“Birth Shouldn’t Be a Battle: The Ongoing Fight for Black Maternal Justice”

Black Maternal mortality and morbidity continues to be a crisis that plagues Black birthing people and their families. In the United States, Black birthing people are 3 times more likely to die than their white counterparts. Here in New Jersey, we are 7x more likely to die.These statistics are particularly disturbing in 2025 - a time when technological and medical advancements are continuously improving health outcomes. While individual efforts are essential to turning the tide on Black maternal health, concerted efforts to shift systems are necessary to contribute to lasting change. 

We know that systemic racism is a driver of Black maternal death and pregnancy associated complications. According to a 2023 study, during maternity care, 40% of Black, Latine, and Multiracial birthing people reported feeling discriminated against (1).  Additionally, Black birthing people are less likely to be listened to. We have all heard the horror stories of Black birthing people nearly losing their lives in childbirth or in the postpartum period. Celebrities such as Serena Williams (2) and Allyson Felix (3) both had horrific experiences despite their socioeconomic status and gravitas. This makes it clear, the lie we have been sold about Black women’s lack of health insurance and disregard for the importance of prenatal care is not the root of the issue. It does not matter how much money you make, how educated you are, or how important, you still may not be listened to and you could lose your life because of that. 

We also know that systemic racism goes beyond individual physicians and nurses. Fractured social and health systems work in silos, making it nearly impossible for birthing people to access all of the services they deserve to thrive during their pregnancies, in and after childbirth, and while raising their children. Payer models do not allow most medical providers to spend the amount of time and care that birthing people need to have the best outcomes possible.

This is the sweet spot where dynamic advocates and organizations, like BRICK, can fill gaps. At BRICK, we are focused on systems' changes and on the ground birth work. On the ground, where medical providers do not have the time to go into detail about critical concepts such as prenatal nutrition, PMADs, and birth planning, our perinatal care team meets with birthing people to spend as much time needed to educate, support, and advocate. At the systems level, we are committed to working with legislators, stakeholders, and health systems, to advocate for policies that shift institutions like Medicaid and hospital workflows, to improve Black maternal outcomes.

BRICK is not alone in this work- Officially launched in 2021 by Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Black Maternal Health Week (4) occurs annually on April 11th-17th to continue to center the needs and outcomes of Black birthing people. Across the nation, birth equity advocates, organizers, and organizations celebrate this critical week with events and awareness.

Every year, we honor Black Maternal Health Week with a series of curated activities that includes an awareness campaign, a community paint & chew for our loyal families, and a special, live episode of our podcast Melanin Table Talks. At our Melanin Table Talk, I was joined by Congresswoman LaMonica McIver, Newark First Lady Linda Baraka, and our amazing doula extraordinaire, Juwana Montgomery. We focused our intimate conversation on the importance of leveraging both legislation and boots on the ground advocacy to drive change in Black Maternal Health. Please continue reading for more details on our series of events! 

1. https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/72/wr/mm7235e1.htm
2. https://www.vox.com/identities/2018/1/11/16879984/serena-williams-childbirth-scare-black-women
3. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/22/opinion/allyson-felix-pregnancy-nike.html
4. https://blkmaternalhealthweek.com/

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