JACKSON, Miss. — Rep. Zakiya Summers in partnership with Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. will host a news conference on Friday, January 16 at 2:00 p.m. at the Jackson Medical Mall Conference Center Theatre as part of its Founders’ Day and Global Day of Service, elevating Mississippi’s maternal and infant health crisis as a matter of justice, policy, and community accountability.
The event marks the launch of the Sorority’s Power of S.H.E. (Social, Health, and Economic Justice) Community Blueprint, a national framework designed to address the root causes driving poor maternal and infant health outcomes—particularly for Black women and families in Mississippi.
Mississippi continues to rank among the highest states in the nation for maternal and infant mortality. Speakers will underscore that these outcomes are not inevitable, but the result of systemic gaps that require coordinated policy, healthcare, and community-based solutions. Rep. Summers will highlight the Mississippi Maternal Health Momnibus bill slated for the 2026 Legislative Session. In addition, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. International President Dr. Stacie N.C. Grant, City of Jackson Mayor John Horhn, and healthcare professionals will be on the program. Members of the Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus, partners, advocates, and community members will be present as well.
"Maternal health is not a single-issue problem—it is a systems problem. This news conference brings together national and local leadership to ground zero of Mississippi’s maternal health emergency to elevate solutions, announce policy action, and demand accountability," said Representative Zakiya Summers.
The news conference will be followed by a Community Resource and Health Fair on Saturday, January 17 from 11-2 p.m. at the Jackson Medical Mall Conference Center as well as in Canton and Cleveland, MS.
WHEN:
News Conference - Friday, January 16, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. CT
WHERE:
Jackson Medical Mall Conference Center Theatre
350 W. Woodrow Wilson Ave.
Jackson, MS
