On April 17th during Black Maternal Health Week, the Foundation for the Advancement of Midwifery (FAM) is hosting a fundraiser and private virtual community screening of the acclaimed feature-length documentary, CHOCOLATE MILK Ⓡ, by black filmmaker Elizabeth Bayne. The film explores the unique environmental and socioeconomic challenges that contribute to low breastfeeding rates among African Americans. This screening is proudly being co-hosted by Executive Doula Agency.

This private screening is intended for the midwifery community including midwives, doulas, clients and other midwifery stakeholders. FAM is the charitable auxillary of Midwives Alliance of North America (MANA) and is a section 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization which funds grants that confront the intersecting social, racial, and economic factors, which result in severe disparities in maternal and child health outcomes. We sincerely believe that midwifery can make a huge impact on improving these outcomes.

This screening will be a key fundraiser for FAM this year. Last year, we delivered $60,000 in grassroots grants in response to the needs of birthing families during the ongoing pandemic. This year, we're focused on building sustainability for the organization, lending our support behind the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021 and the MANA Stats Project, as well as positioning ourselves to deliver more grants during our 2022 grant-making cycle.

About the Film

CHOCOLATE MILK Ⓡ is a digital storytelling project that shares video testimonials from black mothers who have struggled and succeeded with breastfeeding. Each video from the series is posted on the Chocolate Milk: The Documentary Series YouTube channel as a resource for mothers and their communities. In 2016, series creator Elizabeth Bayne decided to extend the project into a feature-length documentary.