In society we are rarely granted the opportunity to see the Black women, as whole or healthy. The media has led us to believe Black women rarely come together to heal themselves and the others around them.
We are surviving in a current world that is traumatic for Black women. We see this trauma Black women are forced to endure through statistics. The rate of Black women between ages 30 to 34 that die from childbirth complications widens to over four times higher than the rate for White women. Racial disparities persist across education levels.
The Maternal Health Crisis in Numbers
Among women with a college education or higher, Black women have an over five times higher pregnancy-related mortality rate compared to White women. Even higher mortality rate than white women with less than a high-school diploma. Black women are twice as likely to suffer from severe maternal morbidity, which simply means near death experience.
Racism in the Health care System
The reasoning behind this health crisis, racism. Past and present experiences with racial discrimination shape Black women’s interaction with medical providers. Inside the health care system exists a culture of contemporary discrimination, including barriers to timely and affordable health care, lower quality maternal health care services, disrespectful treatment and untimely, negative medical outcomes.
The conversation is always centered around asking how do WE combat these statistics. We are often asked, how do WE as Black women, CHANGE THE WORLD? I often redirect the conversation to the majority white community and ask them, how do YOU change the world YOU have created. If it was left up to my community, racism would not exist. But as we are continually reminded, racism is about power. The majority fights to keep their power by all means, at the cost of life for Black women and babies.
The Solutions
The solution continues to be Black medical providers caring for Black patients. Outcomes have been shown to increase, disparities decrease, and patient satisfaction also increases. Black doulas continue to show they are a solution, providing pregnancy, labor and postpartum support for Black women.
Dána M. Langford, CNM is the Co-founder, CEO and Medical Director of Village of Healing and The Village of Healing Center, Cuyahoga County’s first and only medical center with all Black providers focused on Black women’s health and mental healthcare.
