04/17/2026
Black Maternal Health Week 2026 đ¤
We must continue to speak the truth.
Black women in the U.S. are dying from pregnancy-related causes at 3 to 4 times the rate of white women â regardless of income, education, or social status.
Let that sink in.
This is not because Black women are less informed.
This is not because we care less.
This is not because we are not trying.
This is the result of systemic racism, disparities in care, and the social determinants of health that continue to impact our lives every single day.
The issue is multidimensional.
But letâs be clear:
Black women did not create systemic racism.
Black women did not invent disparities in care.
Black women do not choose chronic exposure to racism and the âweatheringâ that follows.
And yet, we suffer at one of the most basic levels of existence.
Birth should be sacred.
Breastfeeding should be supported.
Motherhood should not come with fear.
But for too many Black women, pregnancy, birth, and postpartum are experienced with worry, dismissal, and the constant need to advocate for our own lives.
Our doulas often stand in the gap.
They advocate for our lives.
They bear witness so we do not become victims.
Too often, we are not encouraged to breastfeed.
Too often, we are not educated and supported.
Too often, we are dismissed.
StillâŚ
Iâm grateful to be here to tell my story.
Iâm grateful to use my voice and my power to create change.
Iâm grateful to stand in spaces where I can advocate for Black womenâs health.
This walk is long.
But we must keep fighting the good fight.
We deserve to take up space.
We deserve to exist freely.
To birth freely.
To birth without fear.
To breastfeed and thrive.
Institutional racism was built by people, and it is sustained by people.
It walks in and out of every space â often masked with smiles, policies, and implicit bias trainings â while generations of harmful beliefs continue to negatively impact our lives.
At the root of the Black maternal health crisis are systems and practices that continue to treat Black women as less deserving of dignity, care, and life.
