- The group 4Kira4moms is working to prevent pregnancy-related deaths.
- The founder of 4Kira4moms is a Rattler grad.
- Watch the video to hear the message the group is sharing with black women.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT
It's Homecoming Week on the highest of seven hills. That means events full of fun, but also important messages.
I'm Terry Gilliam your Southwest Tallahassee neighborhood reporter.
I see what message is being shared on campus about Black maternal health.
"A lot of people have children; a lot of people are having children. We need to make sure that we're taking care of the Black Women just as much as we're taking care of the children."
Florida A&M Senior Jayda Perdue plans to work in the medical field after graduation. I asked her about the importance of Maternal health, especially for Black Women.
"I think it's extremely important."
Jayda was on her way to purchase tickets during FAMU's Homecoming Week. Events cover many topics. One, the Walmart Black Maternal Health Discussion. It will be held at the Al Lawson Multipurpose Center.
The non-profit organization named 4Kira4moms partnered with Walmart for this forum. I spoke to the Founder of 4Kira4moms, Charles S. Johnson, about the mission.
"That mission is eradicating the maternal mortality crisis here in the United States."
That crisis is something Johnson has seen firsthand. It's the reason 4Kira4moms exist.
In 2016, Johnson lost his wife Kira during a routine C-section. Kira bled internally for 10 hours before medical staff at a Los Angeles hospital acted. Now, Johnson and his organization want to ensure this doesn't happen to someone else.
"We felt like we owed it to Kira, We owed it to every single mother that's made that ultimate sacrifice trying to give the gift of life to do everything we can to make sure mothers go home with their precious babies."
According to the CDC each year, hundreds of women die during pregnancy or in the year after. Black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than White Women.
The CDC also says multiple factors contribute to this racial disparity such as quality of healthcare, underlying conditions, structural racism, and more.
Now, people like Johnson and Jayda think it's only right to spread this message during Homecoming and beyond.
"Homecoming is an amazing time to celebrate and connect but it's also time to learn and empower."
"It's easy when you're in college to just be in this world and not go out and listen to others unless it comes to you. I think it's important when it comes to you, and you do get to see it."
The Black Maternal Health Discussion will take place Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. In Southwest Tallahassee, Terry Gilliam, ABC27.
