A Call To Community: The Ebony Canal Centers Black Maternal Health And Care

The screening of The Ebony Canal, a film by Emmai Alaquiva, and the conversations that followed weren’t just entertainment; they were a call to awareness and action. The event, held at Penn Museum, centered on care, compassion, and cultivating community for Black mothers. The screening was followed by a panel featuring Alaquiva along with Dr. Margaret Pettigrew, Representative Morgan Cephas, Andrea L. Sanders, Dr. Aasta Mehta, and Joel Austin, emphasized that need for community.

It was clear from arrival that the entire evening was planned with care. From the welcoming energy to the mix of policy leaders, creatives, and community members, the communal feel was intentional. This wasn’t just an event to watch a film. It was an event to spark a movement.

That movement is so needed. The film and the panel confronted the harsh realities of maternal health disparities and called for change now, not later. The film itself hit hard, leaving viewers leaning forward, wiping their eyes, and sitting in stillness long after the credits rolled.

As the Black Maternal health crisis continues to ravage our community, it is worsened by the harsh landscape of the current healthcare system. Black mothers in Philadelphia face grave disparities in pregnancy, childbirth, and the first year postpartum. From maternal health deserts, areas where there are no maternal health care facilities, to legislation that strips birthing people of their autonomy, to attacks on programs that assist birthing people, these healthcare disparities could worsen the already dangerous and too often deadly outcomes without communal support.

“In Pennsylvania, Black women are two to three times more likely to die during their birthing journey than their counterparts. Across the country? Three to four times more likely,” State Representative Gina H. Curry said. “That’s unacceptable.”

As a vital part of our community, birthing people are our responsibility. “The biggest thing we can do is understand our collective responsibility and our collective power,” said Lakeisha Entsuah, Chief Operating Officer of CocoLife.black, one of the key partners for the evening.

Mike Fickling, the founder of a nonprofit media company, Population Media Center, agrees. “This isn’t just a women’s issue,” Fickling said. “Maternal health impacts families, communities, it’s everyone’s issue. Businesses should see this not as charity, but as collaboration. It’s about joining something important.”

The call for community around birthing people extends to people without children. “Even if you don’t have kids, someone you know does,” Entsuah said. “A young girl you mentor might have children someday. And even if she doesn’t, the way we teach her about her body at 12 or 13 impacts her whole future. Maternal health isn’t separate from women’s health, it starts way earlier than most people think.” Representative Curry agrees. “Even if we choose to be childless, we are making that decision for ourselves, for our own bodies,” Curry said.

While the community is encouraged to support birthing people, Representative Curry encourages birthing people to prepare for the birth of their child as best as they can. “Know your body. Build your village. Surround yourself with people who care about you and can speak up for you when you can’t. That’s why doulas and midwives are so important. Historically, our bodies knew how to give birth, and we trusted that. We have to get back to that support system.”

There was heaviness from what was heard, but there was also hope. This hope is rooted in the kind of collective responsibility Entsuah spoke of, the kind of courage Representative Curry urged, and the kind of vision the community can turn into reality. The Ebony Canal wasn’t just a film, and this wasn’t just a screening. It was proof of what happens when vision meets a community ready to rise to it.