On August 12, 2025, two powerful initiatives converged in the ongoing fight to improve Black maternal and infant health in the United States and beyond. At UCLA, alumna Leila Chiddick unveiled her research paper, "Protecting Maternal and Perinatal Healing Spaces: Proposing and Analyzing Global Support Methods that Increase the Wellbeing and Healing of Black Women and Birthing People." Meanwhile, in Wake County, North Carolina, a one-day educational conference convened stakeholders, advocates, and community members to tackle the same urgent challenge from a local perspective. These separate but aligned efforts, emerging on the same day, underscore the momentum and complexity of addressing the persistent disparities faced by Black mothers, birthing people, and their infants.
Chiddick’s research, published on the CSW | Streisand Center eScholarship page at UCLA, represents a culmination of her academic journey in Global Studies and Professional Writing. According to the UCLA blog post, her work is rooted in the lived experiences of Black women and birthing people worldwide, with a focus on healing, autonomy, safety, and support during the perinatal period. The perinatal period, as Chiddick defines it, stretches beyond birth itself—encompassing the prenatal, labor, and postpartum phases. For some parents and doulas she interviewed, it is an ongoing process, extending into the lifelong journey of parenthood.
Chiddick’s approach is noteworthy for its departure from traditional academic research methods. Rather than relying solely on literature reviews and case studies, she immersed herself in the community—attending doula trainings, participating in doula circles, and conducting interviews with birth workers, many of whom are mothers and parents themselves. "I quickly learned that conducting research with people and communities at the forefront centers their stories, needs, and concerns," Chiddick wrote, emphasizing the importance of direct engagement over detached observation. She added, "Without their perspectives and my direct engagement in birth work communities, my research would be futile and continue to replicate harmful research practices that speak on behalf of the people and communities they attempt to support."
Her research dives into the history of birth work, the impact of global racism, narratives of maternal death, and the current state of maternal and perinatal health worldwide. One of the most critical themes is the exclusion of gender-diverse people from mainstream narratives about the Black perinatal experience. Chiddick’s work intentionally broadens the lens to include birthing practices outside the Western, medicalized model and reframes pregnancy, birth, and parenthood from a healing perspective. As she explains, "Healing became the crux of my research, specifically understanding how one can find autonomy, safety, and support during a vulnerable and empowering period, the perinatal period."
Chiddick’s findings do not stop at analysis. She proposes a Holistic Birth Work Global Standard, designed to influence global policy on maternal and perinatal health. This standard, shaped by the stories and guidance of community members and birth workers, aims to create healing spaces that are responsive to the unique needs of Black mothers and birthing people. The hope, as Chiddick puts it, is that every reader "walks away having heard and learned from their voices and their stories."
While Chiddick’s research provides a global and deeply personal perspective, the same day saw local action taking place in Wake County, North Carolina. The "2025 Black Maternal and Infant Health Conference," organized by Wake County, The Black Pearls Society, Inc., and Wake Area Health Education Center, brought together a diverse array of stakeholders for a day of education, discussion, and strategy. According to event organizers, the conference’s primary goal was to address and reduce Black maternal and infant health disparities—an issue that has plagued healthcare systems across the nation for generations.
The conference featured stakeholder-led discussions and programming designed to elevate community voices, support activism, and promote collaborative solutions in maternal and infant healthcare. As detailed by Foxy NC, the annual event is a vital space for dialogue on the systemic inequities affecting Black birthing individuals and infants. The conference agenda, including session descriptions and speaker biographies, was made available to the public at wake.gov/BMIH, reflecting a commitment to transparency and community engagement.
Both the UCLA research and the Wake County conference highlight the critical importance of centering the voices of those most affected by maternal and infant health disparities. Chiddick’s methodology—grounded in direct communication and interpersonal experience—mirrors the ethos of the Wake County event, where community dialogue and activism are front and center. This convergence of academic research and grassroots action points to a growing recognition that solutions must be co-created with, not imposed upon, the communities they serve.
The historical context for these efforts is sobering. Black women and birthing people in the United States continue to face disproportionately high rates of maternal and infant mortality. Structural racism, inadequate access to culturally competent care, and the marginalization of non-Western birthing practices have all contributed to these persistent inequities. As Chiddick’s research notes, mainstream narratives often exclude gender-diverse people and alternative birthing practices, further compounding barriers to care and healing.
Yet, there is hope in the stories and strategies emerging from both academic and community spaces. The Holistic Birth Work Global Standard proposed by Chiddick seeks to address not only the clinical aspects of care but also the social, emotional, and cultural dimensions of healing. Similarly, the Wake County conference’s emphasis on collaborative solutions and stakeholder engagement reflects a broader shift toward community-led change.
These initiatives also underscore the importance of policy change at both the global and local levels. Chiddick’s standard aims to influence international policy, while the Wake County conference provides a model for how local governments and organizations can work together to address disparities on the ground. The synergy between these approaches—academic rigor and community activism—offers a blueprint for future efforts to improve maternal and infant health outcomes.
It’s clear that the journey toward equity in maternal and infant health is far from over. But with each new research paper, each community conference, and each story shared, the movement grows stronger. The voices of Black women, birthing people, and birth workers—once marginalized—are now shaping the policies, practices, and conversations that will define the future of maternal and perinatal care.
As the events of August 12, 2025, demonstrate, real change happens when research, advocacy, and community come together. The work of Leila Chiddick and the organizers of the Black Maternal and Infant Health Conference serves as a testament to the power of listening, learning, and acting—side by side, for a healthier and more just world.
