It’s #BlackMaternalHealthWeek and I know that today, more than ever, we are inundated with terrible statistics and bad news, but that doesn’t change the fact that we all have a part to play in ending health disparities for all.
One way to start is to get yourself educated on why, for Black women, having a baby in the United States is more deadly than in any other developed nation.
You don’t have to be on the front lines of the clinic or a full time researcher to make a difference.
You can become an ally. You can use your voice to educate others on how implicit bias and structural racism have contributed to this disparity for hundreds of years - impacting the health of generations. Don’t believe me? Just look at the disparities related to #Covid19.
This problem didn’t appear overnight, so it’s going to take persistent, intentional, and complex efforts to reverse it - just take a look at this poignant visual from a paper on the association between mass incarceration and preterm birth rates by Dr. Shawnita Sealy-Jefferson (@dr.shawnita). “Free”?! #MicDrop (I HIGHLY recommend you read her full manuscript, which can be easily found on her twitter page @Dr_S_Jefferson)
So, go follow a new account that is leading the charge (or two, or three) this week.
Trust me you can only be inspired by these change-makers:
Elevate their work. Share one of their posts. Raise awareness.
