Breaking The Silence: The Rise Of Black Maternal Health Advocates

For decades, Black women in the United States have faced disproportionately high maternal mortality rates, a crisis that has only recently gained national attention. Black mothers are more than three times as likely to die from pregnancy-related complications as their white counterparts, and the disparities persist across income and education levels.

With this in mind, Her Agenda explored the powerful movement of Black maternal health advocates who are working to dismantle systemic racism in healthcare, improve outcomes for Black mothers, and push for legislative and community-driven solutions.

Organizations and grassroots advocates have stepped up to demand change, amplifying the voices of Black mothers who have been ignored or dismissed by the medical establishment. Groups like Black Mamas Matter Alliance, The National Birth Equity Collaborative, and SisterSong have led the charge in advocating for culturally competent, patient-centered care. These organizations emphasize the importance of doulas, midwifery, and holistic maternal care as key solutions to the crisis.

Dr. Monica McLemore, Ph.D., MPH, RN, professor in the department of child, family, and population health nursing and Interim Director of the Center for Anti-Racism at the University of Washington, is a leading scholar in antiracist birth equity research, community-informed methods, and policy translation. Monica has dedicated much of her career to investigating the structural barriers that impact Black maternal health.

“There’s nothing inherently wrong with Black people,” she said. “It is the ways in which the structures we exist in impact and affect our health. People refuse to see racism, mistreatment, and the systemic contributors to poor reproductive outcomes.”

The Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act, introduced in Congress by the Black Maternal Health Caucus, is a comprehensive legislative effort to address maternal health disparities. The bill includes provisions for expanding Medicaid coverage, funding community-based organizations, and investing in social determinants of health that affect maternal outcomes. If passed, the legislation could be a game-changer in reducing racial disparities in maternal health.

For Monica, systemic interventions are more important than focusing solely on individual behavior.

“The number one intervention that would increase health outcomes for all people is being insured,” she said. “If you’re underemployed and don’t have health insurance, you miss crucial windows for preventative care. But instead of addressing these structural issues, we often frame health as a matter of personal responsibility, which ignores the broader systemic failures.”

Beyond policy advocacy, community-led initiatives have proven effective in improving Black maternal health outcomes. Programs like Birth Detroit, a Black-led midwifery initiative, provide culturally affirming care tailored to the needs of Black mothers. Other organizations, like Ancient Song Doula Services, offer free or low-cost doula services to help Black women navigate their pregnancies and advocate for themselves in clinical settings.

Doulas and midwives play a critical role in humanizing the birthing process, Monica said.

“I love doulas because they provide essential emotional, physical, and informational support,” she said. “They spend time with pregnant individuals throughout their journey, which allows them to understand needs in a way that medical professionals meeting a patient for the first time simply cannot. If healthcare providers truly valued expertise by experience, we’d see better integration of doula and midwifery care into our system.”

The movement for Black maternal health is gaining momentum, but significant work remains. Advocates continue to push for systemic change, more equitable healthcare policies, and increased investment in Black-led maternal health initiatives. Raising awareness through media coverage, research, and storytelling remains a crucial step in breaking the silence around Black maternal health disparities.

According to Monica, the shifting narratives in media also play a role.

“We have more to learn from living Black women than from statistics on maternal mortality alone,” she said. “Centering the voices of living Black mothers, instead of just the tragedy of loss, allows us to build solutions that affirm life and well-being.”