Thinking about sharing your story? Here are a few tips!
If you are a person who is actively working in some way to improve pregnancy, birth and postpartum outcomes for communities experiencing disparate outcomes, such as Black and Brown communities, we want to hear from you.
You do not need to be a person of color in order to become a share your story. In fact, it is vital that we have all hands on deck for turning the curve on the profound health disparities faced by Black and Brown communities. By improving outcomes for those that experience the greatest disparities, we will improve outcomes for all.
So, whether you are a provider, social worker, researcher, mother with lived experience, grandfather or community member, we want you to tell us how you are changing the lives and experiences of birthing families around you from communities experiencing inequities.
It is not guaranteed. To create the most impact, VBJ curates which stories will be shared on which of its online platforms and when. It is also important that the stories shared are in line with the campaign’s mission of improving birth outcomes for communities of color in California.
Voices for Birth Justice may discontinue or decline to share written content submitted to it for reasons including, but not limited to:
You should receive a follow-up email within three days confirming that we have received your story. We may be in contact if we have any follow-up questions about your story or the resources you have provided.
If your story is selected, you will receive an email the day of your story’s posting notifying you of its release. We will try to tag any social media handles or websites you have provided as well, although this may not be possible in every case. Once posted online, we will have limited control over the content and it may live on the web in perpetuity.
Share! We want to ensure that all communities are aware of the powerful voices that are working to ensure the health of families from communities experiencing inequities, so please share our postings on all of your platforms. Don’t forget to tag us!
While we honor all of your words as your own, some stories may be abridged or edited in context to fit the needs of the various online platforms. If you have any questions about this, please contact us.
Your story acts as a resource for other advocates and birthing people to become connected to the birth justice movement and inspire others to share their stories. Sharing your picture brings your story to life, increasing its chances of reaching more people.
Photos will be put in black and white to mirror the campaign’s design principles. Graphic design elements may be added as well to emphasize the image.
When you write, It can be helpful to pick someone specific who you would want to share your story with. Perhaps it is a person you saw in the waiting room, or a family member, or an audience full of providers. The more specific you are, the clearer your message will be.
Let people know that there are stories of people working to improve birth outcomes with communities experiencing inequities.
If your story speaks about a personal or interpersonal experience, let us know how it impacts the big picture of improving health outcomes before, during and/or after birth.
Your story, in itself, is a powerful resource to other advocates and so magnify your impact by sharing resources in your community that you love.
