A Leading Voice in the Community
Richmond, VA – Reproductive justice advocate, Founding Executive Director of Birth in Color and Repro for the Culture, and Chair of the Virginia Doula Taskforce, Kenda Sutton-EL continues to lead the way in improving maternal health and reproductive justice in Virginia.
Priority Legislation at VA General Assembly
Birth in Color proposed 7 bills in the Virginia General Assembly this year, all with a focus on providing better support to families during their reproductive health journeys. You can read in-depth about each bill and their journeys through the chambers here. With the vision to see policy changes enacted, Birth in Color also brought 50 advocates to the Capitol in January to meet with legislators and express their personal and professional experiences with reproductive healthcare, emphasizing the need to see these changes made.
We are proud to say that a few of our priority legislation bills did make it to crossover! We have more work to do to ensure that families who have experienced stillbirth receive financial support and to establish a Fetal and Infant Mortality Review Team. We took the first steps in educating and pushing for fertility preservation coverage through private insurance and Medicaid for cancer patients, and we are moving forward with legislation to ensure that private insurance covers doula care. We are also proud that Virginia is on the verge of an official Black Maternal Health Week declaration for the Commonwealth. Our bill to make positive changes to the Maternal Mortality Review Team is still moving through the legislative process too.
There have also been essential bills proposed by other groups and individuals that prioritize protecting the reproductive rights of Virginians. Senator Hashmi and Delegate Price, champions of maternal health and reproductive rights, fought for the right to contraception, highlighting that limiting access to these crucial resources impacts not only those with the desire to prevent pregnancy but also those who suffer from other debilitating health conditions like PCOS and more.
Kenda spoke at the press conference celebrating the progress of these bills – “Let me be clear, all these bans would fall harder on Black people, LGBTQ+ people, and low-income people … We cannot and will not allow Virginia to do what so many states are attempting to do. That's why we are proud to be in this fight with our organizational partners here today.”
The Health Justice Advocate of the Year
In January, Families USA awarded Kenda Sutton-EL with its 2024 Health Justice Advocate of the Year for Health Equity. From numerous peer nominations to the extensive work Kenda has done and been a part of in recent years, this award recognizes her leadership in raising awareness of maternal health issues for people of color and ensuring Virginia residents have access to doula care and support classes.
Yael Lehmann, Families USA’s interim Executive Director, said “Kenda is a leading voice for reproductive justice and is dedicated to improving maternal health for women of color. Her passion for reproductive justice has led her to relentlessly pursue methods of improving maternal health for women of color — including helping establish “Black Maternal Health Week” and leading the campaign for doula Medicaid reimbursement in Virginia.”
This award kicked off the start of a year that is already rich with impact in the reproductive justice and maternal health spaces.
A Voice in the Community
In February, two doctors took it upon themselves to share their concerns about and disdain for a bill that would mandate unconscious bias training for physicians in Virginia. Their words were crafted to push unconscious bias into a negative and divisive light.
We, however, are aware of the real and harmful impact of unconscious bias in healthcare settings. We see the data around the quality of care that people of color specifically receive in healthcare systems in the US.
Unfortunately, the words of these doctors were written from a standpoint of what they viewed may serve the comforts of some physicians, rather than what may inspire better care for all Virginians. In a pensive and intentional op-ed, Kenda shared the sincerity and true reason behind the bill and expanded on why there is a clear need for this continued education for care providers.
The People Doing the Work
Sometimes, those who are working hard for equity and rights in this reproductive and maternal health space get covered by the titles of a reproductive justice advocate, birth worker, DEI trainer, and more. Kenda Sutton-EL, Birth in Color Doulas, and those who support our work and advocate alongside us may these things but they are also people with powerful stories and lived experiences who are dedicated, passionate, and ambitious to see impactful changes made that create better opportunities for all in reproductive, maternal, and infant healthcare. It is from these lived experiences that the work and mission of Birth in Color flow.
