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America’s maternal health crisis demands more than protecting the progress we’ve made. The next Congress will have an opportunity to chart a new course—and advocates closest to the crisis have a clear vision for what it should look like. 

Join The Century Foundation on Thursday, October 15, at 12:00 PM ET for a timely conversation about the maternal health priorities the next Congress should take up in 2027 and beyond. Speakers will highlight emerging opportunities for change, share lessons from the communities leading this work, and lay out a collective vision for building a more equitable maternal health system. 

Drawing on years of organizing, policy advocacy, and community leadership, members of the Black Maternal Health Federal Policy Collective will outline the policies, investments, and structural changes needed to deliver meaningful progress for Black mothers, birthing people, and families. 

Featured speakers:

  • Jamille Fields Allsbrook, Assistant Professor of Law, Howard University School of Law and Senior Fellow, National Partnership for Women & Families
  • Breana Lipscomb, Senior Advisor, U.S. Maternal Health & Rights, Center for Reproductive Rights
  • Toshira Maldonado, Co-Founder & Director of Community Engagement & Programs, Most Beautiful W.O.M.B. Inc.  
  • Chanel Porchia-Albert, Founder & Executive Director, Ancient Song

Live CART and ASL interpretation will be provided.

Presented by The Century Foundation.

Speaker Bios

Jamille Fields Allsbrook is an Assistant Professor of Law at Howard University School of Law and a Senior Fellow with the National Partnership for Women & Families. Jamille’s research and scholarship centers on advancing health equity for women, people of color, and people with low incomes. She has spent a decade in Washington, D.C. with experiences in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and in various nonprofit organizations including the Center for American Progress, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and the National Health Law Program.

Breana Lipscomb is the senior advisor, U.S. maternal health & rights initiative at the Center for Reproductive Rights. There, she develops advocacy campaigns to promote Black maternal health, particularly in the South, and advance state level policies that further reproductive rights as human rights. Breana has more than ten years of experience in public health, including in nonprofits and state government.

Toshira Maldonado is the co-founder and director of community engagement & programs at Most Beautiful W.O.M.B. Inc. She also serves as active members of the National Perinatal Taskforce and the New Jersey Birth Justice Institute. Across her work, she promotes maternal wellness among Black, Indigenous, and People of Color communities, emotional well-being, healthy parenting, and ending the family policing system.

Chanel Porchia-Albert is the founder and executive director of Ancient Song, a global birth justice organization dedicated to eradicating maternal and infant mortality and morbidity among Black and Latinx communities. Chanel’s work has taken around the world including in Uganda, where she served as a maternal health strategist, and to Ethiopia where she worked with the Ministry of Health to establish a doula program. She also played a vital role in the creation of the New York City Standards for Respectful Care at Birth and was appointed as a Commissioner by former New York City Mayor Eric Adams to the New York City Commission for Gender Equity.