Walking for Change: Uzazi Village hosts event to raise awareness of black infant and maternal disparities

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — KSHB 41 News anchor Rae Daniel covers stories across Kansas City with a focus on community groups and highlighting fun things to do on the weekends. Share your idea with Rae by email.

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An event happening this weekend is bringing people together to talk about an important health issue.

Uzazi Village is hosting the Black Infant Mortality Awareness Walk on Saturday.

It's aiming to shine a light on the black infant and maternal health disparities.

According to the CDC, black infants in the U.S. die at twice the rate as white infants, and black women face a maternal mortality rate more than three times higher than white women.

Uzazi Village, which has been in existence for the past 14 years, is working to change those numbers, by providing prenatal and postnatal support, doula education, childbirth education and more.

"I've been in this work for more than a decade and the stories don't change," Uzazi Villge CEO Shalese Clay said. "My story was similar to the women I work with. They're all consistent with not being seen and not being heard and a lot of us you know have lost our lives, and then there's those who have lost their lives, so it's so important for these types of events to happen to say, 'hey these are happening in 2026, what are we going to do about it.'"

Clay says self-advocacy is key.

"Educate yourself, ask the questions, take the list to your doctors, make sure they answer them and if they don't want to answer them, go somewhere else," Clay said. "You have a choice. Just because you receive Medicaid does not mean you have to stick with that provider that they give you. You can go to other places and I think that's where we forget that we have the right to move around and we don't have to just go along with what people give us.

The walk is Saturday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at Stanley Durwood Soccer Stadium on UMKC's campus.

There will be a kids' relay, activities, food trucks a DJ and resources about Uzazi Village work.

Individual tickets are $25 online or at the gate.
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