The Kansas Birth Justice Collective is a grassroots, Black & Brown-led initiative made up of two organizations, Kansas Birth Justice Society and Kansas Birth Justice Action.
Kansas Birth Justice Society provides public-facing services to Black, Latinx, and Native American families to improve the chances of survival and good long-term health for birth givers and infants. Our community-driven programs and services focus on addressing the most pressing needs that exist today. We are a pro-reproductive justice, pro-autonomy, pro-racial justice organization focused on creating racial equity in reproductive justice in Kansas. Our policy work is carried out by our sister organization, Kansas Birth Justice Action, a 501(c)4 organization. You can learn more about Kansas Birth Justice Action below.
CLICK HERE TO GO TO KANSAS BIRTH JUSTICE SOCIETY’S DEDICATED HOMEPAGE
Kansas Birth Justice Action mobilizes the community to act in defense of Black, Native American, and Latinx birth givers and babies, who face extreme disparities in survival, long-term health and access to reproductive care. Our community-led mobilization efforts and long-term policy strategies will create true health equity for Black, Native American, and Latinx families by working to change policies and systems in Kansas and federally.
We take action collectively using an innovative, multifaceted, multigenerational strategy.
Our innovative strategy fills the gap that exists today, while building capacity to respond in even more impactful ways in the future. When designing this strategy, we considered not just the disparities that exist today, but the historical context which led us here. The Kansas Birth Justice Society and Kansas Birth Justice Action are determined to lead the way to a more just, equitable future for Black, Native American, and Latinx individuals in Kansas! What needs to happen to create equity?
- Kansas needs more Black and Brown doulas, lactation professionals, community health advocates, midwives and physicians to provide high quality culturally affirming care. We are leading the way to creating this workforce statewide with our culturally affirming trainings and scholarship initiatives.
- Policies and systems must be reimagined through a true equity lens. We must not only be strategic, but we must tell the TRUTH about how we got here if we are to set out to undo centuries of harm inflicted on Black and Brown families. The legacies of slavery, racism, genocide, and red lining continue to reverberate into the present time, leaving us with poor health and stealing our lives prematurely. The good news is, we can make meaningful changes today to ensure that the future is more equitable. We work within a birth justice lens- acknowledging that health equity doesn’t happen in a vacuum. We need safe neighborhoods to raise our children, a fair living wage for all, paid parental leave after giving birth, and equitable systems that serve us fairly and respectfully.
- The most pressing needs in our communities must be immediately met. We’re poised to provide culturally affirming lactation support, doula care, midwifery care, and systems navigation for Black and Brown individuals in Kansas.
- We must have greater representation in the political arena, in medical systems, in state and national review boards, and in all places where decisions are being made that have implications for our community’s health, survival, and potential to live long, healthy lives.