Why Black Women Are Still Dying in Childbirth — The Truth About Black Maternal Health

Black women are 2–3x more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women — and that gap exists regardless of income, education, or celebrity status. In this episode of Blacktivities, we trace the roots of the Black maternal health crisis from the experimental surgeries performed on enslaved women in the 1840s to the racial bias still showing up in delivery rooms today.

Hosts Shannon and Mona Lisa are joined by Tanessa, a certified full-spectrum doula, for an honest, culturally grounded conversation about why Black women aren’t being heard in healthcare — and what we can do about it.

In this episode:

• The disturbing history of J. Marion Sims, the “father of modern gynecology,” and the enslaved Black women his career was built on
• The weathering hypothesis — why Black women’s bodies age faster biologically due to the cumulative stress of racism
• Why a college degree won’t protect you: how provider bias affects Black women at every income level
• What a doula actually does — and why having one can reduce your C-section risk by up to 39%
• Lotus births, home births, water births, and birthing centers — your options beyond the hospital
• How to advocate for yourself if you can’t afford a doula (hint: know your state’s birth rights)
• Why going to the hospital alone is one of the biggest risks Black women face
• How herbalism and ancestral healing practices connect to modern holistic care

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Follow our Guest: Tanessa

@HarmoniaSanctuary

@MavenProductions423

@Tavernobeauty

@mysticmaven33

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About the Hosts

Blacktivities is a Black Panache original production – a podcast network with a lineup of black-hosted shows sharing black stories and tackling black issues. For more information on shows like our newest production, Fat Lies Matter, visit blackpanache.com.

Continue the Conversation on Social Media:

Instagram – @blacktivitiespod

Follow Shannon – @justshanofficial

Follow Lisa – @monalisathepoet

Follow Karen – @theekkroberts

Threads – @blacktivitiespod

Facebook – Blacktivities

• The Weathering Effect: How Racism Contributes To Poor Health Outcomes | Henry Ford Health – Detroit, MI
• Racial Disparities in Maternal and Infant Health: Current Status and Key Issues
• Black Women Excluded from Critical Studies Due to ‘Weathering’ | Yale School of Medicine
• “Weathering” and Age Patterns of Allostatic Load Scores Among Blacks and Whites in the United States – PMC
• Racial bias in pain assessment and treatment recommendations, and false beliefs about biological differences between blacks and whites – PubMed
• The ‘Father of Modern Gynecology’ Performed Shocking Experiments on Enslaved Women
• Medical Exploitation of Black Women

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