Keep Ya Head Up
Song by Tupac Shakur
BLKBRY® is spelled with letters missing for reason. It has purpose and intention. It is spelled this way to acknowledge that there is much missing in Black reproductive, perinatal, and Black infant healthcare, and BLKBRY strives to fill in the gaps. And just like a blackberry, we are rooted in our community.
BLKBRY is a culturally responsive, evidence and practiced based intervention to mitigate the impacts of structural racism. We share cultural parity with Black folks and families to provide individualized reproductive support, birth planning and education, and support through their reproductive, perinatal, postpartum, lactation and parenting journey.
We believe that Black people with both learned and lived experience must be the leaders, drivers, and implementers of this work to make true change.
We believe that life is filled with transformative experiences, and having support during those experiences is an essential way to change outcomes and create positive stories. BLKBRY provides culturally affirming support and practices because we value the traditional and ancestral knowledge and ways of holistic care that continue to be practiced around the world. These practices can increase a person's confidence, help them feel grounded and connected, as well as affirmed in their identity and culture.
Our philosophy includes the principle of radical consent and honesty. We recognize the ways that culturally diverse communities continue to face challenges in accessing health care that respects their agency and decision making power. Your body and your baby is your own and we support you to make informed decisions every step of the way.
BLKBRY is a culturally responsive, evidence based practice that intends to interrupt harm to Black people by providing full spectrum wraparound support during the reproductive, prenatal, postpartum and lactation periods, and by building power and autonomy through relationships of trust and restoring community holistic and birthing knowledge.
BLKBRY also invests in the Black healthcare ecosystem. Our priority of connection and collaborative care is to build relationships and community with specialists, providers, and community-based organizations and clinics that reflect the community we serve. We invest in our community by also purchasing and stocking items from Black-owned businesses. We strive to purchase from those that are local to the Pacific Northwest. We remain intentional about our impact on the Black birthing community and cultural economy of the Black community in Washington State.
We dream of a world where Black pregnant and birthing people regardless of status, sexuality, gender, class, age, religion, and ability have access to the care, respect, and services that they need to have positive experiences in the transformative moments of their lives.
Denkyem provided BLKBRY with a small business loan to support our growth.
King County Best Starts for Kids is supporting our Community-Designed Model: Home Based Services.
Copyright © 2020-2023 BLKBRY, LLC - All Rights Reserved. BLKBRY®, and BLKBRY Lactation and Feeding Specialist™ are trademarks of BLKBRY, LLC. Any redistribution or reproduction of part or all of the contents in any form is prohibited.
Logo Designed by Chinelle Rojas, The BLK Creative
Perinatal Support Warm Line: 888.404.7763
An Unapologetically Black Space