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The Black Maternal Health Collective Canada (BMHCC) was founded in 2024 to support the development of the first-ever Toronto Black Maternal Health Week, officially recognized by the City of Toronto for April 11-17, 2025.
Our vision is to establish a week of impactful activities that attract participants from across Canada.
Acknowledge and address Black women's maternal health disparities by highlighting systemic healthcare inequities affecting Black families and amplifying the voices of impacted mothers and families.
Our values center on health equity, advocacy, and community empowerment. We are committed to addressing Black maternal health disparities, challenging systemic inequities, and amplifying the voices of impacted families.
Showcase organizations and individuals advancing Black maternal health research, affirm perinatal service providers within the Black community, and recognize Black Maternal Health Week across Canada.
Jenelle Ambrose Dash is a late term loss, preeclampsia survivor who is advocating for changes to maternal healthcare in Canada. She currently serves on the board of Preeclampsia Foundation Canada and is the past president of the Black Female Lawyers Network. Jenelle has practiced law for 12 years on Bay Street and in-house.
Jennifer is a Registered Nurse with over 25 years of experience in health care including Neonatal, Women’s health, LTC, Public Health and Seniors Services. In her current role, Jennifer provides strategic leadership for North York General’s Quality, Post-acute care community health and integrated care portfolio, with a focus on creating a new standard for comprehensive and equitable care.
Adele Ambrose currently serves on the Advisory committee for the Black Maternal Health Collective Canada. She is advocating for changes to maternal healthcare in Canada. Adele is a lawyer based in Toronto who has worked in financial services in the US and Canada.
Michelle Davis is a serial entrepreneur, researcher and educator and has worked in the fields of health, education, gender-based violence prevention, and international development. Michelle is the founder and CEO of MVD Consulting Inc., where she helps nonprofit leaders and businesses create equitable, just, healthy, happy, and thriving workplaces.
Ekua Asabea Blair is the President & Chief Executive Officer of Abiona Centre (formerly Massey Centre and Humewood House), a client-centered infant and early childhood mental health organization supporting pregnant and parenting adolescents and their children. She is also the President of the Ontario Association of Young Parent Agencies (OAYPA).
Founder/CEO of Mino Care and MinoFest: The Racialized Reproductive and Maternal Health conference, Elsie Amoako is an Ashoka Fellow and has worked in research for over 10 years. She began her journey during her graduate research which was the start of creating Mino Care.
Lori-Ann Green-Walker, MPA, GCB.D is the Executive Director at Women’s Health in Women’s Hands Community Health Centre located in Toronto, Ontario. Lori-Ann has been a healthcare leader for over 20 years, with demonstrated senior leadership experience in acute care and team-based community care settings within the New York City Public Hospital System in the U.S. and community health care sector in Toronto, Ontario.
Racquel Simpson is a dedicated Public Health Consultant and Wellness Advocate committed to improving health outcomes and advancing equity within Black communities. Her expertise spans public health strategy and policy change, with a focus on advocating for Black health as a priority in both local and provincial discussions.
Representing the Black Health Alliance—a community-led nonprofit focused on addressing health disparities and eliminating systemic barriers affecting Black populations.
Natasha is a second generation Canadian of Afro-Caribbean ancestry and a Registered Midwife in Ontario. Her first degree is a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from York University, and later in life she obtained her Bachelor of Science in Midwifery from Toronto Metropolitan University. She is one of the co-founders of the IBPOC Peer Review and currently serve on the Board of Directors at the Association of Ontario Midwives (AOM).
Althea Jones is a registered midwife with over 10 years of experience providing primary maternity and newborn care. For Althea, reproductive health is much more than a career, it’s a passion and a calling that she has dedicated herself to. In 2021, Althea launched Ancestral Hands Midwives, a not-for-profit organization with a mission to improve the outcomes and experiences of Black people during the perinatal period.
Julie Sobowale is a lawyer and an award-winning journalist experienced in working in the nonprofit sector. She completed her MBA and law degree at Dalhousie University in 2012. As a journalist, she specializes in writing and presenting about legal technology, innovation, regulation and access to justice.
Onaope is a Western University graduate with a BA in Psychology and minor in Health Science. Since 2020, she has dedicated her time to bringing health equity to a diverse range of Black populations, and finding solutions to anti-Black racism in healthcare. Her research interests include socioeconomic factors that intersect with women’s health, misogynoir, and Black health equity.