Mother Wit 2026 is a free, three-day series (October 15–17, 2026) honoring pregnancy and infant loss, sharing Indigenous and ancestral wisdom on pregnancy, birth and postpartum care, and taking collective action for maternal and infant health. Join us online from anywhere in the world, or in person in Jamaica, Queens, New York. Co-hosted by the ARIAH Foundation and S.O.W. Leadership Development Institute.
All events are free and open to the public. Each event has its own registration, so join us for one experience or journey with us through them all.
This October, Mother Wit returns in a different form. Rather than gathering for one conference, we are creating a series of experiences that move us through remembrance, global learning, healing, community engagement and collective action.
First, we honor pregnancy and infant loss through healing, storytelling and a global sharing of light. Then we learn from practitioners across the planet who carry Indigenous, ancestral and holistic wisdom around pregnancy, birthing, postpartum and loss. Finally, we take our bodies, voices and commitment into the streets of Jamaica, Queens for Every Baby Counts.
Thursday, October 15, 2026 | 5:30–8:00 PM EST | Virtual on multiple platforms | FREE
On Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day, Mother Wit invites individuals, families and communities impacted directly and indirectly by pregnancy and infant loss into a virtual space created for healing, storytelling, remembrance and connection.
We know that grief does not look one way. Some people speak. Some listen. Some cry. Some celebrate the life that was here. Some are still discovering language for what happened. This gathering creates room for the many ways we carry love, grief, memory and loss.
We will gather, in community, for an opening ceremony, healing experiences and community storytelling.
At 7:00 PM, people around the world light candles in remembrance of pregnancies and babies lost. As 7:00 PM arrives across each time zone, the light moves around the planet. We will receive the light, hold it together and symbolically pass and share it with communities across the globe, joining a worldwide expression of remembrance, solidarity and love.
You may participate from wherever you are. Bring a candle, lantern or another source of light, and join us as we remember together.
Friday, October 16, 2026 | 10:00 AM–5:00 PM EST | Virtual on multiple platforms | FREE
Across the planet, communities have developed ways of caring for people through pregnancy, birthing, postpartum, pregnancy loss and reproductive transitions for generations.
Some of these practices remain vibrant and alive. Others have been dismissed, disrupted, colonized or pushed aside with the rise of so-called modern approaches to medicine and care. Yet practitioners, elders, healers, midwives, doulas, birth workers and communities around the world continue to carry, reclaim and reimagine this knowledge.
This global virtual marathon brings those voices into conversation with one another, and with us. Throughout the day, we will hear from people across the planet doing powerful work in their communities, as they introduce Indigenous, ancestral, traditional and holistic practices for pregnancy, birthing, postpartum care, pregnancy loss, healing and community care.
This isn't about romanticizing the past or suggesting that one tradition has all the answers. It is an opportunity to listen, learn, notice where wisdom overlaps across cultures, and ask what these practices might teach us about the future of maternal care.
Come for the entire marathon or drop in throughout the day for the conversations that call to you.
Saturday, October 17, 2026 | 10:00 AM–1:00 PM EST | In person at Rufus King Park, 150 St & 90 Ave, Jamaica, NY 11432 | FREE
On Saturday, we move from virtual space into the community.
Every Baby Counts is a live gathering rooted in visibility, remembrance, community connection and action. Families, community members, advocates, birth workers, partners and supporters will walk through the streets of Jamaica, Queens, to affirm that the lives and well-being of babies and families matter.
This is not simply a walk from one place to another. We will walk through the community, connecting with the people we meet along the way, raising awareness about maternal and infant health, sharing local resources, and inviting our neighbors into a shared commitment to healthier babies, stronger families and thriving communities.
Our march ends at Rufus King Park, where we will gather for a collective ceremony of remembrance, reflection and restoration, honoring the babies and pregnancies that have been lost while grounding ourselves in what we are working to protect and transform.
We walk to remember.
We walk to make visible what too often remains invisible.
We walk because Every Baby Counts.
Our Remembering You, Remembering Us virtual support groups hold the journey before and after the series. They offer a space for anyone directly or indirectly affected by pregnancy loss, infant loss or difficult birth experiences to connect, find resources and receive support.
Free for the community. Register for the Remembering You, Remembering Us support groups.
All Mother Wit 2026 events are free. Register for the Mother Wit 2026 Series and choose the events you'd like to attend.
Mother Wit 2026 is co-hosted by the ARIAH Foundation and S.O.W. Leadership Development Institute.
ARIAH uses art, advocacy, and healing to address the impact of systemic racism on reproductive health in BIPOC communities. We center and amplify the voices of birthing people, ensuring their experiences shape how families are supported and cared for.
The ARIAH Foundation works to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality by providing education, support, and advocacy for BIPOC individuals and families impacted by reproductive health inequities. Our programs are grounded in the lived experiences and expressed needs of BIPOC mothers and birthing people most affected by trauma, loss, and injustice.
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