This discussion locates the reproductive health experiences of Black women and gender-diverse people in the broader context of systemic anti-Black racism and colonial violence in Canada. Nneka and Paulette will discuss their involvement in gender-based violence prevention initiatives – including the potential of a national action plan to end systemic violence against Black women – and identify priorities for ending anti-Black gender-based violence. Health professionals will leave better informed about barriers Black women face related to gender-based violence, and the roles they can play in prevention and response.

When exploring the topic of reproductive justice, we tend to focus our conversations around the policies surrounding the reproductive experience. However, the bigger conversation surrounding reproductive justice, arguably, are the intersections outside of having children. When we queer up reproductive justice, what we're doing is approaching reproductive justice as an intersection of decolonization work and liberation for all. The liberated work is decolonial work. Decolonial work is community building. Community building is family building. Queer reproductive justice is at the centre of this movement.

In this talk, we’ll explore a structured approach to birth equity efforts, beginning with identifying and dismantling barriers. Grounded in data, we will examine health equity through the lens of inherited disadvantage, shedding light on historical roots. We will move beyond implicit bias training and share actionable steps for you and your team to take today. This presentation will also explore engaging pregnant and postpartum individuals to ensure that their needs are at the core of the care they receive. In addition, we’ll delve into the potential of healthcare technology to promote equity. By leveraging these tools and centering the populations being served, we can bridge accessibility gaps, enhance communication, and provide more equitable, personalized support during the pregnancy and postpartum experience.

What does it mean to move beyond performative inclusion to adopting a cross justice informed lens for caring for those of multiple intersections of marginalization? This workshop will introduce a queer reproductive justice framework for providers to create libratory spaces for birthing people of all identities.

Dr. Crear-Perry will discuss how racism and racialization affect maternal health outcomes and practical ideas about how to get started on your journey to advancing birth equity. Respectful Maternity Care is an actionable, cyclical framework for training on anti-racist maternity care. This shared framework & language allows us to collectively coordinate the actions we can take to make birth equity an everyday and collective occurrence. Dr. Crear-Perry reviews the “Cycle to Respectful Care”, a tool that was developed via community-based participatory research done at NBEC with Black birthing people, community members, and clinicians for health care providers to understand how their Black patients experience disrespect, and how patients could be liberated from biased practices and beliefs, structural and institutional racism, and the policies that perpetuate racism.