Tanzye Hill decided over 11 years ago after seeing the journey of her sister’s pregnancy and nephew’s birth. A journey that has pushed her into birth work, as the founder and doula at Birth Manifesta and creator of Black Maternal Health Week in Nashville. According to the CDC, Black Women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related issue; and cervical cancer than any other women in the US. With these numbers, Tanzye created Black Maternal Health Week in Nashville to bring awareness, resources, and change in a space so needed. As a doula, this movement also became very personal to Tanzye after she lost a “community mama” and chosen daughter, Kristen due to postpartum depression. Through her loss, this year’s annual week returns April 11-17, 2026 with deeper intentions and will honor Kristen’s life through the 2nd Annual Black Maternal Mental Health Walk, which will kick off the week in her name.
Get to know more about Tanyze’s why and how you can advocate for your own women’s health and maternal care, as many hold space nationally for conversations and celebrating Black Mamas.
Why was it important for you to create Black Maternal Health Week in Nashville?
Black Maternal Health Week in Nashville was born out of both urgency and love. As a traditional birth worker rooted in this community, I was witnessing firsthand the gaps in care, the lack of culturally aligned support, and the very real disparities impacting Black mothers and birthing people.
At the same time, I was also recognizing that as birth workers, we often exist within a birth justice and reproductive justice bubble. The more I encountered families in my community, the more I realized that many were not aware of the realities of Black maternal health, the statistics, or even the full range of choices available to them in their pregnancy and birth journeys. There was a disconnect between what we, as advocates, knew and what our community had access to.
Coming out of the pandemic, that gap felt even more urgent. So many Black mothers and families experienced birth during a time when autonomy and choice were stripped away. There was a lot of unspoken trauma, grief, and confusion around those experiences, and not nearly enough space to process or heal.
Creating Black Maternal Health Week in Nashville became a way to bridge all of that—to raise awareness, to educate, and to create intentional spaces for healing and reconnection.
In alignment with the national movement led by Black Mamas Matter Alliance, I also recognized that there were no visible, consistent community events happening here in Nashville. I wanted to ensure that our city was part of this larger conversation, while also grounding it in our local culture, our people, and our needs.
Ultimately, this week is about making sure Black families in Nashville feel informed, supported, and connected—that they know they are not alone, and that they have both the power and the community to navigate their birth journeys with dignity and care.
As you go into your 4th year, what are you hoping people will receive from your events and education?
This year feels especially sacred for me as we return after pausing to grieve the loss of Kristen, a beloved community mother. So more than anything, I want people to receivehealing—real, tangible, heart-centered healing.
I want attendees to leave feeling more connected to their bodies, more informed about their choices, and more activated to operate from a place of power—to advocate for themselves within healthcare spaces and to intentionally build support teams that allow them to access the care they truly need and deserve.
We’re also being very intentional about pouring into the next generation. At my core, and in my first calling as an educator, I am always thinking about who comes next. As a graduate of an HBCU, that responsibility feels even more rooted for me. Hosting events in Jubilee Hall at Fisk Universityis a step toward intentionally investing in future healthcare providers, advocates, and birth workers—ensuring they are grounded in equity, compassion, and cultural awareness from the very beginning.
At the heart of Birth Manifesta is the understanding that “rarely, if ever, are any of us healed in isolation. Healing is an act of communion,” as Bell Hooks reminds us. That truth is a North Star for this work. So this year, more than ever, we are creating spaces for people to not only experience healing, but to feel deeply connected—to themselves, to one another, and to community.
And beyond this week, my intention is to continue nurturing that connection. Because healing doesn’t end when the event is over—it is something we sustain together.
And ultimately, I want people to experience joy. Black maternal health conversations are often rooted in statistics and trauma, but joy is also a form of resistance—and a necessary part of our healing.
Learn more and register for this year’s Black Maternal Health Week here.
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