July 10, 2025
‘The Ebony Canal’ has ignited conversations surrounding Black maternal well being and mortality charges.
The Ebony Canal, a groundbreaking documentary spotlighting the lived experiences of Black moms navigating a deeply flawed healthcare system, has been awarded Greatest Documentary on the 2025 ESSENCE Movie Pageant. Directed by four-time Emmy Award-winner Emmai Alaquiva and narrated by EGOT-winning actress Viola Davis, the movie is being acknowledged not only for its inventive excellence however for its highly effective contribution to the nationwide dialogue round maternal well being disparities.
That includes appearances by Vice President Kamala Harris and actor-advocate Lamman Rucker, and with inventive enter from Keke Palmer, the movie is produced by Brenda Gilbert and Lekha Singh and directed by Alaquiva. The Ebony Canal tells tales of beginning, loss, survival, and resilience inside a system that, too usually, fails Black households.
“This wasn’t only a movie, it was a mirror,” mentioned Grammy-winning artist and actress LeToya Luckett, who moderated a post-screening panel. “The Ebony Canal compelled us to see the sweetness, the grief, and the power that Black moms carry. As a Black girl and a mom, this story hit residence.”
The movie’s ESSENCE debut was launched by Pennsylvania State Rep. Gina H. Curry, co-chair of the PA Black Maternal Well being Caucus, who praised the documentary for aligning with the continuing coverage efforts within the state and acknowledged its Pennsylvania roots.
Different panelists discussing Alaquiva’s Ebony Canel included Alana Yzola-Daly, a mom featured within the movie and one in all its affiliate producers; Dr. Margaret Larkins-Pettigrew, OB/GYN and govt medical advisor to the challenge; and Kimberly Seals Allers, award-winning journalist and founding father of the Irth App, which helps Black and brown households fee their beginning and pediatric experiences.
“This movie is a roadmap,” Dr. Larkins-Pettigrew expressed. “It exhibits what occurs after we take heed to Black ladies, spend money on neighborhood care, and demand techniques change. It’s not simply storytelling. It’s technique.”
For Yzola-Daly, sharing her story was deeply private.
“I didn’t need to simply inform the story. I needed to dwell it, breathe it, and assist change what’s subsequent,” she mentioned. “That’s what The Ebony Canal gave me. A technique to flip ache into objective.”
Director Alaquiva emphasised that the movie’s mission extends far past awards and into activism.
“We didn’t got down to win awards. We got down to wake individuals up,” Alaquiva mentioned. “The Ebony Canal is a vessel. It exists to maneuver individuals and techniques into motion.”
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Following its win at ESSENCE, The Ebony Canal will proceed its nationwide tour with a screening on the Martha’s Winery African American Movie Pageant this August.
Further affect screenings are deliberate and will likely be introduced by way of The Ebony Canel web site.
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