Table 2.

Definitions and Descriptions of the Core.

Core Value	Description
Black Intersectionality *	Valuing the Black experience rather than the physical dark skin. Maternal experiences from Black identifying mothers are rich with data about bias and racism negatively affecting their births. It is imperative that making strides in quality improvement efforts to value the culture and experiences of being Black. Any quality improvement in maternal experiences are hypothesized to impact Black women most directly; therefore, any solutions developed must explicitly center Black women [1].
Birth Equity *	The assurance of the conditions of optimal births and wellbeing for all people with a willingness of systems to address racial and social inequities in a sustained effort.
Reproductive Justice	Capacious envisioning of reproductive possibilities that requires the use of intersectionality, the perspective that allows us to comprehend how race, class, ethnicity, and sexuality together construct gendered implications of motherhood and citizenship, sex and reproduction [12,20].
Professional Pledge/Oath	The commitment and promise of each profession. This is included in the core to remind hospital staff of the reasons why they practice and the foundational values of their profession. This could include the Hippocratic Oath, Imhotep Oath, Nightingale Pledge, etc. [5].
Holistic Maternity Care	Black Mamas Matter Alliance’s (BMMA’s) holistic maternity care concept is anchored in: addressing gaps in care and ensures continuity of care, is confidential, safe and trauma-informed, is culturally informed and includes traditional practices, respects spirituality and spiritual health, and lastly is provided by culturally competent and culturally congruent providers [21,22].
Humanity	Characterized by the United Nations treaty for Human Rights. From the perspective of mothers, being treated with humanity is being seen and regarded equally on the same level as another person you are interacting with, kindness, courtesy and politeness [23].
Love of self and others *	Respectful care is the practice of love. It is developing a sense of self as a care provider so that they can love others who are different than themself.

* Definitions based on the focus group findings.