Black Maternal Health Week: HIV, Criminalization, and Our Right to Choose

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During Black Maternal Health Week, we gather to uplift truth, challenge harm, and protect the futures of Black families.

This year, Chicago Volunteer Doulas is hosting a powerful virtual conversation on HIV Criminalization and Motherhood—a topic that sits at the intersection of reproductive justice, public health, and bodily autonomy.

We are honored to welcome Kytara Epps (she/her), Public Health and Advocacy Strategist, whose work centers Black reproductive health through a queer Black feminist lens.

Across the country, we are witnessing increasing attacks on bodily autonomy. Policies impacting abortion access, trans healthcare, and maternal health are not isolated—they are deeply connected to how systems control and criminalize our bodies.

HIV criminalization is one of those systems.

As Kytara shares:

“What we are seeing in this current moment is a mass attack on bodily autonomy and reproductive choice… Everyone suffers when we let the state criminalize our bodies and our choices.”

This conversation will explore:

• How HIV criminalization impacts Black families and birthing people

• The connection between reproductive justice and public health policy

• What birthworkers, advocates, and community members need to understand right now

• How we move forward in protection, advocacy, and care

This space is for learning, reflection, and community grounding—especially after a week of honoring Black maternal health.

Event Details:

📅April 17th | ⌚12 PM CST | 🌐Virtual

We invite birthworkers, community members, and supporters to join us in this important conversation.

👉🏾 Register at https://bit.ly/4bO06EI