Special Screening: Listen to Me: Mayor's Office on Women's Policies and Initiatives

In partnership with Mayor's Office on Women's Policy and Initiatives (MOWPI), this community film screening highlights the urgent realities of Black maternal health through the Season 18 opening film of Black Public Media's AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange . The event is anchored by a screening of Listen to Me, an intimate and powerful documentary that examines the disproportionate risks Black women and infants face during pregnancy, childbirth, and early motherhood. Listen to Me , directed by Washington, D.C.–based behavioral health scientist Kanika Harris and Baltimore-based certified nurse-midwife Stephanie Etienne , follows three Black women as they navigate pregnancy and care in America. The film brings national attention to the stark disparities in maternal health outcomes and stands as an urgent call for accountability, healing, and systemic change. The evening will open with brief announcements and remarks from community partners and organizations connected to maternal health, family support, and advocacy within the District of Columbia. This segment helps reinforce the network of resources available to expecting mothers and their families across the city. Following the partner remarks, attendees will transition into the screening of Listen to Me . After the film, a facilitated talkback will provide space for audience reflection, dialogue, and connection to ongoing work within the maternal health and reproductive justice landscape.