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December 2025
Universal Human Rights Month
| | Placental Research Symposium Unites Science and Community | | |
Our recent “Connecting Cells to Community” symposium showcased an exciting collaboration that’s connecting cutting-edge science to community health needs. This unique gathering brought together an impressive mix of researchers, medical professionals, doulas, and community advocates to unlock the mysteries of the human placenta.
For the first time, attendees got a first look at groundbreaking research that’s mapping placental cells across diverse ancestries. This isn’t just academic curiosity; it’s addressing a critical health care equity issue. For decades, pregnancy research has primarily focused on limited populations, leaving dangerous knowledge gaps about how complications affect different communities.
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Black Mamas Meetup Holiday & End-of-Year Celebration!
A joyful gathering to honor the spirit of community, reflection, and renewal! Celebrate Christmas, Kwanzaa, and the Winter Solstice with good food, laughter, and sisterhood. Expect cozy vibes, creative activities, and space to connect and share gratitude as we close out the year together.
When: Friday, December 12th, 2025, 11:00 am- 2:00 pm PT
Where: Aldea Retreat Center on Mount Sutro
155 Johnstone Drive, San Francisco, CA 94122
Hosted in collaboration with EMBRACE, UCSF California Preterm Birth Initiative, and Kindezi
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Shop and Party with the Family at Joy to the Town!
Celebrate the holidays at Joy to the Town! Holiday Market at Oakland’s Jack London Square.
This free, family-friendly event features over 40 local artisans, roller skating, live music, photo opportunities with Santa, holiday crafts, and seasonal treats.
With two stages of performances, festive activities for kids, and plenty of holiday cheer, it’s the perfect way to kick off the season. Don’t miss this magical community celebration!
When: Saturday, December 6, 2025, 12:00 - 5:00 pm PT
Where: Jack London Square
472 Water St, Oakland, CA 94607
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8th Annual Black Sunday Holiday Shopping Experience
Get into the holiday spirit at Oakland’s 8th Annual Black Sunday Holiday Shopping Experience! Enjoy an afternoon filled with shopping from local makers and artisans, delicious food and desserts, live music, exciting raffles, kids’ activities, a festive holiday photo booth, fireside chats, arts and culture experiences, and more.
Bring your friends and family for a day of fun, community, and holiday cheer—there’s something for everyone!
When: Sunday, December 7, 2025, 12:00 - 5:00 pm PT
Where: Henry J. Kaiser Center for the Arts
10 10th St, Oakland, CA 94607
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Bringing up the Budget: An In-Depth Look at the 2025-26 CA State Budget
Join the Bringing Up California coalition at their next meeting featuring special guest Laura Pryor, Research Director at the California Budget & Policy Center.
They'll take a closer look at California’s 2025–26 budget and how upcoming federal decisions could shape funding for programs supporting birthing people and young children. It includes a review of the state’s budget forecast, discussing how federal actions affect state and local programs, and sharing what’s next in the budget process.
When: Monday, December 9, 2025, 4:00 - 5:00 pm PT
Where: Virtual (Zoom)
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Holiday Market Celebrates Black-Owned Businesses
The Ferry Plaza Farmers Market is hosting a special holiday market in partnership with In the Black, featuring 15 Bay Area Black-owned businesses in the Ferry Building’s south arcade.
Discover thoughtful gifts and stocking stuffers for everyone on your list, including baked goods, crafts, skincare, apparel, accessories, and more.
This free public event celebrates local Black entrepreneurs while offering visitors a chance to find unique holiday gifts and enjoy delicious food in a community setting.
When: Saturday, December 13, 2025, 9:00 am - 2:00 pm PT
Where: Ferry Building Marketplace
One Ferry Building, San Francisco, CA, 94111
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Safe Spaces in ECE for Children in Immigrant Families
ALL IN for Safe Schools, Bringing Up California, CLASP, and the Child Care Law Center have collaborated to create a one-page guide titled “How to Create Safe Spaces in Early Care and Education (ECE) for Children in Immigrant Families.”
The guide helps ECE providers implement policies that support the safety and well-being of children from immigrant families while clarifying legal rights regarding immigration enforcement. This resource is particularly important in California, where nearly half of all children are part of immigrant families and one in five live in mixed-status households.
It is available in eight languages, including English, Spanish, Tagalog, Chinese, Vietnamese, Punjabi, Farsi, and Arabic.
| | Two New Exhibitions Explore Black Resilience and Indigenous Stewardship at the Oakland Museum of California | | |
Black Spaces: Reclaim & Remain examines the intertwined histories of displacement and resilience within Black American communities in Oakland and the East Bay through new artistic commissions and archival research. The exhibition demonstrates how these communities have creatively resisted dispossession while reimagining spaces of belonging and self-determination.
Good Fire: Tending Native Lands explores how Native communities in Northern California have used controlled fire, called “good fire” or “cultural burning,” to care for the land and sustain their traditions for millennia. The exhibition challenges colonial narratives that suppressed Native fire practices, calling for a reimagined relationship with fire that honors Indigenous sovereignty and stewardship.
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Thought Prompt of the Month
How are you looking out for the most vulnerable in your community?
The we'd love to hear from you!
If you feel moved you can leave a message either by phone or through the link below.
Voicemail: (415) 502-5601 or Submit Online
| | Please note that messages left on voicemail or submitted online may be shared via our newsletter, website, social media, or other channels. | |
Featured Replies
Did you attend the 2025 Black Birth Equity Summit? Share a reflection, a connection, an aha, or an inspiration!
“The California Black Birth Equity Summit was a beautiful display of melanated birth equity empowerment! From the moment I checked in, I was greeted by a sea of black women from a plethora of backgrounds. So many connections were made and new friendships were sparked, I am looking forward to nourishing these new relationships throughout the year, until we are all back and the next birth equity summit!” - Loren
“The 2025 CA Black Birth Equity Summit was an incredible experience. Being surrounded by innovators, experts, and deeply passionate people in this work was truly invigorating. The summit offered an invaluable and unmatched space, one that carried us with that sense of connection, purpose, and possibility back home and into our respective workplaces.” - Kai
“Being a part of the California Black Birth Equity Summit for the first time was a surreal experience. This convening managed to fit comfort, education, and healing all into one - something I’ve never seen before. I was able to meet and connect with many other birth workers, moms, and women passionate about the work. I really enjoyed that this conference held space for the difficult, yet necessary, conversations that needed to take place. As a Black woman who aspires to be a mom, it is encouraging to see that issues facing Black mothers are being highlighted, and that many organizations throughout the state of California are working to address these issues. As a future OB/GYN, the summit gave me large insight into how I can best carry the torch in my career as a physician to listen, care for, support, and heal Black mothers.” - Chidera
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Julie Taylor
Mom, Birth Justice Advocate
Coming from a lineage of community organizers, Julie gained a voice to create change in places where she saw injustice, like in maternal care for Black and Brown people. She advocates for culturally competent care as a way to transform childbirth.
Read Julie's Story
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Hope Williams-Burt
Mother, Birth Justice Advocate, and Organizer
Hope's painful experiences with systemic racism and medical bias in preterm birth fueled her work to prevent others from experiencing the same trauma and to create accountability with real change within the health care system.
Read Hope's Story
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Looking Out for the Most Vulnerable with PTBi's December Zoom Background
The December background features Dr. Andrea V. Jackson, Chair, UCSF Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology & Reproductive Sciences.
Download Background
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