NOBEL Women’s Forum: Elevating Black Women’s Voices in Maternal Health

09/15/2025

Attendees gather for the first ever Midwest N.O.B.E.L. Women's Forum.

Yesterday marked a historic moment as Assistant Majority Leader Camille Y. Lilly hosted the first-ever Midwest Region Forum of the National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women (NOBEL Women) in Chicago—celebrating the organization’s 40th Anniversary.

NOBEL Women, founded in 1985, represents Black women legislators nationwide who are committed to championing equity-driven policies. This year’s Midwest Forum convened mothers, physicians, and legislators for powerful conversations on advancing maternal and child health equity.

Panel 1: Voices of Black Motherhood – Building a Healthier Future Through Policy Change

Moderated by Nicole Harvey (U.S. House of Representatives), this session centered mothers of NBA players Iris James, Teresa Bryant, Essence Keys, and Tyrina Newkirk Sutton.

Their stories highlighted the traumatic realities behind maternal health disparities—ranging from dismissive providers to high-risk pregnancies and loss. Each mother urged self-advocacy, access to doulas and midwives, and stronger community sisterhoods. Their call to action: listen to mothers, increase Black representation in healthcare, and make care affordable and accessible.

Panel 2: Doctors on the Ground – Advancing Maternal Health Equity

Moderated by Keyonna K. Tompkins, MPH, MBA, CLC, this panel featured frontline physicians Dr. Nicole Williams, Dr. Lisa Green, Dr. Whitney Lyn, and Dr. Audrey Tanksley.

The doctors emphasized solutions such as one-stop care centers, extended postpartum Medicaid coverage, access to doulas and midwives, destigmatizing substance use treatment, and community-based education. As Dr. Williams reminded us, “abortion, birth control, and access to reproductive resources are all forms of care.”

Their unified message: listen, educate, invest, and reform.

Panel 3: Midwest Policy Highlight with Legislators

In the final session, Assistant Majority Leader Lilly joined State Rep. Yolonda Morris, Senator Lakesia Collins, Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth, and Senator Tonya Anderson (GA) to connect lived experiences to policymaking.

Key highlights:

• Expanding midwife authority through SB2437 and HB2688 (Morris).

• Confronting systemic racism through the four ILBC pillars—Healthcare, Education, Economic Equity, and Criminal Justice Reform—and implicit bias training for providers (HB2517) (Lilly).

• Advancing the Birth Equity Act (HB5142) and Diaper Equity Pilot Program (Collins).

• Leveraging community knowledge to move beyond acknowledgment to action (Gordon-Booth).

• Collaborating with Black medical associations and caucuses to create new legislation (Anderson).

The session closed with a challenge: How do we ensure everyday working families have access to speak up and be heard?

From the lived experiences of mothers, to solutions from medical professionals, to actionable bills from legislators—the call was unified: listen, invest, and reform to advance maternal health equity.

A Collective Call to Action

Across all sessions, one truth stood out: maternal health disparities require solutions rooted in collaboration between mothers, medical providers, and legislators.

From mothers urging, “You are your biggest advocate,” to doctors calling for expanded care models, to legislators pushing forward equity-centered policies—the Midwest Region NOBEL Women’s Forum showed both the urgency and opportunity to act.

As Rep. Jehan Gordon-Booth put it: “We all have to do more than just say ‘this is bad’—we have to do something about it.”