Each year, the number of babies that die during childbirth in St. Louis could populate 15 kindergarten classrooms. We are fighting to take back our power over our own communities and resources including the futures of our children.

We are embarking on Phase Five of the Black Power Blueprint, to create a Black-led wellness education center to empower Black women and girls in caring for our physical, mental and emotional wellness. The vision is to provide health and self-care programs that reinforce our traditional African culture, and invest in the future of our community with doula and childbirth educator certification programs along with opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship.

We have long recognized that our community has the capacity to solve our own problems through self-reliance projects driven by the needs of the community, rather than having solutions imposed on us. We create programs that empower the people from the ground up to create lasting change. The Uhuru Wa Kulea Health Center will be a much needed respite for our community. It will empower us in taking charge of our health and well-being.

The Uhuru Wa Kulea African Women's Health Center is part of the Black Power Blueprint, an initiative of the African People's Education and Defense Fund and Black Star Industries.