CHARLOTTE, NC / MARCH 7, 2026 - On March 7, 2026 Community leaders, advocates, and residents gathered at Johnson C. Smith University’s Sarah Gambrell Auditorium for the Legacy’s Voice Community Town Hall, a conversation focused on maternal health and patient rights. Organizers aimed to strengthen trust between families and healthcare systems in the Carolinas. Those gathered aimed to increase positive maternal health outcomes.
Legacy’s Voice was organized by JCSU alumna, LaShunda Hunter, who leads an effort to advance Legacy’s Law, a policy initiative she launched to increase transparency and accountability among maternal health providers. Hunter is fighting for patient-centered care.
“Legacy’s Law is not about pain; it is about improvement,” Hunter said. “Trust is the foundation of healthcare. Today, I am about restoring trust and building transparency. All we are asking for is transparency and trust.”
According to the North Carolina Medical Society, the state’s maternal mortality rate was 26.7 per 100,000 live births between 2018 and 2022. Black women in the state are almost twice as likely to die during child birth than White women. The statistics are even more dramatic in South Carolina where the maternal mortality rate is 47.2 deaths per 100,000 live births. For Black women in the Palmetto state, the mortality rate hovers around 71 per 100,000 births.
Hunter addresses the crisis head-on. She created a petition for those who support the proposed law. She and Legacy Law advocates work to build community awareness and to encourage policy changes around maternal care, newborn care, and patient rights.
Legacy’s Voice Community Town Hall was moderated by Selina Campbell. Panelists included Rev. Corine Mack of the NAACP, Charlotte City Councilman Malcolm Graham ’85, Dr. Lorenzo Hopper of UNC Charlotte, and maternal health advocate Alissa Desloge, who spoke about the role of doulas in the childbirth journey.
During the conversation at JCSU, Councilman Graham emphasized the importance of civic engagement and community dialogue in addressing healthcare disparities.
“I am here to provide a hug, a listening ear, and to help you get the support you need,” Graham said.
Graham noted that community leaders often help residents navigate trauma by connecting them with the necessary resources. He also stressed the importance of speaking openly with those in positions of power.
“You have to speak truth to power—to those on the inside and those on the outside,” Graham said. “They need to tell you what you need to know, even if you don’t want to hear it.”
Graham reminded attendees that civic participation remains a powerful tool for change.
“Your power is your vote,” he said, referencing his support for the Mayor’s Racial Equity Initiative and the need for intentional community organizing along the Beatties Ford Road corridor. “We are all better together,” Graham added.
Dr. Lorenzo Hopper, Assistant Professor at UNC Charlotte and a leader in maternal and child health advocacy, highlighted the need to address maternal health beyond clinical care.
“Improving maternal health is more than clinical care. It requires community empowerment,” Hopper said.
He shared that he and his wife are expecting their first child in April and spoke about the role fathers can play in supporting maternal wellness. Hopper’s research includes interviewing young men about the type of fathers they hope to become.
“It’s about bringing fathers into the village,” Hopper said. “It’s generational. There is a ripple effect.”
Hopper outlined three key areas for improving maternal health outcomes: preventing trauma, strengthening patient-centered care, and building community partnerships that elevate patient voices.
Dr. Desloge, a maternal health advocate, shared how doulas support families throughout pregnancy and childbirth.
“Doulas are advocates,” she said. “They help families communicate with their provider team and make sure their voices are heard.”
Desloge, an Assistant Professor of Community Health at UNC Charlotte, completed doula training herself and noted that doulas can help bridge communication gaps between patients and healthcare providers, particularly in communities where trust has been strained. She also pointed to disparities in access to maternal healthcare between urban and rural communities, where some areas have become maternity care deserts. Rural counties in the Carolinas face hospital closures, long travel times for healthcare, and limited access to prenatal and postnatal care for patients.
“Trust is a huge part of access,” Desloge emphasized. “Access to food, access to resources—these are all part of maternal health.”
Rev. Corine Mack, President of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg NAACP, shared a personal story of loss that shaped her advocacy. In 1988, Mack lost twin babies, a tragedy that led her to fight for greater accountability and equity in healthcare.
“I understood my responsibility to fight for every Black woman and every Black girl,” Mack said.
She reflected on how historic injustices in healthcare stem from a failure to recognize the humanity of marginalized communities.
“How do we love one another, care for one another, and respect one another?” Mack asked.
Despite the challenges of advocacy work, she said faith continues to guide her.
“Almost every day I want to quit,” she said. “But when the spirit of God speaks to you, you need to listen.”
For Hunter, the town hall represented the beginning of a broader movement focused on honesty, and accountability in maternal healthcare. Families deserve truth,” she implored.
Advocates hope conversations like the Legacy’s Voice Town Hall will strengthen community partnerships and help drive meaningful improvements in maternal health outcomes throughout the Carolinas and throughout the country.
