Though maternal mortality rates have steadily declined in countries around the world, the maternal mortality rate in the United States is climbing. In fact, the United States is the only developed country experiencing an increase in maternal mortality rates. African American women in the United States experience disproportionately high maternal mortality rates and are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women. While efforts to document and review maternal deaths are underway in many states, and access to health care continues to expand in underrepresented communities, some argue that these approaches fall short of addressing the root cause of America’s rising maternal mortality rate: structural racism.
Please join the Center for American Progress’ Reel Progress program and the Black Mamas Matter Alliance for a screening of “Death by Delivery,” a documentary that explores the dramatic racial disparities in maternal mortality rates in the United States. As a follow-up to Black Maternal Health Week, our panelists Breana Lipscomb, Aza Nedhari, and Linda Goler Blount are joined by moderator Jamila Taylor for a discussion that will address maternal mortality in the United States, reflect on structural racism, and consider potential responses.
Featured panelists:
Aza Nedhari, Executive Director and Co-Founder, Mamatoto Village
Breana Lipscomb, U.S. Maternal Health AND Human Rights Campaign Manager, Center for Reproductive Rights
Linda Goler Blount, President and CEO, Black Women’s Health Imperative
Moderator:
Jamila Taylor, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress