Something Must Be Done About Black Maternal Mortality
Quickly! Quickly!
I’m of the belief that Black people’s health and well-being are one of the most pressing issues of our time. That isn’t particularly shocking to this audience, I know. But it’s a fact I think about quite often. My most recent work has focused on Black maternal and child health—emphasizing the effect of racism on two of our society’s most vulnerable demographics. Below is an infographic I put together on the issue alongside five hopeful mitigations that are urgent to explore. This was published first on New America’s website, but I’m sharing it as far and wide as I can. Send someone this newsletter. Download the pdf and send it to your networks. Tweet about it. (Unless another Kendrick track drops, then maybe wait a few days so people will see it.)
America's Black Maternal And Child Health Problem
There’s a stark difference between maternal and child health outcomes for Black birthing persons and children in the United States.
Black women experience 49.5 deaths per 100,000 live births—nearly three times the rate for white women, based on the most recent data from the Centers for Disease Control. Black babies die at a rate of 10.6 per every 1,000 live births, which is more than twice the rate of white babies. Black infants are more likely to be born preterm, too, which increases their risk of experiencing a medley of health issues as they age.
This brutal reality, researchers have found, is due to a lack of competent care for Black mothers and their children, the racism present in American medical establishments, gender inequity, economic disenfranchisement, and other structural and social determinants of health.
Addressing Black maternal and child health disparities in the U.S. requires a multifaceted approach that tackles systemic racism and various other social determinants of health. By implementing evidence-based policies, investing in community-driven initiatives, and centering the voices of Black women and communities, meaningful progress can be made toward achieving health equity for all mothers and children.
Below is an overview of the state of Black maternal and child health, followed by five hopeful mitigations that are urgent to explore further. Please download and share with your networks.
American Descendants of Slavery have historically been denied basic Healthcare. We weren't expected to survive Slavery, Jim Crows, domestic terrorism, and systemic racism.
Watch "Thom Hartmann presents The Hidden History of American Healthcare" on YouTube
https://youtu.be/E8Jdj_Wt7Ds?si=ieDfTGPFhfaBjuP7
A doctor at a hospital (named after the mountain Moses received the 10 Commandments on) told my children’s mother that she had to “reduce” her triplets to one to ensure a “safe” pregnancy. She listened to them, at first, but she says while sitting in waiting room on scheduled day of procedure, “a voice” told her: GO HOME. That was in 2001. Our triplets will turn 23 this year! I wonder if a non-black woman carrying triplets would be so casually advised to terminate 2 of her 3 babies, or would the doctor first exhaust every possible option in hopes of saving the triplets?