"Birthing Justice" captures Black women's struggles with maternal mortality

Panel discussed the movie “Birthing Justice” screened by the University of Maryland School of Public Health (@president_pines/Instagram)

By Tendai Murray

At the Gildenhorn Recital Hall in The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, no more than fifty audience members of all ages and demographics, including University of Maryland President Daryll Pines, began finding their seats in the intimate recital hall, awaiting the screening to commence.

The School of Public Health and the College for Arts and Humanities hosted Denise Pines, sister of the President Daryll Pines, for a joint screening of her critically acclaimed documentary “Birthing Justice” on April 27.

The award-winning film tackles the disparities Black women face regarding their maternal health.

“Birthing justice sits at the core of the University of Maryland,” Stephanie Shonekan, dean of the College of Arts and Humanities said as the lights dimmed in the recital hall and the movie began.

The film opens with a quote by Martin Luther King Jr. that sets the tone for the rest of the documentary, as Pines focuses on four problem epicenters where Black women experience maternal issues: Washington, DC, St.Louis-Ferguson, Missouri, south Los Angeles, California and Georgia.

“Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in healthcare is the most shocking and inhumane,” King said.

All four places continue to serve as a looking glass on the greater problem of inadequate healthcare that plagues the United States, as The Commonwealth Fund reported that in 2020 maternal mortality rates in the U.S. were 24 deaths per 100,000 births. This was three times the rate compared to other high-income countries.

When diving deeper into Georgia’s history of birthing injustice, the film features Dr. Donna Lynn Adams-Pickett, an OBGYN, who explains that women can go to third-world countries and have safer deliveries than what they would have experienced receiving care in some counties in Georgia.

Throughout the film, Pines gathered interviews from mothers, fathers, doctors, midwives, doulas and lawmakers, further emphasizing that birthing injustice for Black women isn’t just a one-sided issue, though the problem is often underlooked by authorities.

The film also highlights the lack of accountability and awareness of the pressing issue by people in office, like the comments made by United States Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA).

“African Americans have a higher incidence of maternal mortality–if you correct our population for race, we’re not as much of an outlier as it’d otherwise appear.” Cassidy told Politico in an interview.

Black women are three to four times more likely to die during childbirth in the United States as opposed to white women.

Environmental factors like the under-representation of doctors and hospitals in communities also lead to birthing complications. In DC Wards 5, 7 and 8, inadequate access to maternity wards within those areas has led to high rates of infant mortality in the district.

As the film neared the end, sentiments of pushing for change in the curricula taught in medical schools that remove bias are one step towards Black mothers undergoing safer deliveries.

The film calls on policy solutions to bring justice to birthing disparities.To Denise Pines and many others, there is joy in birthing that all mothers and babies should be able to experience.

“I’m tired of Black women dying, simply because they wanted to be parents,” Dr. Yolandra Evette Hancock said when explaining her near-death birthing experience with her daughter.

The screening was followed by a panel that Pines sat on, accompanied by Mia Smith-Bynum, Ruth Zambrana, GerShun Avilez, and Shonekan; all who are faculty at UMD. Audience members were able to ask panelists questions and give commentary.

Through the allowance of an open mic, mothers like Kimberly Williams - who experienced complications during her pregnancy leading her twins to be born 54 days apart - were able to express how crucial it is to have a movie highlight birthing injustice.

“When I watched the movie, I think the thing that resonated with me the most was how traumatized every mom [who] had a story still was even after they went home. It just made sense to me, what I went through,” Williams said.

Explaining the importance of “Birthing Justice,” Pines said, “We’re not ever even taught to think about what it really means for a woman to be pregnant. We just take it for granted–we really have not done enough research where we begin to value a woman–and what her body has to do”.