BLACK INFANT MORTALITY AWARENESS WALK – BIMAW
The Black Infant Mortality Awareness Walk (BIMAW) aims to bring awareness to the issue of Black infant mortality in our community.
The Black Infant Mortality Awareness Walk (#BIMAW) was driven by the urgent need to highlight the issue of Black infant mortality that plagues our community. In an unfortunate reality, Black infants are twice as prone to death before their first birthday compared to their White peers. The primary causes of infant deaths in the African-American community are prematurity and low birth weight. The reasons behind this severe health inequality are numerous and complex, yet several of these deaths are avoidable.
Uzazi Village is dedicated to improving health inequities in our community and will host the eleventh annual “Black Infant Mortality Awareness Walk” (BIMAW) on Saturday, September 6, 2025. This event starts at 1:45 p.m. and finishes at 4:45 p.m.
Join us at the UMKC Durwood Stadium for a walk and relay race in honor of Black babies, families, and communities. Together, let’s send a message to healthcare providers, lawmakers, and policymakers, and our communities as a whole, that the survival of Black babies is an issue that impacts us all.
Our 2025 Sponsors
MAKE CHANGE HAPPEN FOR FAMILIES
BIMAW calls on people across the country to unite and join us to fundraise and make a huge difference for infant mortality.
All it takes is 3 easy steps:
- Sign up at Eventbrite to join the movement.
- Explore ways to get involved wherever you are, virtually or in person.
- Ask family and friends to join—or compete—with you to raise funds for BIMAW.
BIMAW ORIGIN STORY
The first walk took place back in 2014, when Hakima Payne (known in community as Mama Hakima), Chief Executive Officer of Uzazi Village, attempted to walk across the state of Missouri via the Katy Trail, but her journey was cut short in Jefferson City, due to a hit and run car accident. Despite not reaching the eastern state border, Hakima managed to maintain her speaking engagements at hospitals and universities along her walk. Since that time, Hakima’s story has inspired others and the “Black Infant Mortality Awareness Walk” has become an annual event, now based in Kansas City, MO.
“Despite this being the tenth annual walk, very little has been done to increase the survival rate of Black infants” says Hakima. “Our African-American families are still more than twice as likely to lose their infants before their first birthday in comparison to their Caucasian counterparts. This walk is a chance for the community to come together and urge healthcare and government systems to address this disparity.”
To that end, Uzazi Village invites you to join us. Wherever you are, you can order T-shirts, signage, playlist and advocacy toolkit to put together a walk in your area.
Mama Hakima, Uzazi Village Co-Founder
2024 BLACK INFANT MORTALITY AWARENESS WALK
2023 BLACK INFANT MORTALITY AWARENESS WALK - RECAP
2022 BLACK INFANT MORTALITY AWARENESS WALK
Join Uzazi Village to make a difference
for families in your community
