PITTSBURGH \u2014 This week marks Black Maternal Health Week, an annual awareness and advocacy campaign focused on health outcomes of Black mothers and babies. <\/p>\n
A documentary film, directed by a Pittsburgh man, is a part of the conversation this year. It highlights both issues and examines the troubling statistics and disparities that leave Black women and babies particularly vulnerable to negative outcomes. It\u2019s called The Ebony Canal<\/a>, and since first debuting last year, it has quickly garnered national attention. <\/p>\n Janis Burley is the President and CEO of the August Wilson African American Cultural Center and an executive producer of the Ebony Canal. <\/p>\n She knows the issue personally, and it is a story she does not share often. <\/p>\n \u201cMy first child was born and lived for a month,\u201d Burley said. \u201cWhen people tell you Oh, you can have another baby,\u2019 you can, but that doesn\u2019t take away the pain from the loss of the child that is no longer with you.\u201d<\/p>\n She had gone into early labor. She was 26 years old at the time, educated and married to a physician. <\/p>\n \u201cNo one saw that coming, so we weren\u2019t really prepared for it,\u201d Burley said. \u201cI never got a chance to hold him because he was small. He was in the incubator. I didn\u2019t get a chance to hold him until he had passed away.\u201d<\/p>\n When she heard about the project, she was happy to throw her support behind it, especially knowing who the director was.<\/p>\n \u201cI knew if there was anyone that could tackle this problem, tell the story in a really beautiful, artistic way, it would be Emmai Alaquiva,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n Emmai Alaquiva is an Emmy award-winning director and Smithsonian-published photographer. He\u2019s also from Pittsburgh and was raised in Wilkinsburg. <\/p>\n Alaquiva was tapped by the Richard King Mellon Foundation to lead the project. He directed, shot and edited the film. Over the course of more than a year, he followed several Black mothers through their pregnancy journey and up until their baby\u2019s first birthday. His team also interviewed over 100 people, including doctors and other experts. <\/p>\n \u201cBlack and brown women shouldn\u2019t be dying three times that of their white counterparts. Black babies shouldn\u2019t be dying 2.5x that of their counterparts,\u201d Alaquiva said.<\/p>\n When he first started the project, he was stunned to learn how many Black women he knew with personal stories related to Black maternal health and infant mortality. <\/p>\n \u201cI began to like ask my mother, \u2018Hey, Mom, did you have any complications with me?\u2019 She said \u2018Yes. I just never really talked about it.\u2019 Wow,\u201d he said. \u201cI asked my wife. Turns out my wife was a twin, and her twin didn\u2019t survive.\u201d<\/p>\n The film is filled with personal accounts and stories filled with both heartbreak and joy. It is artfully told, even if the subject matter is a difficult one. <\/p>\n The film is narrated by EGOT winner Viola Davis.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen Viola saw this trailer, that\u2019s 3 minutes and 45 seconds<\/a>, she said, \u2018Move everything off my schedule. This is legacy work and I want to be a part of it,\u201d Alaquiva said. <\/p>\n The film has already won two Emmy awards, an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Short Form Documentary, three Webby awards and five Telly awards.<\/p>\n They are eyeing an Oscar next and are also currently in talks with several streaming platforms, including Netflix and Hulu to get the documentary on a major platform. <\/p>\n \u201cWe are going to continue this journey well past the accolades. We want policy change. We want educational change,\u201d Alaquiva said.<\/p>\n The Ebony Canal launched an international tour that kicked off last Saturday. It includes a list of screenings and discussions with healthcare leaders, advocates and policymakers. Tour stops include the Cannes Film Festival in France. <\/p>\n There currently are no upcoming public screenings scheduled in Pittsburgh. <\/p>\n To learn more about the documentary and keep an eye on upcoming screenings, visit The Ebony Canal website<\/a> or follow theebonycanal<\/a> on Instagram.<\/p>\n Download the FREE WPXI News app<\/a> for breaking news alerts.<\/p>\n Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook<\/a> and Twitter<\/a>. | Watch WPXI NOW<\/a><\/p>\n TOP STORIES FROM CHANNEL 11 NEWS <\/p>\n \u00a92026 Cox Media Group<\/p>\n