Guest post by: Nikki @ Mommy Factor

As we end a month of Black History, I want to highlight an issue affecting black mothers and their babies everywhere. I was recently invited by Kimberly Seals Allers to attend a screening of the Crisis in the Crib: Saving Our Nation's Babies, a documentary by Tonya Lewis Lee focusing on maternal and infant health in the African American community

I joined Women's eNews, Tonya Lewis Lee, Carol Jenkins and many other African American women community advocates to celebrate the second year of the Black Maternal Health: A Legacy and A Future project with this screening. In short Crisis in the Crib highlights the maternal and infant health in the African American community. The rate of death for African American babies before their first birthday is twice the rate of non-black babies and greatly outpaces the national average.

Tonya Lewis Lee, an attorney and award-winning television producer, the wife of filmmaker Spike Lee, and a spokesperson for the Office of Minority Health’s “A Healthy Baby Begins With You” campaign since 2007…wants to change those rates and the plight of African American babies, their families and in the long run their communities.

Don't let this issue be a part of our Black History. To learn more so you can help spread awareness, you can watch the 30-minute documentary online and also see video from the screening at Women's eNews.

For more information: Office of Minority Health - Crisis in the Crib
http://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/templates/content.aspx?ID=8142&lv...

For more information on the Healthy Baby Begins with You campaign please visit the Office of Minority Health: http://minorityhealth.hhs.gov/templates/browse.aspx?lvl=2&lvlID...