Today the Black Mamas Matter Alliance (BMMA, Inc.) has announced the plenary speakers for its 2026 Black Maternal Health Conference and Training Institute® (BMHC26) taking place September 10–12, 2026, at the Renaissance Waverly Atlanta Hotel and Convention Center (2450 Galleria Pkwy SE). 

Founded and led by BMMA, Inc., the Black Maternal Health Conference and Training Institute® (BMHC26) is the official, global assembly for Black Maternal Health, equity, scholarship, innovation, policy, and advocacy work, projects, practice, and initiatives. BMHC26 centers Black people, clinicians, professionals, practitioners, and advocates; and welcomes ALL maternal, perinatal, and reproductive health equity stakeholders who are seeking to develop professionally, learn, and network. 

This year’s conference will be hybrid (virtual and in-person) and will offer a global space for learning, rich discussions, and mobilization to transform Black maternal health, rights, and justice. This year’s sponsors include the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), GE HealthCare Foundation, California Health Care Foundation, Irving Harris Foundation, CARE USA, Georgia Health Initiative, Evelyn and William Blythe Advocates for Health Equity, The Center for Black Health & Equity, Healthy Futures Foundation, NYU – Midwifery Program, and Planned Parenthood Federation of America. Blavity HealthStack is also serving as the official BMHC26 Media Partner. 

Speakers Scheduled to Appear on the BMHC26 Main Stage Include:

• Representative Dr. Jasmine Clark, GA (she/her)
• Representative La’Tasha D. Mayes, PA (she/her)
• Representative Gina H. Curry, PA (she/her)
• Representative Morgan Cephas, PA (she/her)
• Senator Natalie Murdock, NC (she/her)
• Ericka Hart (she/they) – Sex Educator; Author, Nasty Work
• Ebony P. Donnley (he/him) – Co-Host, “Hoodrat to Headwrap” Podcast
• Dr. Charis Chambers aka “The Period Doctor” (she/her) – OBGYN; Author, The Period and Puberty Parenting Revolution: It’s Time to Own the Conversation, Empower Your Child, and Rewrite the Rules of Parenting Kids Through Puberty
• Dr. Kemi Doll (she/her) – Gynecologic Oncologist and OB/GYN; Founding Director of The GRACE Center; Author, A Terrible Strength: The Hidden Crisis of the Black Womb and Your Survival Guide to Healing
• Omisade Burney-Scott (she/her) – Founder, The Black Girls’ Guide to Surviving Menopause
• Mama Shafia Monroe (she/her) – Master Midwife; Founder of Shafia Monroe Consulting; Author, Mothering the Mother: African American Postpartum Traditions, Recipes and Healing
• Nijla Mu’min (she/her) – Writer/Director, “Water Angel” 
• Inas-Khalidah Mahdi (she/her) – Founder & Principal Consultant, Nzingha Maternal Health: Rights & ResearchRose Aka-James, MPH (she/her) – Health & Social Innovation Leader; Director of Health, U.S. Programs, CARE; 
• Gabby Dirden (she/her) – Deputy Director, CARE  
• Fadesola Adetosoye (she/her) – Expert Associate Partner, McKinsey & Company
• Natalie D. Hernandez, Ph.D., M.P.H. (she/her) – Executive Director, Morehouse School of Medicine Center for Maternal Health Equity

*Full BMHC26 schedule by day listed at the bottom*

BMHC26 showcases work that operationalizes birth and reproductive justice, respectful maternity care, Black feminists and womanists’ wellness practices, and human rights frameworks across sexual, maternal, perinatal, and reproductive health services, programs, and initiatives. BMHC26 brings together experts, learners, practitioners, and advocates to explore a range of topics at the intersection of healthcare, equity, and community support. Participants of BMHC26 can look forward to receiving information on the latest advancements in family planning, birth equity, reproductive health, managed care, maternal health systems initiatives, infant feeding programs, and a host of other cross-sector, collaborative projects, policy activities, and research endeavors.

BMMA has created a space with BMHC26 that centers the voices, scholarship, innovation, and experiences of Black people in all activities. BMHC26 is open to ALL stakeholders with lived experience and to those that are working to, and/or seeking to advance maternal and reproductive health equity nationally and globally. 

