Power in Practice: Navigating Black Maternal Healthcare Systems | 6:00 - 7:30pm

Power in Practice: Navigating Black Maternal Healthcare Systems 

In partnership with AfroPlay Oakland & Black Coalition for Safe Motherhood 

OFC is honored to partner with AfroPlay and Black Coalition for Safe Motherhood to host a culturally grounded virtual workshop designed specifically for Black and Brown parents and caregivers. Rooted in collective healing, cultural pride, and community resilience, this session focuses on strengthening the advocacy skills families need to navigate systems that have historically marginalized communities of color.

Across healthcare, education, and social service systems, Black and Brown families frequently encounter bias, inequitable treatment, and structural barriers that impact both daily experiences and long-term well-being. This workshop aims to affirm those realities while equipping parents with practical, actionable strategies they can use to advocate for themselves and their children with clarity, confidence, and power.

Participants will learn how to:

• Navigate healthcare settings and appointments with confidence
• Advocate for their children's needs in schools, childcare programs, and community spaces
• Interrupt microaggressions, bias, and exclusionary practices
• Build a culturally affirming support network rooted in shared experience
• Protect their own emotional well-being while advocating for their families

Drawing from AfroPlay’s commitment to healing within the African Diaspora and the Black Coalition for Safe Motherhood's grounding in wellness and liberation, this event creates a space where Black and Brown families can connect, learn, and feel seen. Together, we seek to uplift the collective strength of our communities and help families feel more empowered when engaging with systems that have not always been built with them in mind.

Meet Our Amazing Facilitators:

Syah (she/her) is a BlaXican (Black and Mexican), queer, certified full-spectrum doula, herbal practitioner, and community advocate dedicated to culturally grounded, justice-centered care. As the founder of Milk & Marigold Wellness, she blends healing traditions with holistic birth and postpartum support to serve Black and Brown families with dignity, safety, and cultural resonance.

Rooted in the strength of both her Black Southern and Mexican matriarchal lineages, Syah’s work weaves ritual, plant medicine, and community protection into practical reproductive support. Her lived experience as a mother and birthworker informs her commitment to disrupting medical racism and creating safer, culturally aligned birth experiences for the families she serves.

After taking the ACTT training herself and witnessing its power to transform communication and advocacy during medical encounters, Syah chose to join the ACTT community as a facilitator. She now shares this framework with intention and passion, supporting Black and Brown families in navigating the healthcare system with confidence, clarity, and ancestral protection.

Dr. Leslie Farrington is a retired Obstetrician/Gynecologist from New York City, with her MD from Howard University College of Medicine. Leslie attributes her unique perspective on racism in medicine to her upbringing in an interracial family during the 1960’s Civil Rights Movement.

As an African American physician, Leslie knows that mortality statistics represent the tip of the iceberg of preventable harm experienced by the Black community due to racism in medicine and society. After retirement she developed the ACTT Curriculum, which equips birthing people and their supporters with communication tips and tools that they can use to partner with medical professionals and obtain person-centered care with dignity. In July 2020, Leslie established the Black Coalition for Safe Motherhood (BCFSM), in collaboration with Birth Justice activists and community members, to promote healthcare advocacy and holistic support of birthing families across the African Diaspora using the ACTT Curriculum. As of September 2023, Leslie serves as Executive Director of BCFSM.

When:

Tuesday, December 9th • 6:00 - 7:30pm

Where:

Virtual on Zoom • you will receive the link to this session following registration

For Further Information:

We are committed to ensuring our programs are accessible to all families. When you're registering, please let us know of any accommodations that would help your family participate to the fullest (e.g. ASL interpreter, translated materials, childcare providers experienced with kids with disabilities, large print materials, gluten-free food options, etc.). If registering within 48 hours of the event, please call 415-981-1960 to ensure our receipt of your request. This event – including refreshments and childcare, as applicable – is offered free for all attendees. As you are able, please help us continue offering these resources to all who need them, by making a financial donation to OFC.