Campaign highlights the importance of ‘the village’ around Black mothers and infants
Riverside, CA — August 2025
Nice Media Group, in partnership with Riverside University System – Public Health’s Perinatal Equity Initiative (PEI), led the creative rollout of the Rallying Around Sisters: Redefining and Strengthening the Village. The campaign, introduced during Black Breastfeeding Week (August 25-31), included multimedia storytelling, social media campaign, and community outreach designed to uplift Black mothers and their village.
Breastfeeding is one of the most effective ways to improve maternal and infant health outcomes, yet Black mothers continue to face systemic barriers. In Riverside County, Black women are 1.5 times more likely to experience preterm labor and four times more likely to face pregnancy complications. Black infants are nearly twice as likely to be born at low weight and twice as likely to die within their first year of life (Riverside University Health System – Public Health).
“As Black mothers ourselves, the Nice team is so grateful to continue partnering with the PEI and highlight their sister program, Black Infant Health,” says Carmen Smith, CEO of Nice Media Group. “This is now our third campaign with PEI and what a great way to launch it, during Black Breastfeeding Week!”
This campaign is part of Riverside County’s ongoing efforts to address these outcomes through breastfeeding education, culturally responsive care, and wraparound family support. Since 2022, the Perinatal Equity Initiative and Black Infant Health (BIH) programs have:
- Enrolled more than 800 mothers and reached over 1,100 participants
- Provided doula care to more than 175 women and trained 17 Black doulas
- Graduated more than 250 fathers through the Fatherhood Initiative Services Program
- Achieved outcomes where 97.8% of participants feel more empowered, and 99.2% would recommend the program to a friend (California Department of Public Health, BIH Participant Survey).
“This campaign shows that when mothers are surrounded by a village of care through lactation specialists, doulas, fathers, nurses, families and community partners – breastfeeding success and health outcomes improve,” said Curley Palmer, Program Coordinator.
“I see firsthand how important support is in helping mothers start and continue breastfeeding,” said Renee Armstrong, Lactation Consultant. “Through PEI and BIH, we are ensuring Black families in Riverside County have resources and encouragement that make breastfeeding both possible and sustainable.”
This campaign demonstrates Riverside County’s ongoing investment in equity-driven care, expanding a village of support where every mother and baby can thrive.
For more information, visit ruhealth.org/perinatal-equity-initiative.
