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From Exploitation to Equity: Rewriting the Story of Black Maternal Health 

February 28, 2026

This article examines how historical exploitation of Black women in medicine, particularly the unconsented experimentation on enslaved women like Anarcha Westcott, continues to manifest in today's maternal health disparities. While Michigan has achieved record-low infant mortality rates, Black infants still die at nearly three times the rate of white infants, and Black mothers nationally face maternal mortality rates over three times higher than white women. The piece honors both the victims of medical abuse and pioneering Black midwives who built dignified care systems in their communities.

Who is affected

  • Black mothers and infants (experiencing significantly higher mortality rates)
  • Historically: Anarcha Westcott and other enslaved Black women subjected to experimental surgeries
  • 23 birthing hospitals in Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties
  • More than 600 healthcare participants who have completed training
  • Expectant mothers receiving vaccine education
  • Communities served by SEMPQIC in southeast Michigan

What action is being taken

  • SEMPQIC is building a coordinated, equitable perinatal care network across southeast Michigan
  • The coalition is partnering to increase access to doulas for Black mothers
  • SEMPQIC is working with the Michigan Health and Hospital Association supporting 23 birthing hospitals
  • Health equity and implicit bias trainings are being conducted (over 600 participants have completed them)
  • Vaccine education outreach is being provided to expectant mothers

Why it matters

  • This matters because despite medical advances, the legacy of racist exploitation in medicine continues to produce life-threatening disparities, with Black mothers dying at more than three times the rate of white mothers nationally and Black infants in Michigan dying at nearly three times the rate of white infants. These disparities are rooted in historical dehumanization and ongoing bias in pain assessment and treatment. Addressing maternal health inequities requires confronting this painful history and intentionally dismantling systems that perpetuate these outcomes, making efforts like SEMPQIC's critical to preventing preventable deaths and ensuring dignified care for all mothers and babies.

What's next

  • No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: Michigan Chronicle