Vital Village Networks Announces First Cohort of National Birth Justice Fellows

BOSTON - Jan. 28, 2025 - PRLog -- Vital Village Networks at Boston Medical Center proudly introduces the inaugural cohort of the National Birth Justice Fellowship, an 18-month leadership program advancing birth equity across the United States.  Supported by funding from Wagner Foundation and guided by a National Advisory Committee, the fellowship unites 11 community leaders who are committed to dismantling systemic inequities in maternal and infant health while fostering sustainable change.

The fellowship is designed to strengthen community power and collaboration across sectors. Through learning sessions, convenings, and mentorship, fellows will deepen their expertise in participatory research, data storytelling, and advocacy. A key feature of the fellowship is its unique dual focus on individualized project support and collective action, ensuring fellows can address local challenges while contributing to national progress.

Each fellow will advance a critical birth justice initiative within their community, tackling issues such as expanding culturally affirming birthing services, reimagining care models, and centering historically marginalized birthing families in system redesigns. These innovations are centering community leadership to create a sustainable impact.

Alongside their individual projects, fellows will collaborate to co-create a national resource that amplifies community-driven approaches to birth equity. This resource will elevate solutions led by those directly impacted by inequities in the birth system, serving as a tool for advocates and policymakers nationwide. The collective project aims to catalyze systemic change, ensuring the fellowship has a far-reaching and lasting impact on the national birth justice landscape.

The inaugural cohort is composed of a diverse group of leaders with long-standing commitments to advancing birth equity through community-led solutions:

Joyell Arvella
Wombs of Wata
Baltimore, MD

Cecile Edwards
New Jersey Birth Equity Funders Alliance
Somerset, NJ

Elena Ferguson
Positive Women's Network-USA
Houston, TX

Shenell Ford
Heart2Heartbeat Lactation & Wellness
Springfield, MA

Lina Garcia
Luna Tierra Casa de Partos
El Paso, TX

Kanika Harris
The National Association to Advance Black Birth
Washington, DC

Zainab Jah
The Praxis Project
Silver Spring, MD

Tayla Kelly
YS Doula Services (https://ysdoulaservices.weebly.com)
Tulsa, OK

Sequoia Kemp
Doula 4 a Queen (https://www.doula4aqueen.com/)
Syracuse, NY

Tamara Robertson
Mind Body Birth Wellness and Birthing Center (https://mindbodybirthla.com/)
Los Angeles, CA

Carson Rose Zeigler
Poppies in Paradise (https://www.mountainsbeforebreakfastphotography.com/)
Billings, MT

"These fellows embody the spirit of community-led change and innovation that is essential for advancing birth equity," said Dr. Renée Boynton-Jarrett, Founding Executive Director of Vital Village Networks. "By connecting these visionaries, we're laying the groundwork for a collaborative movement to transform birth outcomes and experiences for historically marginalized families and communities."

"Despite all the medical advancements, giving birth in America is still far too dangerous—especially if you're Black, Brown, or living in a rural area. Solutions exist, but they won't implement themselves. That's why the National Birth Justice Fellowship is bringing together leaders from across the country to reimagine and rebuild a system that works for all our families," said Lily Sargeant, Senior Program Officer, US Partnerships of Wagner Foundation.

Through this fellowship, Vital Village Networks is fostering an ecosystem of support that transcends individual efforts, ensuring collective knowledge and action drive systemic change and center community-led solutions for birth equity.

For more information about the National Birth Justice Fellowship, please visit Vital Village Networks (https://www.vitalvillage.org/projects/national-birth-justice-fellowship).

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About Vital Village Networks:
Vital Village Networks is a national initiative fostering partnerships to promote child, family, and community wellbeing. Through coalition building, participatory research, leadership development, data sharing ecosystems, and advocacy, the network amplifies community power to address structural inequities and build just systems of care.

About Wagner Foundation:
Wagner Foundation is a Cambridge, MA-based foundation that invests in health equity, economic prosperity, and cultural transformation across the globe. Our work supports our vision of a just and robust community where everyone is valued equally and has the ability to imagine, shape, pursue, and sustain the lives they wish to lead.