For more than 25 years Black Women for Wellness (BWW) has been committed to the health and well-being of Black women and girls through health education, empowerment, and advocacy. We are deeply invested in seeing California Black women and girls thrive. Despite our progress we continue to experience setbacks and barriers, especially as it relates to maternal health.

According to the CDC, 4 out of 5 or 80% of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable. While Los Angeles and California, more broadly, have seen a commendable decline in overall pregnancy-related deaths over the last few decades, the disheartening fact is that steep disparities persist between Black women and birthing people and their counterparts. Los Angeles county data reveals that giving birth while Black results in an approximately 3-fold increase in the risk of maternal death, which is consistent with statewide and national trends. 

Nationally, Black women and birthing people are 3 to 5 times more likely to experience a pregnancy-related death than their white counterparts. One of those women is 31-year-old April Valentine, a Los Angeles, Calif. woman who will never see her daughter grow up, despite having a birthing plan and knowing that she was at high risk as a Black mother. On Jan. 10, 2023, Valentine died during childbirth. Her death is still undetermined as her family awaits the autopsy results. But what is known is that the grave maternal health inequity that plagues Black women and birthing people must be addressed.

Family members say Valentine complained of discomfort for hours during childbirth, but her concerns were not addressed by medical staff. This is not uncommon for Black women and birthing people. A recent Pew Research Center study on Black Americans’ views about health disparities and experiences with healthcare reveal concerns about quality of medical care. According to the study, Black women aged 18-49 shared that they felt their pain concerns were not taken seriously by doctors or healthcare providers, they received lower quality care than other patients, and they had to speak up in order to get proper care. 

Black Women for Wellness and Black Women for Wellness Action Project (BWWAP) have spent years speaking up about the Black maternal health inequities gap. Recognizing that racism and implicit bias, which looks like denial and dismissal of Black women’s pain and concerns during childbirth or poor quality care, are root causes of the disparities that we see, BWW sponsored the Dignity in Pregnancy and Childbirth Act, which mandates interventions to address implicit bias among perinatal providers in California.

The delivery room should not be a dangerous place for Black women and birthing people. BWW is committed to ensuring that Black women have joyous births that ultimately result in thriving families. We believe that we have the solutions, resources, and responsibility to create the shifts and change needed to impact our health status.

You can help change the trajectory of Black maternal health outcomes for Black women and birthing people by becoming a member of BWW or supporting our organization by giving money or time to help us continue our work.