City of Jackson leaders have designated this week as Black Maternal Health Week. The week of April 13 has been proclaimed to bring awareness to disparities affecting black women maternal health care system. Black Maternal Health Week is founded and led by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance. This year’s theme is “Healing Legacies: Strengthening Black Maternal Health Through Collective Action and Advocacy.” According to experts, Black women are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes regardless of education level or economic status.Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba acknowledged the women who are well-known and experienced pregnancy complications. “I think of Tori Bowie, who came before this council, an Olympic gold medalist from Mississippi who died trying to give birth,” Lumumba said. “I think of Serena Williams, who had many complications trying to have her child.” Dr. Nakeitra Burse runs 6 Dimensions, a Ridgeland nonprofit focused on improving maternal health outcomes for black women. She believes the biggest hurdles they face in Mississippi are lack of access to quality health care and systemic racism. “By systemic, I mean the systems that we live, work in and navigate each day are not designed for black women to navigate them very easily,” Burse said.
City of Jackson leaders have designated this week as Black Maternal Health Week.
The week of April 13 has been proclaimed to bring awareness to disparities affecting black women maternal health care system.
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Black Maternal Health Week is founded and led by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance. This year’s theme is “Healing Legacies: Strengthening Black Maternal Health Through Collective Action and Advocacy.”
According to experts, Black women are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes regardless of education level or economic status.
Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba acknowledged the women who are well-known and experienced pregnancy complications.
“I think of Tori Bowie, who came before this council, an Olympic gold medalist from Mississippi who died trying to give birth,” Lumumba said. “I think of Serena Williams, who had many complications trying to have her child.”
Dr. Nakeitra Burse runs 6 Dimensions, a Ridgeland nonprofit focused on improving maternal health outcomes for black women. She believes the biggest hurdles they face in Mississippi are lack of access to quality health care and systemic racism.
“By systemic, I mean the systems that we live, work in and navigate each day are not designed for black women to navigate them very easily,” Burse said.
