Warnock Leads Panel Highlighting Impact of Fatherhood Engagement on Black Maternal Health

Yesterday, Senator Reverend Warnock convened a panel of advocates dedicated to improving Black maternal health outcomes by promoting fatherhood engagement The panel included Dr. Lynne Lightfoote, OB-GYN at Washington Wellness Group; Charles Johnson, founder of 4Kira4Moms; Omari Maynard, founder of ARIAH Foundation; and Lamman Rucker, an actor and advocate Senator Warnock has worked to combat maternal mortality and improve health outcomes for Black families across the country “BEYOND THE STATISTICS: A Conversation on Black Fathers Protecting Black Motherhood” took place during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 55th Annual Legislative Conference Senator Reverend Warnock: “There is no reason that in the United States of America—the most powerful and wealthiest country on the planet and in the history of humankind—to have the kind of maternal mortality rate that we have” Washington, D.C. – Yesterday, U.S. Senator Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) hosted a panel with prominent community advocates focused on improving Black maternal health outcomes through investing in and creating programs that promote fatherhood engagement. The panel, titled “BEYOND THE STATISTICS: A Conversation on Black Fathers Protecting Black Motherhood,” builds on Senator Warnock’s legislative record addressing maternal mortality and improving health outcomes for Black families. In his opening remarks, Senator Warnock highlighted the need to pass his bipartisan Dads Matter Act , which would direct the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to conduct a public awareness campaign to highlight the importance of father inclusion and engagement in improving maternal health outcomes.  Senator Warnock was joined by Dr. Lynne Lightfoote, OB-GYN at Washington Wellness Group; Charles Johnson, founder of 4Kira4Moms; Omari Maynard, founder of ARIAH Foundation; and Lamman Rucker, an actor and advocate. Thursday’s panel follows a panel Senator Warnock hosted earlier this year that emphasized these findings. “My goal is for all of you to leave feeling compelled to advocate for including dads in maternal and infant health,” said Senator Reverend Warnock. “There is no reason that in the United States of America—the most powerful and wealthiest country on the planet and in the history of humankind—to have the kind of maternal mortality rate that we have.” “We are all about all the clinical and non-clinical risk factors associated with this crisis, but a huge part of our theory of change is we believe that if we can empower a new generation of fathers to understand how to show up, how to advocate, how to demand better, how to support that mother in ways that they weren’t able to, we can quickly make a drastic change and improve maternal outcomes,” said Charles Johnson. “The primary misconception is that Black men aren’t there, and that they don’t care, and in my experience, both as a father since 17, and as an educator, as an activist, as an artist, advocate, and someone who’s worked in this space, even on the policy side, and who also can reference data, we are there, and we care,” said Lamman Rucker. “Black men have been showing up and have even been raising kids that don’t belong to them for years and years.” “Pregnancy should be something joyous, and pregnancy should be something that you should not be afraid of, but now we’re afraid to get pregnant, Black women are afraid to get pregnant and that’s not okay,” said Dr. Lynne Lightfoote. “I need to use my voice. I need to use my heart. I need to use our story in order to help inspire people in order to create change and make sure that you know we all do this together in solidarity,” said Omari Maynard. Nationwide, Black women are 3.5 times more likely to die during childbirth than white women, and, in Georgia, a recent study revealed nearly 90% of maternal deaths were preventable. In response to these devastating findings, Senator Warnock and the panelists highlighted data showing that father involvement during and after a child’s birth is associated with improved maternal and child health outcomes. Senator Warnock has long championed efforts to combat maternal mortality and improve health outcomes for Black families in Georgia and across the country. Earlier this year, Senator Warnock joined a bicameral coalition to introduce the Kira Johnson Act , legislation that funds community-based organizations working to improve maternal health outcomes, particularly for Black women. ###