Our advocacy for mental and maternal health support is both personal and deeply entrenched within our collective mission. Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated® Xi Zeta Omega Chapter's Connection and Social Action Committee is a non-partisan, political action initiative collectively empowering over 355,000 members worldwide, aiming to effect positive change in our communities.

Astoundingly, studies show that black mothers in DC are more likely to die in childbirth due to a lack of dedicated healthcare resources.

The numbers don't lie:

The DC Office of the Chief Medical Officer reported the following alarming statistics:

• Pregnancy-associated deaths in the District are disproportionately concentrated among Non- Hispanic Black birthing people.
• 70% of pregnancy-associated deaths occur to birthing people residing in Wards 7 and 8.

 Moreover, black youth are often underdiagnosed for mental illnesses, leading to tragic consequences for themselves, their families and our community. These realities underline the urgency for effective measures supporting youth mental health.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness shared the following disturbing findings:

• High school students with depression are more than 2x as likely to drop out than their peers.
• 36% of Washingtonians age 12-17 who have depression did not receive any care in the last year.
• 7 in 10 youth in the juvenile justice system have a mental health connection.

We urge the government to safeguard important DC programs through sufficient funding and legislation. This is crucial in establishing comprehensive mental health strategies for our youth and life-saving services for expecting mothers in our city.

Your signature can help us influence the necessary change, impacting the lives of thousands of mothers and young people in DC. We call you to join us and take immediate action. Please lend your voice to our cause and sign this petition.