Existing in a black body in this system is exhausting. Navigating it as a woman in a black body is even more exhausting.
We’ve heard the stories over and over again of black women showing up to hospitals and not surviving. Truth be told, the black maternal health crisis is abhorrent and frankly, inhumane. Black women die 3-4 times more than their White counterparts. Simply put, they are 243 percent more likely to die from pregnancy – or childbirth-related causes, making it the widest disparity in women’s health issues.
It is unacceptable. But are you aware of the other crisis that’s plaguing black women? It often gets swept under the rug or doesn’t get the attention it deserves. Getting pregnant increases, one’s risk of death by homicide. Intimate partner violence is defined as physical, sexual or psychological harm by a current or former partner or spouse. Data from Tulane University’s School of Public Health showed that in 2018-2019, homicide was a leading cause of maternal death. A first-of-its-kind study published last month in the Obstetrics and Gynecology journal found that pregnant women in the U.S. die by homicide more often than they die of other pregnancy-related causes. Approximately 50% of women killed during or after pregnancy are Black – the highest among any racial or ethnic group. IPV can happen due to increased financial burden, changes to the pregnant person’s body or the belief that the person is prioritizing their pregnancy over a relationship.
Pregnancy is supposed to be a beautiful, joyous and revolutionary period, but for many Black women, it is just simply not a safe time, especially in their homes. Abusive partners, daily stressors, microaggressions and unsupportive networks create a recipe for disaster. Relationship violence and repeated trauma history compromise the health of not only the mother but that of the unborn baby.
According to Kelly Davis (my mentor) and her co-author in an article addressing said issue, they summed it up perfectly “The Black maternal health crisis will not end until we dismantle racialized gender oppression.” Women deserve a life free of gender-based violence.
The question must therefore be asked – men, why are you killing your partners? Let me shout a little louder for the folks in the back. Why are you killing the black body? Black women are the glue that holds together every facet of life. Yes, we are life-givers. We are strong, but not superhero-strong. We can break. Black women are just trying to survive.
