Raising Awareness for Black Maternal Health

The UT Steve Hicks School of Social Work was awarded a $300,000 grant as part of an effort to improve the alarming maternal mortality and morbidity rates of Black mothers in Central Texas. Dr. Michele Rountree, Ph.D., founded the Black Mamas Community Collective (BMCC) in 2018 as movement to eliminate the racial health disparities Black women face related to childbirth.

A group of doulas, medical professionals and Black mothers who have experienced difficult childbirths are working together to address policy issues and to take direct action in support of their mission. Later renamed by Adisa Communications as part of our branding efforts, Black Mamas ATX, their goal is to reduce the mortality and morbidity rate for Black mothers in Central Texas, allowing Black women to thrive.

Over the course of 18 months, Adisa Communications developed and managed the community awareness campaign for this effort. In March 2018, the “Show Up for Black Mothers” Summit was held as the launch for the community awareness campaign. More than 160 leaders in the health and non-profit sector participated in the day-long event.

Adisa Communications spearheaded the public relations, social media engagement and strategic planning starting in February 2018 for Black Mamas ATX. We successfully pitched local and regional media coverage of the organization and supported the spokesperson training needs of the group of volunteers. Adisa Communications has also helped Black Mamas ATX successfully complete an advocacy and awareness day, a press conference at the Texas Capitol and livestreamed their first legislative briefing.

Supplementing the positive coverage of the group’s efforts, Adisa Communications developed several pieces of collateral in support of Black maternal health outreach activities, including postcards, fact sheets, posters and brochures. Adisa Communications developed the logo, name, and brand for the organization and established and maintains their website and social media platforms.

Adisa Communications has been responsible for and successfully completed the following:

• Pitched stories to local and regional media about the organization and Black Maternal Health issue
• Compiled a database of medical professionals, doulas, Black mothers and individuals who were interested in the cause
• Engaged a social media campaign to update and spread awareness of Black maternal health
• Assisted with planning for special events
• Provided public relations support and contact with media outlets
• The launch of the redesigned BMCC website