The ARIAH Foundation
Advancement of Reproductive Innovation
Through Artistry and Healing
The ARIAH Foundation was established in 2019 after the tragic and preventable death of Shamony Makeba Gibson due to a birth related pulmonary embolism. Shamony represents so many powerful women of color whose lives were cut short due to birth inequities and reproductive injustice in the United States. The foundation seeks to support individuals, families and communities who experience the devastating Aftershock associated with maternal/infant morbidity and mortality. ARIAH provides mental, physical, emotional and/or spiritual assistance to support the affected families as they navigate the impact of these traumatic experiences.
Speak! Move! Change!
FOR BLACK MATERNAL HEALTH WEEK
An Ancestral Healing for Truth & Reconciliation
We invite you to join us for this year’s Speak! Move! Change virtual series in honor of Black Maternal Health Week. Speak, Move, Change consists of a collective of stakeholders from across the nation and abroad who are committed to transforming the current state of affairs in the reproductive healthcare system for black women, birthing people, their families and communities. The collective utilizes art, ritual, information, education and collective discourse to speak truth, move systems and change outcomes.
This year we will be hosting a two day virtual event where we will present a dramatization of a “community hearing” to address the inhumane treatment that enslaved black women endured at the hands of J Marion Sims and his colleagues during the antebellum period. The hearing will be facilitated using an indigenous centered practice called Mbongi, originating from the Bakongo Bantu people of Africa that embodies the essence of community, collaboration, interconnectedness and shared learning where all are welcome to participate without barriers or separation.
​
Using creative license and ancestral authority, the collective will bring the voices of the past, present and future together for the purpose of truth, reconciliation and retribution. We do this in honor of “The Mothers of Gynecology”, Betsey, Anarcha & Lucy, and all of the women and girls, known and unknown, who were subjected to medical procedures, experimentation, sexual assault and obstetrical violence. Guided by the principles of Mbongi and Afrofuturism, the Speak, Move, Change collective will call on the power of community, create a bold space for transparency, powerful storytelling and collective problem-solving. Through this transformative convening the collective seeks to restore dignity and agency to those who have been silenced by history and the false narratives perpetuated by White Supremacy.
We Are Because You GIVE
We extend a heartfelt invitation for your monetary support with making future programming a success. ARIAH utilizes art, education, advocacy and holistic healing programs to mitigate the long-lasting impact of systemic racism and oppression on the sexual, reproductive health and birth outcomes within BIPOC communities.
Your donations will save and transform lives through programs and services provided by the ARIAH Foundation which are centered around the lived experiences, and expressed needs, of BIPOC mothers and birthing people, who are most likely to be adversely impacted by reproductive inequities, trauma, loss and death, such as, 1. Counseling and Support For Grieving Families 2. Education, Training and Advocacy 3. Community Events To Promote Activism, Artistry, Culture and Healing.
ARIAH in Action
ARIAH utilizes art, education, advocacy, and holistic healing programs to mitigate the long-lasting impact of systematic racism and oppression on the sexual reproductive health and birth outcomes within BIPOC communities through Art Exhibits and Performances,
Visual Storytelling,
Experiential Workshops, etc.
Art
Healing
The Luxor Men's Collective holds space for men who have suffered the traumatic experience of losing, or the near loss, of their partner, due to the maternal mortality, morbidity, and the inequities of the healthcare system. Luxor is a dedicated group of BIPOC men committed to addressing critical issues affecting the black community while seeking to create a space for healing, dialogue, and progress.
The ARIAH Foundation represents humanitarianism in ACTION. The team provides reproductive justice and birth equity training and development to organizations seeking to examine and transform their policies, procedures, practices and organizational culture, to align with the principles of anti-racism and decolonization.
