“We are making a difference”: Spokane organization helps Black women give birth more safely

SPOKANE, Wash. – April 11-17 is Black Maternal Health Week and a local organization is working to help Black women give birth more safely.

According to Spokane Regional Health District, Black women are significantly more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than women of any other race.

“Black women are 3 to 4 times more likely to die due to pregnancy-related issues. It’s 60% of these causes are preventable,” said Stephaine Courtney, CEO and Executive Director of the Shades of Motherhood Network (SOMN).

SOMN is a nonprofit dedicated to transforming the healthcare and support Black women receive throughout their pregnancies.

“We are all community. We are all here to fight for the human right to be alive and most importantly, give birth unapologetically,” she said.

Part of their mission is to provide doulas—women who offer emotional support and education during pregnancy.

Tyauana Roberson is currently pregnant with her third child and works with SOMN. She lost her first child at just four months old.

She said she knew something was wrong, but that no healthcare providers took her seriously. She had a tough time navigating the healthcare system and knowing when she could tell doctors ‘no.’

“They throw all these words at you and you’re expected to just kind of take it, and I felt like that’s kind of what happened with me,” she said.

Athaleyah Jones, Tyauana’s current doula, said it’s crucial to give expecting mothers a voice.

“Give them their voice. To speak of things that they want or don’t want or need or don’t need,” she said.

SOMN hopes their education, support and advocacy changes the statistics around Black women’s pregnancies.

“We are making a difference. We are seeing people having conversations and digging deep so that we can make a change in our community,” Courtney said.