It's an intriguing topic I know. According to the National Association of Colleges and Employers website, the term "equity" refers to fairness and justice and is distinguished from "equality": Whereas equality means providing the same to all, equity means recognizing that we do not all start from the same place and must
acknowledge and make adjustments to imbalances. The process is ongoing, requiring us to identify and overcome intentional and unintentional barriers arising from bias or systemic structures. (NACEweb.org)
I think most of us falsely assume that every unborn child has an equal and fair chance at being born and experiencing the abundant life that Christ promised. After all, each child gets the same cozy but increasingly cramped apartment for their first nine months right? Dig just a little below this surface assumption and you will begin to see glaring differences experienced by Mothers from different zip codes. Some Moms have better support systems that extend from consistent prenatal care, to excited and supportive grandparents to spousal commitment to healthy nutrition and safe environmental factors; all of which positively impact the child's growth and future development. Add to that any positive messaging about what parenthood means for the Mom and you have created
an environment that supports both Mom and baby until term and beyond.
Now, flip any of those supportive factors around to the negative. When there is a breakdown in the support system for pregnant women, there are added stressors that we now know exponentially impact both Mom and baby in harmful ways. When a woman's Motherhood is not celebrated and supported, the scale begins to tip towards less than optimal outcomes for both Momma and her baby.
So, how do we even the odds for all Mothers to have the best pregnancy experience possible? The first step is acknowledging that all Moms do not start out with the same support systems. In fact all Moms don't get support for even wanting to become Moms. If there is a lack of support from either the father (one of the most influential voices in the conversation), parents, friends or society in general, it can start a downward spiral for the Mom to even want to keep the baby. Add to that an organization that gets taxpayer dollars to promote abortion in communities of color and you have the recipe for terminating life at unprecedented rates in certain zip codes.
That will be our discussion this Thursday, February 3rd at 7pm on Zoom where our guest will be Ms. Cherilyn Holloway, Founder of Pro-Black Pro-Life. Her organization specializes in initiating the tough conversations surrounding equity in the womb. Cherilyn travels the country educating our community about the negative messaging they receive regarding Motherhood and the sanctity of life. Cherilyn is an author and a thought leader. Her point of view has been sought after by ABC as part of their series, "Soul of a Nation" and recently Time Magazine. Her candor about the state of Motherhood in the Black community brings stale and erroneous assumptions out into the open for examination and review.
We at Arise Daughter are pleased as punch to welcome Cherilyn to our Zoom meeting for what will be a very lively discussion. You DO NOT want to miss this opportunity to dialogue about the future of our nation (not an overstatement!). Because, until there is equity for all there can not be equality for all.
Go to AriseDaughter.org and R.S.V.P on the main page to receive the Zoom link in your email. See you there and until then, Much Love!! Sylvia
Here is a link to better understand the root of the issue and the history of Planned Parenthood in communities of color: https://youtu.be/I6XfU8KVkzI