Dear friends,
The sun came up this morning, the garbage truck came and honked because we forgot to take out the trash, my kids, husband, and I scrambled to get everyone where they needed to be. Like every other morning, we got to where we need to be, and our work continues.
We at HealthConnect One and other birth equity organizations have so much critical work to do. No matter the result of the many elections, including the presidential one, our communities will need us to step up our work to improve their residents’ lives.
We must continue to lift the conversation that birth equity is our first and most fundamental experience with racial equity. We must continue to elevate the voices of Black, Brown, and Indigenous women/birthing people in maternal-child health. We must continue to collaborate with communities to prepare community health workers and arrive at the solutions faster. We must continue to be responsive to the changing landscape at the county, state, and national levels. We must continue to advocate for economic equity for the work done by community health workers, including community-based doulas and peer lactation counselors.
We need to learn from this electoral experience and carry those learnings with us in our work. HealthConnect One is committed to supporting our communities to have ongoing understanding and participation in the legislative process, including communicating with legislators on birth, reproductive, economic, and racial justice issues.
Finally, no matter the outcomes of this Election Day, HealthConnect One will continue to be undeterred in our work to support birth equity in communities that have been and continue to be impacted most deliberately and profoundly by systemic, structural, interpersonal, and internalized racism.
Sincerely,
Dr. Twylla Dillion
Executive Director
HealthConnect One