts of the Black community inspire her, but often what stands out to her is history. She also talked about being inspired by Black children, by their laughter and joy.

Published

3 months ago

August 11, 2025

Oakland Post

Carla Lawson poses by one of her large canvas works. Courtesy photo.

By Daisha Williams

Vacaville painter Carla Lawson invites viewers to her web page with these words: “I create from a center of love and joy, bringing to life the rhythms of my mind through the usage of various mediums.”

Art was Lawson’s hobby when she was young. She worked in retail before devoting herself to painting 16 years ago, with the encouragement of her mother, who didn’t want Carla to have regrets.

For example, her Black ballerina-themed prints were initially made to make them look like they are actually dancing because of the way that ink flows and drips. Black ballerinas are often undervalued, but these pieces accurately capture their beauty and grace.

Lawson is almost entirely self-taught, with the exception of two classes at the Academy of Art in the summer of 2000. Lawson continues to attain skill, recently focusing on human anatomy to bring more accuracy to her work while also pushing experimentation with different paints, brushes, and other materials to see how they work together. It often takes her many hours to complete a painting, and sometimes multiple days.

With that devoted practice, she says, over time, the range of her work has grown, and the canvases have gotten bigger!

Lawson sells primarily at festivals and pop-up events in the Bay Area. Her work is also showcased at restaurants and cafes, and she is working toward securing a gallery showing. Prints are for sale on her website, carla-js-art.square.site.

Carla Lawson will be one of the artists at the 10^th Annual Black-Eyed Pea Festival, a celebration of traditional African American music, food, and art, on Sat. Sept. 13, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Marston Campbell Park, 17^th and West streets in West Oakland. For more info, go to Oakbepf.com or call 510-332-5851. Bring a chair or blanket for the lawn or reserve a table for six for $150 at https://www.tickettailor.com/events/omnirainstitute/1799229

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Alameda County

Mayor Barbara Lee Celebrates Successful National Night Out 2025 with Participation Across Oakland

The annual community-building event brought together residents from East Oakland to West Oakland, from the Hills to Downtown, and everywhere. Mayor Lee visited multiple events throughout the evening, including stops at 121 Monte Vista, 1 Rockridge Place, Sobrante Park in East Oakland, 3833 Lakeshore Ave, and Discover Community Cafe in West Oakland.

Published

3 months ago

August 9, 2025

Oakland Post

Mayor Barbara Lee celebrating National Night Out with community members from Oakland.

By Justin Phillips

Mayor Barbara Lee today praised the overwhelming community participation in National Night Out 2025, with more than 229 events taking place across Oakland neighborhoods on Tuesday evening.

“What an amazing evening in Oakland,” said Lee. “With events happening across every corner of the Town, there was something for everyone to connect with neighbors and celebrate what makes Oakland special.”

“Tonight was about connection, safety, and showing the love that makes Oakland home,” Lee said.

The events ranged from neighborhood barbecues to block parties to community gatherings, each representing Oakland’s strong community spirit. Mayor Lee expressed her gratitude to every resident, block captain, community leader, and organization that made the evening possible.

Mayor Barbara Lee celebrating National Night Out with community members from Oakland.

“Thank you to every resident, block captain, community leader, and organization making tonight possible,” said Mayor Lee. “This is what Oakland Strong looks like!”

National Night Out is an annual community-building campaign that promotes public safety, community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make neighborhoods safer and more caring places to live.

Justin Phillips is the Communications director in the office of Mayor Barbara Lee.