F6 - My Black Health is Beautiful: Driving Transformation Through Partnership and Representation

The "My Black Health is Beautiful'' curriculum is a series of free lesson plans that intersect reproductive and Black maternal health. These lesson plans were a collaboration between Melinated Moms, New Jersey Black Women Physicians Association, Planned Parenthood of Northern, Central, and Southern New Jersey (PPNCSNJ), Salvation and Social Justice, and Southern New Jersey Perinatal Cooperative. While Planned Parenthood is a key provider of sexual and reproductive health care services across the nation and in NJ, we recognize that we are not the leaders in maternal healthcare and advocacy. This is why we valued this project as an opportunity to follow the lead of Black women.

It is because of the authors' unique lived and professional experiences that this curriculum directly centers the needs of the Black community. Each lesson plan was specifically chosen and designed by the authors, and was a true reflection of the value in Planned Parenthood's role to take a step back in leading and take a step up listening.

The lesson plans seek to facilitate conversations among young people, individuals who may become parents, and those who are already parents, covering topics related to Black intergenerational and holistic health, reproductive anatomy and physiology, self-advocacy, and reproductive justice. This lesson plan project is a partnership that highlights the important intersection between sexual and reproductive health, health equity, and Black maternal health. Together, we will continue to advocate for continued investments in New Jersey to eliminate disparities and achieve maternal health equity.