South End Event Tackles Black Maternal Health Disparities

In honor of Black Maternal Health Week, which runs April 11–17, a South End reproductive justice organization will host an event to provide resources to parents and raise awareness of the high rates of local Black maternal and infant mortality. 

The free event, called "Rooted in Care," will take place Saturday, April 11, at the Rainier Arts Center from 3 to 7 p.m. It aims to honor the Black maternal health experience by providing makeovers, clothing swaps, and a diaper-and-wipe giveaway for those in attendance.

There will also be a screening of The Ebony Canal an Emmy Award-winning documentary, narrated by Viola Davis, that explores disparities of infant mortality and the current state of maternal health orbiting Black women. There will be a panel afterwards with local Black midwives, policy advocates, and lactation specialists.

The event coincides with the start of Black Maternal Health Week, which is being officially recognized statewide for the first time, after a Washington state proclamation.

"We absolutely know [the Black maternal health crisis] has nothing to do with our bodies and everything to do with medical racism, anti-Blackness, and institutional racism," said Jackie Vaughn, executive director of Surge Reproductive Justice, which is co-hosting the event along with My Time for Massage.

A recent report from the Washington State Department of Health on maternal mortality showed that 82% of pregnancy-related deaths were preventable, with Indigenous, Pacific Islander, and Black families having the highest rates. Those deaths could have been prevented by reducing financial barriers and improving health care access, care quality, and continuity of care.

"To improve outcomes, we need to tackle the systemic issues that drive inequities," said Lacy Fehrenbach, chief of prevention, safety and health at the Department of Health. "Things like making sure people have stable housing, enough food, and access to health care that fits their culture and needs."

While Washington tends to have better infant and maternal health outcomes compared to other parts of the country, Vaughn said Black families in the state tend to have some of the worst outcomes.

In the South End, Black infants die at higher rates compared to white infants. In King County, the infant mortality rate for Black families between 2019 and 2023 was 7.9 per 1,000 births, according to Communities Count, a King County data initiative. Nationally, infant mortality tends to be the highest among Southern states with rates as high as 8.94. The neighborhoods in King County with the highest rates tend to be more diverse and poorer.

"Day after day, we hear these stories from our communities of how they go disrespected, unheard, neglected, or their bodily autonomy [is] not being respected," Vaughn said, adding that this leads to people feeling dehumanized.

At the national level, Black women are two-to-three times more likely to die from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth than their white counterparts.

Neglect during a birthing experience for Black pregnant people can take different forms, including not having their pain addressed by health care workers or not receiving adequate pain management. Such neglect can lead to life-or-death consequences, including preeclampsia, which is a potentially fatal blood pressure disorder that can develop during pregnancy or postpartum, or hemorrhaging if not addressed properly.

Vaughn said increasing maternal health outcomes means having access to Black doctors, midwives, and doulas, community education and awareness, access to childcare, and increasing options for where and how people can birth.

Ensuring pregnant people have a joyful birthing experience, including pregnancy, labor, and delivery is the ultimate goal for Vaughn.

"So often I hear stories that are filled with trauma," she said. "People should be able to walk away from that experience with memories for a lifetime. … A good Black birth is our right, and a good Black birth is possible."