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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
RECOGNIZING BLACK MATERNAL HEALTH WEEK AND MINORITY HEALTH MONTH IN COOK COUNTY
WHEREAS, the month of April is National Minority Health Month, a month-long initiative to advance health equity across the country on behalf of all racial and ethnic minorities and highlight the importance of improving their health while reducing health disparities; and
WHEREAS, in solidarity with National Minority Health Month, the week of April 11-17 is Black Maternal Health Week in the United States, originated by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance, and officially recognized by the White House by proclamation, it is a week of awareness, activism, and community building intended to deepen the national conversation about Black maternal health in the US; amplify community-driven policy, research, and care solutions; center the voices of Black Mamas, women, families, and stakeholders; provide a national platform for Black-led entities and efforts on maternal health, birth and reproductive justice; and enhance community organizing on Black maternal health; and
WHEREAS, this year's theme for Black Maternal Health Week is "Our Bodies STILL Belong to Us: Reproductive Justice NOW!"; and
WHEREAS, Black women in the United States experience unacceptably poor maternal health outcomes, including disproportionately high rates of death related to pregnancy or childbirth, and are three to four times more likely to experience a pregnancy-related death than white women, numbers that are mirrored in Illinois; and
WHEREAS, a person's race should never determine their health outcomes, and pregnancy and childbirth should be safe for all. However, for far too many Black women, safety and equity have been tragically denied due to generations of systemic disadvantages in health care delivery and health care access, including lack of access to health care information and services, lack of insurance coverage, denial of therapeutics, limited access to contraceptive services, and c...
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