It has been quite an impactful year at the Mama Glow! In addition to establishing our culture-shifting childbirth education certification course, launching our first food justice training program, and continuing our work of training culturally and structurally competent doulas through our Mama Glow Doula Homeschool Training Program, we hosted our annual Doula Expo event—one coined the “Coachella for birth workers and their families” by Good Morning America. While these are considered wins in and of themselves, we have been blessed with 3 incredible wins.
The 4th Annual Anthem Awards announced their 2024 winners, honoring The Doula Expo by Mama Glow with two prestigious Anthem Awards of GOLD and SILVER in the categories of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion and Education, Art, & Culture. Additionally, The Mama Glow Foundation Mental Health Pocket Guide, funded by Kate Spade New York, received a SILVER Anthem Award in the Research Projects or Publications: Healthcategory. Selected by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, Anthem Award winners represent the best in mission-driven work from around the globe.
“We are thrilled to be 2024 Anthem Award winners!” shared Latham Thomas, “Having our work recognized for excellence is deeply impactful and helps us advance the work. The Doula Expo by Mama Glow is an important cultural event and it’s an honor for us to bring this work to the community every year. We are living through a mental health crisis and Mama Glow Foundation Mental Health Pocket Guide is really our gift to those who need companionship, solutions and mental health support.”
The Doula Expo Wins 2 Anthem Awards
The one and only Doula Expo by Mama Glow is an annual culture-shifting festival that centers a vision for the future of birth work. Curated by the global maternal health and education platform, Mama Glow, the festival caters to birth professionals and families, prioritizing education, connection, and community. This year’s theme, Reimagining Maternal Health explored research, policy, and thought leadership centering reproductive justice and birth equity. The Doula Expo by Mama Glow provides a space for brand partners and organizations in the wellness, reproductive, and maternal health spaces to interface with consumers, professionals, industry experts, elected officials, influencers, and community leaders through thoughtful brand activations and two full days of interactive content, from the mainstage, to the wellness garden and breakout lounges.
These wins celebrate the Mama Glow’s unwavering commitment to advancing change within the sphere of maternal health in the United States and beyond.The most recent festival took place October 5-6th, 2024 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The event, which Good Morning Americadubbed “the Coachella for birth workers and families,” featured an exciting lineup of over 50 speakers, including Tamron Hall, Doula Expo emcee Tatyana Ali, New York State Senator Samra G. Brouk, DJ and filmmaker DJ Va$htie, reproductive justice advocate and historian Deirdre Cooper Owens, New York City’s Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, holistic health icon Queen Afua, and featured 45 brand partners including: CVS Health, March of Dimes, Sister Song, Perelel, Cybex, Preeclampsia Foundation and more. The future of maternal health research and policy is characterized by innovation, equity, and resilience and in an effort to improve patient care, this year’s festival was certified for continuing education credits for physicians and nurses.
The Mental Health Pocket Guide Wins 1 Anthem Award
Our third Anthem Award win falls within the category of Health: Research Projects and Publications. In addition to the Doula Expo, The Mama Glow Foundation Mental Health Pocket Guide, sponsored by Kate Spade New York, joined a distinguished group of finalists who are reshaping their respective fields through revolutionary initiatives. On World Mental Health Day in 2023, the Kate Spade New York sponsored Mental Health Pocket Guide went live—a culmination of months of effort and a powerful resource for people at any point of their mental health journey. Covering a wide range of topics, resources, and writings, the Mental Health Pocket Guide contains 120-pages of accessible mental health content, each nestled within one of the following spheres: sexual wellness and intimacy, mindfulness and contemplative practice, wellness and self-care, and mental and behavioral health. Additionally, the guide contains contributions from trailblazers of all walks of life who work tirelessly to improve health conditions for women, girls, and caregivers everywhere. Recognized for its robust range of content, impeccable design, and diverse contributors, the guide made its debut at the Kate Spade New York Women’s Global Mental Health and Empowerment Summit during UN General Assembly Week in 2023. Available for free download through the Mama Glow Foundation website, the Mental Health Pocket Guide is a powerful resource for those navigating their mental health journey.
We are deeply grateful for these recognitions, as earning them was no easy feat. The 4th Annual Anthem Awards was the most competitive season yet, with more than 2,300 entries submitted from 34 countries worldwide. By amplifying the voices that spark global change, the Anthem Awards are defining a new benchmark for impactful work that inspires others to take action in their communities.
The Anthem Awards Are Lifting Mission-Driven Work
Anthem Award Winners are selected by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences. Judges for the 4th Annual Anthem Awards include Janine Brady, Managing Director of Communications at Schmidt Futures; Haven Ley SVP, Program Strategy, Investments and Comms.,and CSO, at Pivotal Ventures; Roma McCaig, Chief Public Affairs and Impact Officer at REI Co-op; Wendy R. Weiser, Vice President of Democracy, at Brennan Center for Justice; Brett Peters, Global Lead at TikTok for Good and President at PepsiCo; Aurora James, Activist and Fashion Designer at Fifteen Percent Pledge; Michelle Waring, Steward for Sustainability and Everyday Good at Tom’s of Maine; Trovon Williams, Sr. Vice President of Marketing & Communications at the NAACP; and Singleton Beato, Global EVP, and Chief DEI Officer McCann Worldgroup, among many others.
Launched in 2021 by The Webby Awards, The Anthem Awards honors the purpose & mission-driven work of people, companies and organizations worldwide. By amplifying the voices that spark global change, they are defining a new benchmark for impactful work that inspires others to take action in their own communities. The Anthem Awards honors work across seven core causes: Diversity; Equity & Inclusion; Education; Art & Culture; Health; Human & Civil Rights; Humanitarian Action & Services; Responsible Technology; and Sustainability, Environment & Climate. This season’s partners include Ms. Magazine, The Female Quotient, Sustainable Brands, NationSwell, and TheFutureParty. The Awards were founded in partnership with the Ad Council, Born This Way Foundation, Feeding America, Glaad, Mozilla, NAACP, NRDC, WWF, and XQ.
The Mama Glow team celebrated the wins at the Anthem Awards Ceremony in New York City on November 19th. While these acknowledgements are incredible, our focus has always been the work. We will continue to do the impactful work that led us here, and work towards a liberatory future where women, femmes, and birthing people are thriving, at baseline.
