Made with Melanin ✨
VOL. 80 - THURSDAY, APRIL 14
It’s National Black Maternal Health Week, #NoteddTribe!
It was just a year ago that Black Maternal Health Week (BMHW) was nationally recognized by the White House. However, BMHW started in 2018 and was created to bring awareness and amplify the conversation on Black maternal health in the nation, as Black women are twice more likely to lose an infant to premature death. It serves as a reminder of the health disparities that have impacted Black women for over 50 years. We must continue to amplify the voices of Black maternal health advocates, health care professionals, and government officials who are demanding changes and helping to make the necessary improvements. We can no longer dismiss the experiences and hardships that Black women face when it comes to pregnancy and birth like India Sneed Williams.
December 9, 2021, marked the first-ever White House Maternal Health Day of Action, a commitment to support safe pregnancies and childbirth and reduce complications and mortality in the year following birth. An initiative led by Vice President Harris will evaluate hospitals across the nation on their maternal health care quality, increase investments in maternal health, and encourage states to expand postpartum coverage. This week, Vice President Harris will be meeting with Cabinet Secretaries and agency leaders to discuss the Administration’s approach to addressing maternal mortality and morbidity. New additional actions to address maternal health, particularly for Black, Native American, and rural women, were released this week in a briefing announcement.
The Black Mamas Matters Alliance is celebrating its fifth anniversary of the Black Maternal Health Week (BMHW) campaign centered around awareness, activism, and community building to deepen the national conversation about Black maternal health in the US. She Matters, a digital health platform designed to provide Black mamas who experience postpartum anxiety and/ or depression with community, culturally relevant resources, and culturally competent therapists, is honoring the week with sessions to help moms navigate their mental wellness in a system where health equity is still lacking.
You can join us in donating and contributing to Black Mamas Matters Alliance and She Matters, attending their informative and educational events, and engaging with them on social media. We all play an essential role and can do so in our own ways!
Drop us a note in the comments! Are there other organizations that we should support related to Black maternal health or minority health? How are you helping these organizations or this cause, in general, this week? We want to know and share with the community-at-large.
#StayNotedd
#NoteddNews
We announced last week that the Notedd journals are back! 😊 You can pre-order our “Made with Melanin” journal starting today!
The “Made with Melanin” journal is one of many journals we plan to release this year. Our journals are perfect for jotting down your thoughts, setting goals, or expressing your creativity. Each 5.8” x 8.25” journal has 168 pages filled with lined, warm white paper and sealed with high-quality binding.
In less than two weeks, we’ll be hosting our first week-long series of events focused on all aspects of our well-being. Join us April 25-May 1 as we get together and hear from talented experts in the well-being space.
Here’s a rundown of our events so far. We’ll be announcing speakers all next week.
Monday 4/25: Join us at 7 pm EST for a breathwork session where we will set an intention, release what is asking to be let go and open our hearts to receive the love, guidance, and support we are seeking.
Tuesday 4/26: Let’s reconvene at 7 pm EST and discuss the power of affirmations and their direct connection with our well-being and wellness.
Thursday 4/28: Journey with us at 7 pm EST as we discuss the importance of the six dimensions of wellness and why they are each important for self-love, self-improvement, and self-awareness.
Saturday 4/30: Let’s get our workout on with a 60-minute power workout in the morning.
Sunday 5/1: We’ll end the week with an afternoon walk through and demonstration of best practices to update our spaces with positive energy.
RSVP NOW and stay tuned as we’ll be sharing a formal invite to sign up for the events of your interest. Be on the lookout as we’ll continue to share more details throughout the month.
Congratulations to Janice Pettyjohn! She recently became the first full-time female employee for Howard University’s Football Department.
According to recent tracking of recent anti-abortion legislation, 22 states already have laws on the books that would either ban abortion outright or ban it very early in a pregnancy. The 18 states with near-total bans on the books are Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
A new question arises: will this cause a surge in people traveling to neighboring states such as Kansas, New Mexico, or Colorado to get abortions? Here’s what experts are suggesting and a list of the latest companies, including Yelp, who will cover costs for employees and their spouses who must travel out of state to access abortion care.
We’re celebrating Ameshya Williams-Holliday! She is a Jackson State University senior who became the first HBCU player to be drafted into the WNBA in 20 years. In the third round of the 2022 WNBA draft, 25th overall, she was selected by the Indiana Fever. Williams-Holiday became the sixth player from an HBCU to be drafted into the league’s 26-year-old history.
Shortly after news came in that US citizens will be able to select X as a gender on their passports, Alabama became the most recent state to sign two new bills that bans gender-affirming medications for transgender youth, requires students to use bathrooms corresponding to their sex at birth, and prohibits discussion of gender and sexual identity in the lower grade. Here’s a tracker of the latest legislation related to LGBTQIA+ discrimination, and learn here how you can help and support the trans community.
Marley Dias was just 13 when she was featured on Forbes’ 30 Under 30, becoming the youngest person ever to be featured. She’s continuing her mission to change the worldview of Black girls. Learn more about what she’s accomplished thus far and what she has in store for the future in this recent Glamour interview.
Are you considering moving this year? A recent report conducted by Zillow showcased that renters of color typically pay higher security deposits than white renters. Additionally, Black and Latinx renters reported submitting more applications than white and Asian American and Pacific Islander renters. We’re all too familiar with the long legacy of racism within US housing, and now reports are sharing that Black women are being evicted at startling rates. Experts share tips and best practices in this recent CBS News article if you face discrimination at any part of your renting and homeownership journey.
We recently exited stage left from the dating apps as we’re on a personal hiatus from the dating scene. However, many Black online daters, particularly Black women, have reported racial stereotyping and discrimination at high rates compared to other BIPOC online daters. Many daters share their experience in this recent Anti-Racism Daily newsletter. The issue also features experts who have recently conducted studies showcasing this unfortunate behavior.
We’re in the heart of National Minority Health Month. To raise awareness of the health-related concerns that impact our community, Essence shared a list of the health conditions and diseases that impact Black women and our community at large, along with a list of actions we can take to advocate for our health.
We’re still celebrating and recognizing that the first Black woman will be sitting on the Supreme Court this year! This tweet just warmed our hearts. ❤️
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Who else is excited to purchase a few items of Lizzo’s Yitty? In the same spirit as Yitty, which was created to celebrate self-love and body positivity, check out these seven apps that promote these same practices digitally. XoNecole’s list includes apps like ThinkUp, which guides people through daily steps on what they can do to improve their confidence levels, and body-positive fitness app Joyn encourages women of all sizes to embrace their body type and a wide array of workouts that you can do while sitting, lying, or standing.
Do you find yourself limiting your thoughts often or suppressing your dreams or goals out of fear? If you find yourself self-sabotaging or hindering your success, remember these eight simple steps that can help you increase positive self-talk and bring yourself back into a more optimistic space.
Boost Your Self-Awareness
Set Meaningful Goals
Embrace Your Strengths And Weaknesses
Practice Mindfulness
Befriend Yourself
Listen To Positive Affirmations
Work With A Therapist
Identify The Root Causes
As we continue to practice and place our well-being first this month, we wanted to quickly re-share our most recent affirmation building and intentional journaling workshop, co-led by our founder Lauren and mindset coach Teyonna Ridgeway.
The replay is still available, featuring ten steps to start intentionally journaling and building your own affirmations today.
STAY INFORMED AY CONNECTED | STAY NOTEDD
Interested in being a Tribe Talk speaker? Have any content ideas? Are you launching a product or service? Have any major accomplishments to share with the group? Reach out to us and we'll add it to our next issue.
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