A multimedia campaign highlights immigrant motherhood in Philadelphia
Centro Integral de la Mujer Madre Tierra and filmmaker Gabriela Watson-Burkett are leading the project
By Madre Tierra e Inti Media. On January 26, 2026. Translated by Celia Alves.
Through intimate storytelling and community voices, Empowering Madres Latinas, an initiative by Afro-Latina filmmaker Gabriela Watson-Burkett in collaboration with Centro Integral de la Mujer Madre Tierra, offers a grounded look at how migrant mothers in Philadelphia navigate motherhood shaped by migration, resilience, and care.
The campaign, developed through a Leeway Foundation artist residency, will produce videos and public installations highlighting the systemic challenges immigrant mothers face. These include racism and xenophobia in healthcare, limited access to medical services, the lack of bilingual information about childbirth and postpartum care, and the scarcity of free childcare and support networks.
These barriers are reflected in troubling maternal health disparities. In 2023, Hispanic/Latino mothers were 39% more likely than mothers nationwide to receive late or no prenatal care. Delayed prenatal care is associated with a higher risk of preventable pregnancy complications.
Filmmaker Gabriela Watson-Burkett. (Burkett Photography)
Gabriela Watson-Burkett, filmmaker and Executive Director of Inti Media, draws from both her professional experience and personal journey as a Peruvian-Brazilian mother. She explores how the already transformative process of motherhood is intensified by migration. Many migrant mothers navigate labor systems that do not guarantee leave for medical appointments or rest, face job insecurity, and encounter discrimination that threatens economic stability.
“This project exists because immigrant mothers deserve care, language access, and dignity—before, during, and after birth. Motherhood in migration is guided by memory, not borders,” said Watson-Burkett.
Cultural dislocation further shapes motherhood. Ancestral practices around pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum care are often disrupted due to separation from family or lack of access to traditional support. Without intergenerational guidance, many migrant mothers must become their own guides, creating new support networks across cultures and parenting styles to care for themselves and their babies.
Behind-the-scene of the documentary Immigrant Mothers Tell Their Stories. (Photo by Inti Media)
The campaign’s multilingual approach—Spanish, Portuguese, and English—ensures these stories and resources reach the mothers who need them, reducing information gaps and fostering community connections.
While centered in Philadelphia, Empowering Madres Latinas reflects a global reality. Motherhood in migration varies by country, law, and culture, yet its challenges resonate across borders. By centering storytelling, the campaign humanizes these experiences and invites audiences to connect with the universal journey of mothering in a new country.
Centro Integral de la Mujer Madre Tierra was chosen as a partner for its long-standing dedication to women’s rights, violence prevention, and the well-being of Philadelphia’s migrant communities. Together, the alliance allows the campaign to extend beyond screens through planned community engagement activities that deepen its impact and foster support networks.
Still of Immigrant Mothers Tell Their Stories. (Photo by Inti Media)
Ultimately, Empowering Madres Latinas aims to provide tools, knowledge, and collective care to help migrant mothers navigate the realities of raising a child far from home. Gabriela Watson-Burkett curates each story through the lens of her career as a multimedia journalist and filmmaker, focusing on Latino culture, Afro-diasporic identity, and women’s experiences, while demonstrating the profound strength and resilience of migrant mothers in Philadelphia and beyond. The campaign is the community engagement initiative connected to the feature documentary Immigrant Mothers Tell Their Stories.