1st Community Dialogue on Race will focus on high black infant-mortality rate

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The kickoff event of A Community Dialogue on Race, focusing on the high rate of black infant mortality, will take place from 5 to 7:30 p.m. April 28 at Mill Creek Community Center, 496 Glenwood Ave., near Ridge Avenue.

Registration deadline is April 21. For information or to register, call Priscilla Hayes, St. John’s Episcopal Church, at 330-743-3175.

To register online, visit https://youngstowndialoguekickoff.eventbrite.com. The event is free and open to the public. A light dinner will be provided.

In Youngstown and Mahoning County, black babies are three times more likely to die before their first birthday than other babies, a rate that is almost double the rest of the nation.

The event is offered by the Mahoning Valley Association of Churches, ACTION [Alliance for Congregational Transformation Influencing Our Neighborhoods], the Youngstown Catholic Diocese, Enabling Racial Reconciliation in Greater Youngstown, and Youngstown City Health District.