The goals of BMHC are to:

• Build capacity of Black leaders in maternal health to shape programs, policy, and care, and to engage in evidence-based advocacy;
• Disseminate best practices to address critical issues in Black Maternal Health from different sectors, including research, care, policy, and culture shift;
• Grow a community and network of stakeholders committed to improving Black Maternal Health;
• Cultivate a space of love, respect, and listening that centers the voices and experiences of Black Mamas, Black Birth workers, Black scholars, and Black women leaders; and to
• Equip health care professionals, public and health care systems, care providers, practitioners, learners, and ALL maternal and reproductive health equity stakeholders, funders, and decision-makers seeking knowledge and professional development to build their skills and capacity.

The BMHC26 theme, “Rooted in Justice & Joy: 10 Years of Building the Black Maternal Health Movement!”, reflects both celebration and reckoning. It honors a decade of groundbreaking work that has transformed the landscape of Black Maternal Health in the U.S. and across the diaspora—while acknowledging the persistent challenges that demand continued innovation and action.

“Over the past decade, BMMA has worked to establish the global Black Maternal Health Movement, centering the organizing and collaborative efforts of Black perinatal and maternal professionals. That is our midwives, our physicians, our doulas, our nurses, advocates, healing practitioners, and even artists,” said BMMA, Inc. Co-Founder and Executive Director, Angela D. Aina. “As we enter the next decade, we are in a moment in this country where there is an active effort at multiple levels to erase Black Maternal Health from public policy, institutional language and from the national conversation. The CDC’s most recent data shows that while maternal mortality rates have decreased for white, Hispanic, and Asian women, the rate for Black women has increased. The evidence is clear that culturally congruent, Black-led birth and reproductive justice-informed care and policy solutions do work. Investing in these approaches and naming them for what they are is not a political risk. It is a public health imperative.”

Media attendance to BMHC26 is by approval only. 

To request credentials, please complete this Media Access Request Form: https://humanimpactsolutions.typeform.com/to/e4oEq4l4

BMHC26 Conference Speakers & Programming At-A-Glance

Thursday, September 10 | 6–7:30 p.m. 

Black Mama Movie Night Presents: “Water Angel” Screening & Talk-Back

• Nijla Mu’min, Writer/Director, “Water Angel;” Milan Spencer, Associate Director of Workforce Development and Partnerships, BMMA, Inc.; Inas-Khalidah Mahdi, Founder & Principal Consultant, Nzingha Maternal Health: Rights & Research (Moderator)

Friday, September 11

Morning (9:30–9:50 a.m.) 

• Rose Aka-James, CARE; Gabby Dirden, CARE; Fadesola Adetosoye, McKinsey & Company; Dr. Natalie Hernandez, Morehouse School of Medicine Center for Maternal Health Equity

Afternoon (12:30–1:30 p.m.)  

• Representative La’Tasha D. Mayes, PA (D-24); Representative Dr. Jasmine Clark, GA (D-108); Representative Morgan Cephas, PA (D-192), Senator Natalie Murdock, NC (D-20).

Saturday, September 12 

Morning (9:00 a.m. – 9:40 a.m.) 

• Ericka Hart, Sex Educator, Author, Nasty Work; Ebony P. Donnley, Co-Host, “Hoodrat to Headwrap” Podcast

Afternoon (12:00 p.m. to 12:40 p.m.) 

• Dr. Charis Chambers aka “The Period Doctor” (she/her) OBGYN; Author, The Period and Puberty Parenting Revolution: It’s Time to Own the Conversation, Empower Your Child, and Rewrite the Rules of Parenting Kids Through Puberty; Dr. Kemi Doll (she/her) – Gynecologic Oncologist and OB/GYN; Founding Director of The GRACE Center; Author, A Terrible Strength: The Hidden Crisis of the Black Womb and Your Survival Guide to Healing; Omisade Burney-Scott (she/her) – Founder and Chief Menopause Steward, The Black Girls’ Guide to Surviving Menopause

Author Meet & Greet and Book Signing

Thursday, September 10 

1:15pm and 5:15pm

• Mama Shafia Monroe – Author, Mothering the Mother: African American Postpartum Traditions, Recipes and Healing

Saturday, September 12

11:25 a.m.

• Dr. Kemi Doll, Author, A Terrible Strength: The Hidden Crisis of the Black Womb and Your Survival Guide to Healing

12:50 p.m. 

• Ericka Hart, Author, Nasty Work

• Dr. Charis Chambers aka “The Period Doctor,” Author, The Period and Puberty Parenting Revolution: It’s Time to Own the Conversation, Empower Your Child, and Rewrite the Rules of Parenting Kids Through Puberty