Black Birth is a documentary photography project about Black maternal health. There are many facets to contemporary Black maternal health, which I explore in this project.
While Black maternal health has seen progress, it continues to face critical challenges. It’s gaining more attention, and there is much more information available about how Black women can ensure they are receiving the treatment they deserve. However, many Black women still don’t know about the information available to them and sometimes end up in traumatic situations during pregnancy or childbirth. The biggest issue is Black maternal mortality, which remains a major problem in America.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Black women are 3 to 4 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women, regardless of income or education level. This disparity is often attributed to factors like systemic racism, healthcare inequality, and implicit bias within medical institutions. While access to care has improved for some, many Black women continue to face barriers such as lack of access to quality prenatal care, discrimination by healthcare providers, and cultural stigmas around seeking help. Studies have also shown that Black women are less likely to receive adequate pain management and more likely to have their concerns dismissed by healthcare professionals, which can exacerbate health risks during pregnancy and childbirth.
My motivation for doing this project was my personal experience when I had my son. Although I had a wonderful obstetrician who delivered my son, it didn’t matter when it came time for my C-section. The hospital’s anesthesiologist overmedicated me to the point where I was out of it for the entire first day of my son’s life. That’s a special moment I’ll never get back, and it was because they didn’t listen to my concerns. This seems to be the case for many Black women; their issues are routinely disregarded. For a long time, I just felt like this was a personal issue until I heard tennis star Serena Williams’ birthing story. No matter your financial status, a Black woman’s concerns often fall on deaf ears.
The goal of my project is to raise awareness about an issue that isn’t discussed enough and to provide a space for Black women and their families to learn about resources to help them with their birthing journey. I believe that raising awareness can bring more people to the cause and help address this issue. I want people from all walks of life to see my project. I want Black women to use it as a guide to empower themselves, and for others to see it so they can better understand what Black women go through and hopefully feel motivated to help. Black women have partners of all ethnicities, so many of them may not be aware of the issues Black women face during pregnancy. This project could help their partners advocate for them as well. Knowledge is power, and being well-informed can make a tremendous difference.