Chief of Staff, William Baker, on behalf of Mayor Domenic J. Sarno, Dominique Taylor on behalf of Health and Human Services Commissioner Helen Caulton-Harris and Mayoral Aide Shenell Ford joined for the city’s 3rd annual Black Maternal Health Week celebration at City Hall. Also in attendance, was City Council Vice President Tracye Whitfield, City Councilor Lavar Click-Bruce, and State Rep. Bud Williams.
Black Maternal Health Week (April 11-17) falls during Public Health Month and is a time to build awareness, activism, and community-building to amplify Black birthing stories, raise awareness about maternal health disparities, and provide culturally competent education, advocacy, and support to Black mothers, birthing people, and families. The 2025 theme for Black Maternal Health Week is “Healing Legacies: Strengthening Black Maternal Health Through Collective Action and Advocacy.”
Mayor Sarno states, “I want to thank my Mayoral Aide Shenell Ford, who is certified with the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners and also the Founder and Owner of Heart to Heartbeat Lactation and Wellness, for helping to coordinate this awareness celebration for Black maternal health, as part of Public Health month. Shenell, along with our Maternal Child Health Commission through HHS, has been working and advocating in this space for many years and I am proud to continue to support her efforts. It truly takes a village to help raise a family and events such as this helps to empower, educate and increase awareness to enhance the public health of all our residents, especially for the mothers and soon-to-be moms out there, of the many programs and initiatives that can provide much-needed support.”
