Reps. Adams, Underwood, Sen. Booker Reintroduce Bicameral Black Maternal Health Week Resolution

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Representatives Lauren Underwood, Alma Adams (D-NC-12), and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), introduced the bicameral resolution recognizing April 11 through April 17 as Black Maternal Health Week. This resolution serves to bring national attention to the maternal health crisis in the United States and the critical need to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity rates among Black mothers. 

In the United States, Black women face a maternal mortality rate two to three times that of white women, yet studies show that 80% of all maternal deaths are preventable. The resolution calls on Congress to support and promote policies addressing Black maternal health in order to address the ongoing Black maternal mortality crisis.

“Our country’s Black maternal health crisis demands urgent action,” said Congresswoman Underwood, Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the Black Maternal Health Caucus. “In 2019 I co-founded the Black Maternal Health Caucus with Congresswoman Alma Adams to respond to this crisis and advance evidence-based solutions that will save lives and end disparities. I'm thrilled to continue this work by introducing this resolution with Congresswoman Adams and Senator Booker to recognize Black Maternal Health Week 2026. I am thinking of the families and moms who have been impacted by this crisis like Mercedes Wells, Karrie Jones, and Dr. Janell Green Smith who we tragically lost, and I'm grateful to the Black Mamas Matter Alliance for their leadership in establishing this critical week of awareness and action. We must continue to elevate Black maternal health as a national priority, and we must pass the entire Momnibus.” 

“Our annual Black Maternal Health Week resolution says, unequivocally, that Black Moms matter,” said Congresswoman Adams, Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the Black Maternal Health Caucus. “This week is a time for us to raise awareness around the maternal mortality and morbidity epidemic Black mothers face and urge our Congressional and state leaders to take action. We need to see a real commitment from Congress to address this crisis, and I am dedicated to working with our Black maternal health advocates across the country to make that happen. Black mamas can’t wait!”

“It is unacceptable that Black women continue to face a maternal mortality rate two to three times higher than White women because of deep, systemic failures in our health care system,” said Senator Booker. “This resolution is not just about acknowledging the disparities Black women face. It is about recognizing that Congress must do more to protect the lives of Black mothers by addressing the structural barriers that drive them and ensuring that every mother has a safe and healthy pregnancy and the care they deserve.”

“2026 marks more than a decade of Black Mamas Matter Alliance (BMMA) building the skills, convening, and mobilizing the global Black perinatal, maternal, and reproductive health workforce to END maternal mortality. Over the past 10 years, BMMA has worked to establish the global Black Maternal Health Movement, centering the organizing and collaborative efforts of Black perinatal and maternal professionals. That is our midwives, our physicians, our doulas, our nurses, advocates, healing practitioners, and even artists. We have built this movement on the intellectual traditions of Black feminism, womanism, and the principles of reproductive justice and birth justice.” said BMMA, Inc. Co-Founder & Executive Director Angela D. Aina, who is also a 2026 TIME100 Health Honoree.

“As we launch our 9th annual Black Maternal Health Week, we do so rooted in both the weight of this moment and the joy of this movement,” Aina continued. “We are witnessing unprecedented attacks on Black families, on reproductive rights, and on the very institutions meant to protect our health and dignity. And yet, we remain rooted. Justice and joy are not separate — they are the foundation of everything we do. BMHW26 is a time for community rooted action in addressing maternal health inequities and ensuring that everyone, especially Black Mamas, receive the resources needed to thrive.”

Full text of the resolution can be found here.

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