About this Event
Empowering Care, Elevating Voices: A Summit for Maternal Health Justice
Bridging community expertise and policy leadership to create healthier births and futures for Black families and communities through system-level change; honoring the movement’s power and its commitment to justice, healing, and joy.
April 13, 2026 - 9:00am to 3:00pm
Temple University, Philadelphia, PA
(Exact location will be provided after registration)
Join AccessMatters and Oshun Family Center in celebrating Black Maternal Health Week 2026 with a day of intentional dialogue and action. This summit will bring together community leaders, advocates, healthcare professionals, and policymakers for a day of solutions-driven and action-oriented discussion focused on improving maternal health outcomes for Black families and communities. The experience is intended to generate clear next steps, collective movement, and tangible change. By participating, you will leave inspired and engaged, ready and aligned around concrete action and next steps. Through keynote reflections and facilitated panel discussions, the convening will bridge community expertise with policy and systems leadership, while honoring the maternal health justice movement’s power and its grounding in justice, healing, and joy.
Participants will select one of the following concurrent panel discussions to attend.
Panel Choices Include:
- Panel1 - Integrating Mental Health into Perinatal Care: Screening, Support, and Systems Change:This panel will explore perinatal mood and anxiety disorder, culturally responsive screening and referral practices, and community-based supports to strengthen early identification, intervention, and coordinated care for Black birthing people.
- Panel 2 - The Role of Doulas in Improving Maternal Health Outcomes: This panel will center the role of doulas as essential members of the maternal health ecosystem, highlighting pathways for collaboration with clinicians, sustainable reimbursement, and integration into community and hospital settings.
- Panel 3 - Combatting Misinformation throughout the Reproductive Lifespan: This panel will examine how misinformation impacts reproductive decision-making from preconception through postpartum and perimenopause, and explore strategies to counter harm through trusted messengers, community education, and policy action.
Tentative Agenda:
9:00–9:30am - Registration
9:30 -10:00am - Continental Breakfast & Networking
10:00am- Welcome and Opening Remarks
10:15am - Keynote Speaker
11:05am - Break
11:15am - Panel Sessions
12:15pm - Break
12:30pm - Lunch
1:00–2:30pm - Discussion
2:30pm - Closing Remarks
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Temple University Main Campus (exact location will be provided after registration), North Broad Street, Philadelphia, United States
USD 0.00
