Project Detroit: Voices for Life - The Power of Storytelling in Reducing Maternal Mortality: Amplifying Voices. Changing Lives

The purpose of this paper is to describe the design and implementation of the storytelling component of a multiprong, community-based project that shares the lived experience of Black and Brown women’s birthing journey to reduce maternal mortality. Beginning 2021, the Southeast Michigan Perinatal Quality Improvement Coalition (SEMPQIC) worked with community perinatal care providers to administer a multiprong project to reduce maternal mortality in Detroit. The goal of the project was to build upon existing community assets to examine and replicate circumstances and conditions where Black mothers thrive. This article will focus on one component of this four-part effort that included production of storytelling videos of the birthing journey by Black and Brown women. A partnership with SEMPQIC and trusted, established community perinatal service providers was the operational foundation to identify 110 perinatal women from Detroit, willing to engage in storytelling training to tell their unique birthing journey story. 22 videos were professionally produced for use in Detroit to offer the lived experience of the current perinatal system of care. The engagement of the women for storytelling led to the development of a broader campaign and tool kit about maternal health called Our Voices Our Births: Hear Us! - Detroit Mothers Speak. SEMPQIC works to reduce maternal mortality and improve the perinatal care system through promotion of racial health equity, using community collaboration for collective impact. This storytelling initiative demonstrates the transformative power of storytelling in addressing the maternal mortality crisis. Storytelling has the power to humanize the maternal mortality crisis, amplify marginalized voices and drive meaningful change. It offers a first-person description of the birthing journey and may also work to validate the storyteller with recognition of the power of her voice. Too many women die in childbirth, perinatal storytelling provides opportunity to hear from those with lived experience of ways to improve the perinatal system of care. This initiative supports the value of perinatal storytelling to patient perception of the importance of self-advocacy and improvement in service delivery in the perinatal care system.