CALL 24-Hour Helpline: (410) 997-2272
HopeWorks Virtual Film Screening and Discussion: “Aftershock”
“Aftershock” follows two families as they galvanize activists, birth workers, and physicians to reckon with the U.S. maternal health crisis.
Join HopeWorks, in collaboration with the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated ® Omega Eta Omega Chapter of Greater Howard County, for a special virtual screening of Aftershock, a Hulu Original Documentary, Directed and Produced by Paula Eiselt and Tonya Lewis Lee.
Following the screening, we will be joined by a panel of local experts to discuss the film and the Black Maternal Health Crisis in America.
About the Film
In October 2019, 30-year-old Shamony Gibson tragically died 13 days following the birth of her son. Two months later, we began filming Shamony’s surviving mother, Shawnee Benton Gibson, and bereaved partner, Omari Maynard, as they began to process what happened and figure out their new normal.
In April 2020, 26-year-old Amber Rose Isaac, died due to an emergency c-section. Within weeks of Amber’s death, Omari reaches out to Amber’s surviving partner Bruce McIntyre and a lifelong bond is formed. Together, Omari and Bruce begin the fight for justice for their partners with their families and community by their side, while caring for their children as newly single parents.
Through the film, we witness these two families become ardent activists in the maternal health space, seeking justice through legislation, medical accountability, community, and the power of art. Their work introduces us to a myriad of people including a growing brotherhood of surviving Black fathers, along with the work of midwives and physicians on the ground fighting for institutional reform. Through their collective journeys, we find ourselves on the front lines of the growing birth justice movement that is demanding systemic change within our medical system and government.
