Earlier this year, we invited fifteen fellows to develop their own web mapping applications, centered on equity and designed with communities in mind, using the SDOH & Place Toolkit. From July to September, we'll feature final fellow applications each week.

App Motivations

This project is called C-Ur Experience—which is a play on the city name Champaign-Urbana—The Motherhood Project. Makiya created this data application to shed light on the fatal infant and maternal mortalities in the United States and the state of Illinois. Also, to provide a platform for minority mothers to share and unite. This project has a special focus on Black mothers within the community because of the rising birth mortality rate within Illinois. This project specifically centers on the local Champaign-Urbana area.

The target audience for this application is mothers, healthcare providers, community members, and advocates of the Champaign-Urbana area.

Features

This project is a story map focusing on the alarming rates of Black maternal health and infant maternity rates. Additionally, this project shares stories from members of the community about their experiences giving birth in the Champaign-Urbana area. These stories are snippets of interviews with mothers of the community.

Viewers of the website can also view facts from the CDC regarding infant mortality rates in the local area as of 2021. This information can be taken and used to apply to the mother's daily life. Providing this information to the public and a community provides a chance for Black mother's to be more knowledgeable regarding their health and what to advocate for with regards to their health and their community. This knowledge can be an agent for change in improving healthcare around birth.

Also, through the project's instagram page, members of the community can be a part of a community of mothers to support each other. The Motherhood Project will be working to bring all the mothers and their children involved in this project to get together in the Fall to celebrate their community and further solidify a network of support. If you are a mother in the Champaign-Urbana area and have given birth in the last 5 years, consider contacting Makiya to be interviewed about your experience giving birth in Champaign-Urbana (information provided in the link below).

Acknowledgements

Makiya would like to thank the Champign-Urbana Public Health district for their help in the project and Carle Foundation Hospital for their open communication.

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If you are a recent mother, health care provider, advocate, Champaign-Urbana community member or would just like to check out Makiya's work, you can access the application here.

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About the Author

Makiya Thomas was born and raised in Decatur, IL. She graduated high school from Eisenhower High School. She later went off to college and received her bachelor's and two master's degrees while attending Eastern Illinois University. Makiya has also served in the Illinois Army National Guard for the past 9 years. While in the Army, she’s served as a Platoon Leader, Operations Officer in Charge while being deployed, and currently serves as a Headquarters Commander. Makiya currently works as a DEI Specialist for the Public Health District of Champaign where she lives with her beautiful baby boy named Judah.