Did you know black women are three times more likely to die than white women, from pregnancy-related complications in the United States?
A history of structural racism, defined as a “system in which public policies, institutional practices, and cultural representations work to perpetuate racial inequity,” has created greater barriers to health for people of color than for white people. Structural racism is a major factor contributing to people of color’s higher rates of maternal mortality and morbidity, low birthweight and infant mortality, and lower life expectancy.
Racial and ethnic disparities in maternal mortality — deaths related to pregnancy or childbirth — in the United States may be larger than previously reported, suggests a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. By re-examining information on death certificates from 2016 and 2017, researchers found that the maternal mortality rate among non-Hispanic Black women was 3.5 times higher than among non-Hispanic white women. Previously, standard analyses had indicated a 2.5-times-higher death rate for Black women.
These alarming racial disparities in maternal mortality is what will be discussed at an upcoming roundtable on Thursday, March 9, 2023 at Malcom X College in Chicago. Rev. Dr. Ebony D. Only, Community Chaplain for Bishop Anderson House will be one of the table facilitators as we explore why black women are at such a higher risk of dying from pregnancy related complications and what role we can play as Chaplains and Spiritual Care Providers in reducing Maternal Mortality affecting Black Women.
In “Aftershock,” a new documentary now streaming on Hulu that spotlights the Black maternal mortality crisis in America, Felicia Ellis, a pregnant Black woman in Oklahoma, makes a chilling analogy as she prepares for childbirth. “A Black woman having a baby is like a Black man at a traffic stop with the police,” Ellis says. “You have to really pay attention to what’s going on every step of the way.”
If you are in the Chicagoland area and interested in joining this discussion, please register to do so. If you’re not in the Chicagoland area we encourage that you watch the documentary “Aftershock” and if you are interested in joining a virtual discussion in April of 2023, please email us at ebony_only@rush.edu for more information.
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