"I learned that my story was not uncommon. There were others like me, just like me -Black like me, healthy like me, doing their best, just like me. And they faced death just like me too."
- Allyson Felix, Olympic Track & Field Champion
We have all heard the stats-the maternal death rates for Black women - regardless of socio economic status are 2-3 times that of white women. The 2022 documentary Aftershock directed and produced by Paula Eiselt and Tonya Lewis Lee. I- was a heart wrenching accounting of how maternal mortality strikes black families and what is being done to solve the crisis.
For one, birth workers, doulas, and midwives are associated with improved maternal outcomes.
Additionally, the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act, introduced by The Black Maternal Health Caucus and reintroduced in the 118th Congress in May 2023, is a comprehensive legislative initiative aimed at eliminating preventable maternal mortality, severe maternal morbidity, and health disparities in the U.S.
In this conversation, host Krysta Jones speaks with Mallory Mpare, with the March of Dimes, to talk more about this critical issue and what we can do.