Black mothers are dying in childbirth at staggering rates, and in the midst of a global pandemic and a national race reckoning, black midwives around the country are opening birth centers and demanding justice for Black mothers.
From filmmakers Jenny Callaghan & Randi Matthews
DELIVER US (Fundraising Sizzle Reel)
Made with support from Entertainment to Affect Change (E2AC), National Association to Advance Black Birth (NAABB), and developed in the Producers Guild of America (PGA). Produced in partnership with Believe Limited (www.believeltd.com).
Left to right: Allegra Hill and Kim Durdin, photo taken in South Central Los Angeles, near the future home of Kindred Space LA
Photo by Angela Hughes
In Los Angeles, Kimberly Durdin and Allegra Hill, owners of Kindred Space LA, are a part of a growing group of black midwives challenging one of the most complex health care systems in the world by creating solutions for the Black maternal crisis, on their own terms.
Allegra Hill (kneeling) travels to client Tamara Robertson's home in San Pedro, California for a midwife appointment, flanked by Tamara's doula, Mercedez Johnson and Tamara's children.
Photo by Jenny Callaghan
FILMMAKERS
Producer/Director Jenny Callaghan
Jenny Callaghan is a talent manager and producer, with a focus on diverse storytellers in the comedy space and beyond. A recent fellow of the Producers Guild of America 2020 Power of Diversity Master Workshop, she launched JGC Management in 2019 to be a part of the change for diverse representation in media. As a day-to-day manager for comedians Gabriel “Fluffy" Iglesias and Jo Koy she was instrumental in the production and marketing process of 7 comedy specials (including a stand-up film) and several unscripted and scripted series.
Producer/Director Randi Matthews
Anticipating pop culture trends, analyzing consumer insights, and navigating the ever changing digital media landscape, Randi has proven herself as an industry expert, spearheading digital programs that establish authentic relationships and meaningful connection through influencer engagement, entertainment marketing, social strategy, and branded partnerships. As CEO and Founder of Multi-Hyphen Media, Randi is paving the way for underrepresented executives and talent to have a voice across new media and marketing industries, owning the intersection of media, technology, entertainment, and culture. Recent partnerships include HBO’s Lovecraft Country, Netflix’s Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, WACO Theater Center’s Wearable Art’s Gala, Presented by OWN (Producer).
501(c)(3) Partner E2AC
Entertainment 2 Affect Change connects award-winning content creators, mission-based organizations, and passionate funders who want to share their impact through the power of story. A registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, E2AC is committed to producing high quality digital, cinematic, and live entertainment for the express purpose of bringing positive change to underserved health and social communities.
Producers Believe Limited
Patrick James Lynch and Ryan Gielen are global storytellers based in Los Angeles. Believe has produced award winning films, most recently, My Beautiful Stutter, from Producers Paul Rudd and Mariska Hargitay (Winner: Shorty Social Good Award, Distributor: Discovery Channel), and the Academy-Award shortlisted sometimes, i think about dying (Sundance, 2019; Academy Award Shortlist for Best Live Action Short Film), and Bombardier Blood, from Producer Emmy-winner Alex Borstein.
ABOUT
The Crisis.
Our healthcare system is the most expensive in the industrialized world, yet the most deadly for new mothers. Within this broken system, Black mothers die at three times the rate of White and Hispanic mothers. In fact, a Black mother with a college education is at 60 percent greater risk of maternal death than a white or Hispanic woman with less than a high school education.
Taking Action.
To shine a light on this crisis - and the solution - DELIVER US follows two pioneers who have taken the Black maternal crisis into their own hands. Midwives Kimberly Durdin and Allegra Hill have built the only Black-owned birthing center in Los Angeles, Kindred Space LA, in the midst of the pandemic, and as clients begin to filter out of the hospital system and through their doors, we started filming.
Following their journey to raise money, educate the public, and support expectant moms of color, we hear horrifying stories of the systematized dismissal of Black women’s pain and agency, tracking the current crisis all the way back to the cruel and monstrous experiments of “The Father of Modern Gynecology,” J Marion Sims, who experimented on enslaved Black bodies without anesthesia.
As our story unfolds, we meet Black midwives in Detroit, Chicago, and Ferguson, on similar journeys to bring safe and culturally-centered maternal care to communities of color. We watch as they battle complex and racist birthing laws, zoning regulations, and investor drought, all while advocating for Black moms and catching new babies. >
Hope for the Future.
While this is an incredibly complex and deeply rooted problem within the United States, this film will present accessible Black midwifery care as a powerful and immediate vehicle for change; as well as a way for viewers to get involved and make a difference so that Black mothers will no longer have to fear death after creating life.
ADDITIONAL READING
New York Times: Why Black Women Are Rejecting Hospitals in Search of Better Births
by Alice Proujansky, March 11, 2021US News: Pandemic Propels Interest in Out-of-Hospital Births By Kaia Hubbard, March 4, 2021
Healthline Parenthood: Midwives Are Growing in Popularity. Here’s What You Need to Know
VICE News (video): Home Births Are on the Rise as U.S. Hospitals Are Overwhelmed By Coronavirus
The Commonwealth Fund: Maternal Mortality and Maternity Care in the United States Compared to 10 Other Developed Countries
PROPUBLICA: A Larger Role for Midwives Could Improve Deficient U.S. Care for Mothers and Babies by Nina Martin Feb. 22, 2018
LAist: These Black Midwives Opened A South LA Facility With The Goal Of 'Empowered' Births by Mariana Dale, Feb 2, 2021 8:30 AM
St Louis Post Dispatch: Jamaa Birth Village wins $1 million grant to reduce racial disparities in maternal mortality, will train 360 doulas by Michele Munz Jan 28, 2021
CONTACT
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