Ngozi Okafor

I created the “Igwebuike” team for the March for Babies walk and movement as a spotlight on community and as a leap of faith.

“Igwebuike” is an Igbo phrase and motto that means, “unity is strength”. This is a phrase that denotes the strength in community, and identity being fostered through the collective efforts of one's community. I lost my twin siblings when I was seven years old, and that experience still sticks with me today. My sister was lost to a miscarriage, and my youngest brother was lost to a stillbirth. "Ọmụgwọ" is a hallmark cultural practice that Igbo mothers look forward to, both in Igboland and abroad. At the same time, experiences involving fetal death and other less ideal birth outcomes are rarely spoken about. When the losses happened, my family wondered why and how this could happen, as do many families that experience the loss of an expected child. Experiences such as these are shrouded with mystery, superstition, and silence in the state of grief. This is the very experience that drives my academic and professional growth in the maternal and child health space, and engagement opportunities like the March for Babies walk. 

It is a surreal experience to learn of the mechanisms contributing to the maternal health crisis in the United States, as well as my own state. It is one thing to experience childbirth in a foreign country, and another jarring experience entirely to experience disparate treatment in healthcare settings while experiencing a loss. This is not unique to my personal witness. Medical advancements have reduced the number of late and newborn stillbirths in the past 30 years, however, this overall rate has slowed in recent years. Stillbirths occur among non-Hispanic Black women two times more often than non-Hispanic Asian or Pacific Islander and White women (CDC, 2025). Stillbirth affects about 1 in 175 births (approximately 21,000) annually in the US, which is about the same number of babies that die during their first year of life (CDC, 2025). The evidence points to underlying causes that include access to quality healthcare, pre-existing health conditions, and structural discrimination. Regarding overall health status, even the healthiest of women such as women in my family have experienced the effects of structural discrimination. Stillbirths occur in higher rates among non-Hispanic Pacific Islander (NHPI), Black, and Asian-American or Alaskan Native (AIAN) women compared to White and Hispanic Women (Hill et al, 2025). Pregnancy-related mortality is three times higher than White women in the United States (49.2 vs 19.9 per 100,000), and nearly seven times more likely than White women in New Jersey (Stainton, 2024). Most strikingly 80% of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable (CDC, 2024). Black, AIAN, and NHPI women also experience preterm births, low birthweights, or births where late or no prenatal care was provided compared to White women (Hill et al, 2025). These statistics seem distant, but it is another thing to know that you and your family have been affected by one of the many women and children that represent any of these statistics. As a Black, Igbo-American woman, it is disheartening. But all the more reason why I want to see a change and make a difference.

I joined the movement to create positive change for moms and babies everywhere, especially those most at risk. Creating “Igwebuike” as a team is my small contribution towards supporting the research, education, social support, and funding towards mitigating adverse maternal and infant health outcomes in the United States.

This walk and the mission of March of Dimes are grassroot efforts towards mitigating preventable morbidities and mortalities in women and infants. With preterm birth, fetal death, and maternal death rates continuing to rise, I’m committed to raising funds as a community so that every family receives the best possible start. 

But I need your help.

Please visit my fundraising page to donate as financial support for my team's efforts. Additionally, if you would like to join my team and walk with us, you can do so via this page and from the team WhatsApp group here: https://chat.whatsapp.com/DbicDDpQyLKCnvd3yqVcq1. Together, we’ll be part of a movement to make America a more equitable place and ensure that every mom and baby is healthy. Maka nkwado ụmụ nwanyị na ụmụaka! (English: For the support of women and children!)

Sources:

CDC (2024). Working together to reduce Black maternal mortality. CDC Women's Health. Working Together to Reduce Black Maternal Mortality | Women’s Health | CDC

CDC (2025). Data and Statistics on Stillbirth. CDC. Data and Statistics on Stillbirth | Stillbirth | CDC

Hill, L., Rao, A., Artiga, S., & Ranji, U. (2025). Racial Disparities in Maternal and Infant Health: Current Status and Key Issues. KFF. Racial Disparities in Maternal and Infant Health: Current Status and Key Issues | KFF

Silver, R.M. & Reddy, U. (2024). Stillbirth: we can do better. American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, 231(2), 152-165. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajog.2024.05.042 

Stainton, L.H. (2024). Spotlight Review: Efforts to better NJ's woeful maternal health see improvements. NJ Spotlight News. Battling NJ’s woeful maternal mortality rate | NJ Spotlight News