Birth Equity Leadership Awards
Recognizing the People Moving Birth Equity Forward
Join Altruism, Inc. for the Birth Equity Leadership Awards (BELA) Ceremony, an evening that honors funders, advocates, community leaders, and journalists who expose inequities and advance birth equity.
WHEN
WHERE
4801 Rockhill Rd, Kansas City, MO 64110
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Qiana Thomason
President & CEO, Health Forward Foundation
A lifelong Kansas Citian, Qiana Thomason leads Health Forward Foundation in building inclusive, powerful, and healthy communities defined by racial equity and economically just systems.
She brings more than twenty-five years of healthcare leadership across corporate, nonprofit, and government spheres to her work advancing health equity across the region.
“We have a collective responsibility to elevate the resilience, inclusivity and power of changemakers of the Kansas City region.”
EXPERIENCE THE EVENING
Art, Stories, and Recognition
See the Art
Experience original digital art exploring pregnancy, birth, postpartum life, and the realities of birth inequity. Find something you love, you can purchase it!
Hear the Stories
Listen to birth experiences from women who felt unheard, dismissed, unsupported, or uncertain about their care.
Celebrate the Work
Help us honor the leaders and organizations using funding, advocacy, community and healthcare leadership, and journalism to confront inequities and push birth equity forward.
Select pieces from Altruism’s birth equity collection will also be woven into the evening as another creative expression of the message.
THE 2026 HONOREES
BELA Ceremony Honorees
Aviance Webb, LSSGB
KC Doula Program
Carla Gibson
REACH Healthcare Foundation
Hayat Abdullahi
Health Forward Foundation
Janelle Harvey Jordan, SPHR
Samuel U. Rodgers Health Center
Karla Torain, MSN, RN, RNC-NIC, NEA-BC
St. Luke’s Crittenton Children’s Center
Katrina Stoddard, M.S., LMFT, LCMFT
Stoddard Family Counseling
Kristy Flores, RN, BSN
University Health
Mariah Chrans, Ph.D., IBCLC
Community Health Council of Wyandotte County
Marvia Jones, Ph.D.
KC Doula Program
Na'Tisha Smith
Samuel U. Rodgers Health Center
Qiana Thomason
Health Forward Foundation
Shalese Clay
Uzazi Village
Sharla Smith, Ph.D., MPH
Kansas Birth Equity Network
Tracy Russell
Nurture KC
Wendy Gimmarro
FOX4 Kansas City
THE CASE FOR THIS WORK
Why This Recognition Matters
These numbers are not about biology. They reflect racism, bias, delayed care, and systems that too often fail to listen when Black women say something is wrong.
Black women in Missouri die from pregnancy-related causes at least 2.5 times the rate of white women.
%
In Missouri, 80% of pregnancy-related deaths reviewed from 2018–2022 were determined to be preventable.
%
In Kansas, the rate of severe maternal complications among Black women was 78.8% higher than among white women from 2019–2023.
Birth equity asks us to believe women, respect their knowledge of their own bodies, and build systems in which every mother and baby has a fair chance to thrive.
Join Us
Come celebrate the honorees, experience the art, hear the stories, and join a conversation grounded in truth, accountability, and love.
Birth equity deserves people willing to listen, speak honestly, challenge racism, and create something better.
Thursday
Oct. 29, 2026
5 p.m.- 8:00 p.m.
Light bites and cocktails will be available.
The Kauffman Foundation Conference Center
4801 Rockhill Rd.
Kansas City, MO 64110
Can't Join Us?
You can still support Altruism’s birth-equity work.
Your donation helps Altruism, Inc. provide doula support, education, guidance, and whole-person care during pregnancy and postpartum.