Family

Mothering Justice Hosts Women Legislators

THE AFRO — Key agenda items for the organization is raising the minimum wage, family medical leave insurance (FMLI), maternal justice– which champions issues of infant and maternal mortality and sustaining safety net programs for mothers and families such as SNAP and Medicaid.

Published

7 years ago

May 20, 2019

Oakland Post

By George Kevin Jordan

It was a meeting of the minds as Mothering Justice held a discussion panel with some of the countries top leaders to discuss issues that dramatically impact women, mothers and families.

Several attendees gathered at the American Federation of Teachers on New Jersey Ave. NW, as well as online for the livestream of the event. In attendance were Rep. Bed Haaland, (D-MI), Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), Rep. Brenda Lawrence (D-MI) Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL) and a host of other thought leaders and policy makers.

Mothering Justice is a statewide organization based in Michigan dedicated to empowering mothers to lobbyists. The organization works in advocacy, leadership development, and voter engagement.

Key agenda items for the organization is raising the minimum wage, family medical leave insurance (FMLI), maternal justice– which champions issues of infant and maternal mortality and sustaining safety net programs for mothers and families such as SNAP and Medicaid.

Rep. Tlaib shared stories of real women, her constituents facing inequities in Michigan, from the shutting down of day care programs, to lead in the water, saying, “It’s really important as we look at these policy issues that we also uplift these stories, and if we do nothing what that looks like.”

“It’s hard out here. I am very vulnerable cause I’m like ‘what do you mean you don’t understand why people are on the food line when there’s a shutdown? ‘Well why can’t they get a loan?’ That’s the reality of what we have in Congress,” Tlaib said.

“The movement outside the halls of Congress is where things are going to happen.”

One of the main issues on the table was Labor Project for Working Families.

“When we don’t have paid medical leave, families lose money,” said Carol Joyner, director of the Labor Project for Working Families (LPWF) with Family Values at Work (FV@W)

“These are purely economic issues. We’re hoping we see the strongest paid leave bill out of Congress to cover [those] who need time to welcome a new baby, take care of someone sick in their family or take care of themselves.”

Sade Moonsammy, director of operations and strategic planning for LPWF with FV@W, said it’s also important to address our ever expanding concept of family.

“It’s also talking about the definition of family and who’s involved in family. This is an issue beyond women. This is a non-binary issue, it’s a trans issue; this is how we look at all the intersections of family. It doesn’t matter if it passes, if families are cut out of it.”

“Before you can fix any problem you have to know it’s happening,” Rep. Lawrence said. “When you look at poverty in America the largest group is women and children. A woman in poverty- almost 60 percent of her pay goes to childcare. When we look at the largest amount of student debt it’s women.”

Sen. Harris brought home the fact that mother’s issues is everyone’s issue saying, “What is good for the mothers of our country is good for the babies of our country, is good for our country.”

“There have been many times when people come up to me and say ‘Kamala tell us about women’s issues.’ And I say, ‘You know what I am so glad you want to talk about the economy.’ Because we know when you lift up the economic status of women, you lift up the economic status of families of neighborhoods and community and all of society.”

Danielle Atkinson, founding director of the organization said next steps for Mothering Justice, is to “continue to push this issue in the state.”

“We are organizing, but we want to continue to raise these issues and make sure they are front and center in 2020,” Atkinson said. “In all of those races the presidential, the congressional, those candidates are forced to address these issues and what their plan is to solve them.”For more information about Mothering Justice and their movement please go to https://motheringjustice.org/

This article originally appeared in The Afro.

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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

3 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

4 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

4 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.