At present, Black women are 3 to 4 times more likely than their white counterparts to die during childbirth or from pregnancy-related causes. The statistic hasn’t improved much since I first learned of the severe racial discrepancy in maternal mortality rates about a decade ago, when news of world-renowned tennis star Serena Williams’ harrowing childbirth experience brought the issue of Black maternal health care into mainstream focus (although the crisis itself far predates Serena). In the years since her near-death experience dominated headlines, Black mothers continue to face disproportionately high risks during pregnancy, labor, delivery, and postpartum. And experts largely attribute this to racial bias in the health care system and the added stress that systemic racism places on Black women’s bodies.
It’s this long-running disparity that brought me along with several maternal health equity advocates to Gloria Steinem’s Manhattan apartment on a chilly afternoon in late February, where the legendary feminist activist hosted one of her famous talking circles to discuss the Black maternal health crisis. Gathered in her living room were everyone from Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s deputy press secretary to advocates from maternal rights and equity organizations like BirthFund and Healthy Baby, all there to discuss strategies and resources that could advance maternal health equity. “It’s such a life-determining question, whether you do or whether you don’t [have children],” Steinem noted. “I’m still not sure that it’s perceived as that pivotal in the culture. We have a lot of work to do.”
Steinem hosted the event in partnership with Synclaire Warren, a content creator and gender equity strategist who has spent years championing reproductive rights and Black maternal health care. “A lot of people with questions about [maternal health] look toward the internet, because they might not have someone, especially someone who looks like them, to [discuss them with],” Warren shared, reflecting on the value of content creators in the reproductive rights space. “I think that’s really where the cognitive dissonance [lies] on the legislation and policy sides; they don’t think that people are interested, but actually people just don’t know.”
Next month’s Black Maternal Health Week will present an opportunity for maternal health–focused organizations to bring more people in the know. It takes place every year from April 11 through 17, during which brands like Natural Cycles, Healthy Baby, Willow + Elvie, and BirthFund host initiatives to amplify resources and messaging that can advance maternal health support for Black mothers and other disenfranchised communities. But as was made clear during the talking circle, public education and advocacy around this issue should ideally extend beyond the third week of April.
On one hand, that means regularly bringing conversations like the one held in Steinem’s living room into public focus, where personal anecdotes were shared about how Black mothers were able to take precautions in their birth plans and set up additional support after labor. Advocating for legislation that protects Black mothers is as urgent as ever (and you can do so by signing maternal equity petitions and contacting your representative to urge support for policies that promote maternal health equity, like the WELLS Act and the FAMILY Act).
But on a more granular level, mothers who are vulnerable to racial bias and unequal care need guidance on how to advocate for themselves during the labor process, as well as resources that can better prepare and protect them—exactly the kinds of tools shared during Steinem and Warren’s talking circle. Raising awareness about resources like the Irth app, where Black and brown moms share Yelp-like reviews of pre- and postnatal care, and Birthing Advocacy—a Black-owned, queer-run doula training organization whose blog covers everything from intersectional lactation care to postpartum nourishment—can make a tangible difference in a mother-to-be’s birthing experience.
Bringing life into the world is already intimidating and complex and leaves people extremely vulnerable in the process. If it’s possible to make childbirth less daunting for those who are already more susceptible to harm, open discussions and resource exchanges are an actionable place to start.
Annabel Iwegbue is a culture editor at Cosmopolitan, where she primarily covers pop culture, lifestyle, relationships, and digital trends. She previously wrote for Harper's Bazaar, The Knockturnal, and Black Film. She's originally from Charleston, South Carolina, and is currently based in Brooklyn, New York. She holds a B.A. in Journalism and Cinema Studies from New York University. You can check out some of Annabel’s work here and also find her on Instagram and Twitter.
