Black Maternal Health Week: Panel recap
Every mom deserves choice, safety, and the chance to thrive | 2 min read
‘Unacceptable. Egregious. Enraging.’
This is how Black maternal health care in the U.S. was described yesterday in Minneapolis—with Kimberly Seals Allers (Irth), Dr. Rachel Hardeman (Center for Antiracism and Health Equity Research), Dr. Nathan Chomilo (MN DHS Medicaid), Shannon Gibney (author of What God is Honored Here), and Kian Glenn (host from Kiwi Collaborative).
What Black moms are up against:
- Black women are 3X more likely to die from complications than white women.
- 84% of deaths are preventable.
- Top Irth app complaints: ‘I asked for help but didn’t get it’ and 'my pain was dismissed’.
Each stat isn’t just a number. They’re someone who was deeply loved.
Here’s what we can do:
Know your rights. It’s your body.
Ask providers: 'Are you aware of the Black maternal health crisis?' and 'What are you doing to help black women thrive?' (credit: Charles Johnson from 4Kira4Moms)
Listen first. Lift up real stories. Lead health decisions with love.
Measure patient experience to drive healthcare payment and outcomes.
Have the hard conversations. Real change begins when we talk about trauma, loss, and racism—and reflect on our own biases.
Dream beyond the system’s limits. Reimagine care built with love.
I can’t know the pain—but I know it’s unfair and I’m here to push for better.
Let’s build what Kimberly Seals Allers called the ‘spaghetti aisle’ of birth. Where every mom has choice, safety, and the chance to thrive.
Because every patient deserves to be seen, heard, and treated as a whole human.
