AccessomeThe Continuing Maternal Health Gap
For decades, mainstream public health frameworks often treated healthcare as a monolith, overlooking the distinct social and lived realities faced by Black women. Nowhere is this oversight more critical than in the persistent crisis of maternal mortality in the United States. Recent CDC data cited by March of Dimes report a maternal mortality rate of 50.3 deaths per 100,000 live births for Black non-Hispanic women, compared with 14.5 deaths per 100,000 live births for white women [1].
Research has found that these disparities persist across income and education levels, suggesting that individual behavior alone cannot explain the gap [2]. Structural drivers include implicit bias in medical care, chronic environmental stressors, unequal access to high-quality perinatal services, and differences in how health systems respond to patients’ concerns.
Grassroots Resistance and Community Healing
Addressing these failures has required an intentional challenge to the medical status quo. Founded in 1983 by Byllye Avery as the National Black Women’s Health Project, the organization later became the Black Women’s Health Imperative. Its work has centered self-help, community education, advocacy, and the health experiences of Black women [2].
These efforts helped create spaces where women could share their experiences, document mistreatment, and build collective power to demand better standards of care. Through education and solidarity, participants gained tools to navigate healthcare systems and advocate for their own bodily autonomy.
Modern Structural Reform and Policy Action
Today, this work continues through policy advocacy and community-based approaches. The Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act, a package of legislative proposals, seeks to address maternal health disparities through measures that include improving data collection, supporting a more diverse perinatal workforce, and expanding access to care and services [3].
Advocates have also emphasized the importance of community health workers and trained doulas in creating supportive birthing environments for women of color. Stronger accountability can include tracking adverse outcomes, reviewing hospital safety protocols, and improving the quality of bias training for obstetric staff. These efforts are most effective when they are paired with measurable standards and sustained investment rather than treated as one-time initiatives.
Building More Equitable Maternal Care
The persistence of Black maternal health disparities shows why access cannot be separated from the quality and responsiveness of care. Improving outcomes requires more than expanding services in theory. It requires listening to patients, strengthening community-based support, improving accountability, and addressing the structural conditions that shape pregnancy and childbirth.
By centering the experiences of Black women and supporting evidence-based policy and community action, healthcare systems can move toward care that is safer, more respectful, and more equitable.
Sources
- [1] March of Dimes. CDC Issues New Data on Maternal Mortality Rates in the U.S. https://www.marchofdimes.org/about/news/cdc-issues-new-data-maternal-mortality-rates-us
- [2] Community Catalyst. Byllye Avery’s Contributions to Black Women’s Health. https://communitycatalyst.org/posts/byllye-avery-blog-contributions-to-black-womens-health/
- [3] Black Maternal Health Caucus. Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act. https://blackmaternalhealthcaucus-underwood.house.gov/Momnibus