Believing Black Women Saves Lives
By Bailey Borchardt, PPNYC CUNY Organizer
The United States has a deep-rooted history of medical racism.
Since race as a social construct was established as a mechanism of oppression, medicine and science have been used as a weapon to further affirm racism’s power. This has evolved over the centuries and taken many forms. Today, in 2019, medical racism is as glaring as ever and Black women are dying because of it.
For far too long the medical community in the United States has exploited the bodies of Black women by using them for experiments against their will, sterilizing them against their will (and sometimes without their knowledge), and even manipulating the use of birth control for racist and sexist reasons. This dark history of American medicine is often white-washed by our tendency to not believe Black women. This is also how we’ve gotten to this national emergency of maternal mortality rates amongst Black women.
The United States is the wealthiest country in the world, yet it has the highest maternal mortality rate of any developed nation. There are dozens of states investing funding into legislation that prevents women access to life-saving reproductive healthcare and it is showing in our maternal mortality rates. Black women are four times more likely to die during pregnancy and childbirth than white women.
The second annual national Black Maternal Health Week (BMHW) campaign, founded and led by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance (BMMA), is a week of awareness, activism which takes place every year from April 11 –17. BMHW was established to shed light on the growing crisis of maternal deaths amongst black women in the United States and to establish steps to end this crisis. According to The Black Mamas Matter Alliance, by establishing BMHW, they are hoping to:
- Deepen the national conversation about Black maternal health in the United States;
- Amplify community-driven policy, research, and care solutions;
- Center the voices of Black mamas, women, families, and stakeholders;
- Provide a national platform for Black-led entities and efforts on maternal health, birth and reproductive justice; and
- Enhance community organizing on Black maternal health.
Recently, Serena Williams and Beyonce Knowles-Carter made headlines by opening up about their own birthing complications. They both underwent emergency c-sections due to complications that were both life-threatening to them, as well as their babies. These two women were able to make it out because their status and wealth afforded them a certain level of care, however, for the average Black woman, the same resources are scarce and often denied. Black women are also prone to conditions that are hard to catch, especially without proper medical care and attention.
The problem is, as a society, we don’t believe Black women. Being a doctor doesn’t absolve a person of their racial bias, and that bias can determine how urgently they treat the symptoms of Black women, or if they even treat them at all.
To avoid the implicit bias of medical professionals, Black women are turning to doulas to receive natural, community-based care during their birthing process. They are an integral part of the process of decreasing maternal deaths within the black community.
Our activism must not begin and end with a week or a hashtag. We must continue to follow the lead of black women as we end this crisis. Below are some events happening in New York City in support of the Black Maternal Health Week campaign.
Ancient Song Doula Services will be hosting events all week, including:
Know Your Rights Workshop: Respectful Care in Birth Settings
April 11th, 6pm-8:30pm
Ancient Light Studio, 521 Halsey St. Brooklyn, NY
Black Births Matter — Bronx Action (Flyer Attached)
April 13th, 12pm-3pm
(Starting at Jacobi Medical Center and ending at Jack D. Welier Hospital/Albert Einstein College of Medicine)
Panel: Decolonizing Research to Develop Meaningful Policy for Black Maternal Health
w/Olivia Ahn, Dana Ain-Davis, Lynn Roberts
Moderated By: Chanel Porchia
April 17th, 6pm-9pm
Ancient Light Studio, 521 Halsey St. Brooklyn, NY
Webinar: Decolonizing Research in Black Maternal Health | Friday, April 12th at 3:00 PM ET
Register here: http://bit.ly/BMHC19Web1
Webinar: Maternal Health Policy Priorities for Black Mamas | Monday, April 15th at 3:00 PM ET
Register here: http://bit.ly/BMHC19Web2;
Decolonizing Birth Conference | September 22–23
