Lace up your sneakers and grab your crew. Black Maternal Health Week 2026 events are showing up across the country and online. Here’s where to be this week.
SATURDAY, APRIL 11 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM (ET)| ATLANTA, GA
BMH Walk & Community Fair — The Main Event
The fifth annual Black Maternal Health Walk & Community Fair kicks off the week in Atlanta with a community walk, live entertainment, food, a marketplace of Black-led wellness businesses, and meet-and-greets with doulas, midwives, and maternal health advocates. It’s free and open to everyone. Walking is not required — you can support a walk team virtually or become a vendor. Pampers and 96.1 The Beat are among this year’s sponsors.
Register: eventcreate.com/e/2026-bmh-walk-community-fair
SATURDAY, APRIL 11–17 | NEW YORK CITY (BROWNSVILLE, EAST HARLEM, EAST TREMONT) NYC Health Department: A Full Week of Wellness for Black Mamas
New York City is bringing Black Maternal Health Week home — literally. The NYC Health Department is hosting a series of events all week long at its Family Wellness Suites inside the Neighborhood Health Action Centers in Brownsville, East Harlem, and East Tremont. Programming includes Sugar Scrub and Paint and Sip, belly dancing, yoga, Self-Care Bingo, a presentation by the NYC Commission on Human Rights on birth justice and the rights of pregnant New Yorkers, and a discussion on the power of doulas. There’s also education on preeclampsia, gestational diabetes, perinatal mental health, and infant safe sleep. This is community care in action — joyful, practical, and free.
Visit: nyc.gov/site/doh for full schedule details
SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 2:30 PM (ET)| VIRTUAL
Black Maternal Health & Birth Justice Across Regions
Not in Atlanta? Start your week right with this virtual conversation exploring birth justice and maternal health across different regions of the country. Hear from community leaders and advocates doing the work on the ground.
Watch: streamyard.com/watch/HaNWeUMhpePp
MONDAY, APRIL 13, Noon (ET)| VIRTUAL
BMHW26 Virtual Pep Rally
Get energized and in community with advocates, birth workers, and allies from across the country. The pep rally is a celebration of the movement and a send-off for a week of action. Come ready to be inspired.
Watch: streamyard.com/watch/q9gRrNxnCk6d
TUESDAY, APRIL 14 | CHICAGO, IL | 5:00–7:30 PM
Northwestern Medicine Black Maternal Health Open House
If you’re in Chicago — or planning to be — this one is worth showing up for. Northwestern Medicine’s obstetrics and gynecology department at Prentice Women’s Hospital in Streeterville is hosting its third annual open house, featuring presentations, Q&A sessions with physicians, and tours of the labor and delivery floors. It’s designed especially for people who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant, and it directly addresses the kind of dismissive care too many Black women have experienced elsewhere. Dr. Jacqueline Hairston, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist, will be among the clinicians present. Free and open to all.
Visit: news.nm.org/improving-black-maternal-health-open-house
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15, 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM (ET)| ATLANTA, GA
BMH Professionals’ Networking Event
For doulas, midwives, OBs, nurses, policy advocates, and anyone working in the maternal health space — this is your night. Connect with peers, build relationships, and share in the power of this growing movement. In-person event in Atlanta, $25.
Register: eventcreate.com/e/bmhw26networking
THURSDAY, APRIL 16, 6:00 PM ET | VIRTUAL
Beyond the Binary: Black Trans Family Building in a World Not Built for Us
This powerful virtual conversation centers Black trans families and the creative, joyful, and deeply intentional ways they build kinship and community in systems that were never designed with them in mind. Featuring sex therapist and educator Dr. Shanéa Thomas, LICSW, CSE; Rise Osby of Riotous Roots; and Khye Blue of the Kuluntu Reproductive Justice Center — this is a conversation on chosen kin, resilience, and what it truly means to thrive.
Register: eventcreate.com/e/bmhw-vigil
FRIDAY, APRIL 17, 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM (ET) | VIRTUAL + IN PERSON ATLANTA
Community Remembrance and Healing Vigil
The week closes the way it should — in grief, love, and community. The intimate, sacred vigil honors all the Black mothers and birthing people we have lost. It is a moment to say names, hold space, and recommit to the work.
Register: eventcreate.com/e/bmhw-vigil
APRIL 13–17 | OAKLAND, CA + VIRTUAL Young Black Moms to the Front — Dream Youth Clinic’s First-Ever BMHW Activation
This year, for the first time ever, Dr. Aisha Mays — adolescent medicine physician and founder of Dream Youth Clinic, Oakland’s youth clinic serving young people ages 12–24 — is centering Black Maternal Health Week specifically around young Black mothers.
The weeklong series, Young Black Moms to the Front, launched Monday (April 13) morning with a community walk and keeps building all week long.
Follow Dr. Aisha Mays and visit dreamyouthclinic.org for details on each event.
Here’s what’s still ahead:
Tuesday, April 14 — The State of Young Black Motherhood, an IG Live conversation between Dr. Mays and Dr. Bria Peacock, diving into data, lived experience, and what young Black mamas actually need from the healthcare system.
Visit: Dr. Mays IG Live
Wednesday, April 15 — National Young Mothers Rising, a hybrid gathering held virtually and in Dream Youth Clinic’s Dream Empowerment Lounge — a community space designed specifically for young women. Visit: Dream Youth Clinic on Instagram
Thursday, April 16 — Young Black Motherhood Podcast, a special episode recorded in collaboration with the RJ Dream Lab, Young United Parents, and young moms themselves. Visit: Dream Youth Clinic on Instagram
Friday, April 17 — Young Moms Community Fair at the Dream Cul-de-sac, closing the week with celebration, resources, and community. Visit: DreamYouthClinic.org
BMMA doesn’t operate chapters, but the Alliance does support Black women-led organizations and hosts local events across the country. This year, local events are confirmed in California, Georgia, Michigan, Missouri, Philadelphia, New York, and Washington, D.C.
Visit blkmaternalhealthweek.com/events and click on your state on the interactive map to see what’s happening near you.
This week isn’t just about events, it’s about moving the needle on policy. Here’s how to add your voice to the national conversation.
Follow the Medicaid fight. Federal cuts to Medicaid will directly impact Black mothers’ access to birth care, postpartum coverage, and mental health services. Stay informed through BMMA’s policy page at blackmamasmatter.org/policy-agenda.
Use your social media platform. Share BMHW content with the hashtag #BMHW26. Amplify local events. Share the fact that Black women are more than three times more likely to die in childbirth than white women, and that more than 80% of those deaths are preventable.
Become a volunteer or merchant. The BMH Walk in Atlanta is still accepting volunteers and marketplace vendors. Visit blackmamasmatter.org/volunteer to sign up.
Support with a donation. Every dollar donated to BMMA supports the community organizations leading this work. You can give at mightycause.com/donate/Black-Mamas-Matter-Alliance.
All event info is accurate as of April 2026. Visit blkmaternalhealthweek.com for the most current details and any additions to the calendar.
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