RECLAIM THE WORK: Bellies, Babies, and Blackness!
Donation protected
Hello, Friends!
[tl;dr -- Courtney is a doula making a documentary about the way pregnancy and birth is experienced by Black Women in RVA. Please donate and follow updates on the film's creation, production, and screening!]
If you follow any, or all, of my social media accounts, you're aware that birth work, birth justice, and maternal health advocacy are my life's work. Since 2009, I have had the privilege of supporting women, families, and communities through the experience of pregnancy, birth, and early parenting. As a Birth Worker, I provide physical and emotional support as a trusted consultant. As a Birth Worker of Color in Richmond, Virginia, I have had the peculiar experience of witnessing the juxtaposition of the joy and excitement of birth alongside the cruelty of systemic racism and apathy rendered by healthcare systems, providers, and the local birth community.
In January 2019, I was named an Initiatives of Change Narrative Change Collaborative Weaver and tasked with the responsibility of unearthing and innovating counter-narrative(s) to Richmond's histories of structural racism. Part of the selection process included an application in which I proposed the creation of a visual anthology of 'Birthing While Black' in and around Richmond, Virginia.
Through the project I will highlight the many issues of health disparity and inequity experienced by Black Women during the pregnancy, birthing, and postpartum periods throughout the United States.
Currently, Black Women are:
- 3-4 times more likely to die from a birth related cause
- Thought to have a higher pain tolerance than women of other races (sometimes resulting in delayed administration of pain management methods)
- Significantly less likely to have (physical and/or financial) access to birth support
- Overwhelmingly unaware of and/or unable to access birth experience options
That's where you come in -- film development, direction, production, and editing is expensive! As Narrative Change Weavers, we were granted $10,000 for the project, but as my proposal unfolds, I recognize that additional funds are needed to complete the project.
In full transparency, the money donated will:
1. Fund production and editing of the project.
2. Fund marketing initiatives to amplify the project's message and accessibility once completed.
3. Support the availability of prenatal support, childbirth education, and postpartum resources using new media platforms.
Please donate and share this link! This project not only has the ability to tell a story that has been ignored, but also provide access and resources to so many women, families, and communities.
Thank you!
How to learn more:
www.facebook.com/futurebabycatcher
Instagram: @FutureBabyCatcher
www.spiritofthemidwife.com
https://us.iofc.org/the-narrative-change-collaborative
[tl;dr -- Courtney is a doula making a documentary about the way pregnancy and birth is experienced by Black Women in RVA. Please donate and follow updates on the film's creation, production, and screening!]
If you follow any, or all, of my social media accounts, you're aware that birth work, birth justice, and maternal health advocacy are my life's work. Since 2009, I have had the privilege of supporting women, families, and communities through the experience of pregnancy, birth, and early parenting. As a Birth Worker, I provide physical and emotional support as a trusted consultant. As a Birth Worker of Color in Richmond, Virginia, I have had the peculiar experience of witnessing the juxtaposition of the joy and excitement of birth alongside the cruelty of systemic racism and apathy rendered by healthcare systems, providers, and the local birth community.
In January 2019, I was named an Initiatives of Change Narrative Change Collaborative Weaver and tasked with the responsibility of unearthing and innovating counter-narrative(s) to Richmond's histories of structural racism. Part of the selection process included an application in which I proposed the creation of a visual anthology of 'Birthing While Black' in and around Richmond, Virginia.
Through the project I will highlight the many issues of health disparity and inequity experienced by Black Women during the pregnancy, birthing, and postpartum periods throughout the United States.
Currently, Black Women are:
- 3-4 times more likely to die from a birth related cause
- Thought to have a higher pain tolerance than women of other races (sometimes resulting in delayed administration of pain management methods)
- Significantly less likely to have (physical and/or financial) access to birth support
- Overwhelmingly unaware of and/or unable to access birth experience options
That's where you come in -- film development, direction, production, and editing is expensive! As Narrative Change Weavers, we were granted $10,000 for the project, but as my proposal unfolds, I recognize that additional funds are needed to complete the project.
In full transparency, the money donated will:
1. Fund production and editing of the project.
2. Fund marketing initiatives to amplify the project's message and accessibility once completed.
3. Support the availability of prenatal support, childbirth education, and postpartum resources using new media platforms.
Please donate and share this link! This project not only has the ability to tell a story that has been ignored, but also provide access and resources to so many women, families, and communities.
Thank you!
How to learn more:
www.facebook.com/futurebabycatcher
Instagram: @FutureBabyCatcher
www.spiritofthemidwife.com
https://us.iofc.org/the-narrative-change-collaborative
Organizer
Courtney Glenn
Organizer
Laurel, VA
