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Saving black babies by saving a whole neighborhood
A few times a year in Castlemont, a neighborhood in East Oakland, residents come together for a community market.
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Saving black babies by saving a whole neighborhood
Black babies are two times more likely to die in their first year of life than white babies. This is a gap that has persisted in our country for decades. Around the country, people are trying in big ways and small to close it.
The Castlemont neighborhood in East Oakland is known as a Best Babies Zone. The idea of this initiative is that improving life for everyone in the community will ultimately save babies.
Read more from this series on LAist:
- America's Black Babies Are Paying For Society's Ills. What Will We Do To Fix It?
- Keeping Black Babies Alive Is A Priority For LA's Top Health Officials
- These People Have Dedicated Their Lives To Keeping Black Babies Alive
- Black Babies Die At Twice The Rate Of White Babies. My Family Is Part Of This Statistic
This project received support from the Center for Health Journalism's California Fellowship and its Fund for Journalism on Child Well-being.
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But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
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