Congressional Mamas' Caucus

As members of the Mamas’ Caucus, we are committed to advocating for mothers and working families, especially mothers of color. We must center mamas in the policies we develop and champion in Congress. We know that the costs of raising a child in our country are among the highest in the world, and that our policies too often leave behind working families. We must build childcare policies that support every family, and ones that ensure providers are paid a living wage.

We know that we are one of the only industrialized nations in the world that does not offer a single day of paid family and medical leave. In the richest nation in the history of the world, more than 30 million workers do not have access to a single day of paid leave. This is unacceptable.

In Michigan, we are in the midst of a Black infant and maternal health crisis. Our state has one of the highest death rates among Black pregnant people in the country because our systems and institutions have failed to provide our neighbors with the comprehensive, high-quality health care they deserve. We are also on the front lines of the fight for reproductive justice because we know that abortion care is health care.

When our government does not invest in our mamas and neglects their needs, we cannot be surprised when we experience a maternal health crisis, a childcare affordability crisis, and a reproductive justice crisis. As a mama and the Chair of the Mamas’ Caucus, I refuse to accept this status quo—for my neighbors, for my residents, and for mamas across the country.

You can read more about our work in the Mamas’ Caucus here and key legislation here.

Black Maternal Health Week (April 11-17): “In Her Honor” Portraits Unveiled in Congress
For the first time in our nation’s history, during Black Maternal Health Week, portraits of Black mothers who died from maternal health-related causes were displayed outside the offices of more than 50 members of Congress. The Congressional Mamas’ Caucus is proud to lead this historic and deeply emotional initiative in partnership with Mothering Justice and The ARIAH Foundation.

“In Her Honor” is a commemorative portrait installation by acclaimed visual artist and educator Omari Maynard, whose partner, Shamony Gibson, died after giving birth in 2019. Her death, like far too many others, was preventable. Despite having access to care, support, and resources, Shamony’s voice—like the voices of so many Black women—was dismissed in the very moments she needed to be heard the most.

In response to their devastating loss, Shamony’s mother, Shawnee Benton Gibson, a healer, social worker, and longtime reproductive justice advocate, and Shamony’s former partner, Omari Maynard, founded The ARIAH Foundation. Named for Shamony’s daughter, the Foundation exists to stop the epidemic of Black maternal mortality by centering the stories of those we’ve lost and uplifting the communities left behind to grieve and to fight.

The installation calls attention to racial disparities in maternal health outcomes. Black women in America are three times more likely than white women to die from pregnancy-related causes—an injustice that persists regardless of income, education, or access to prenatal care. This is not because Black women are less capable of giving birth. It is a direct result of a health care system that has systematically neglected and mistreated Black women for generations. The Congressional Mamas’ Caucus is honored to recognize the faces of this crisis during Black Maternal Health Week.