Last week was Black Maternal Health Week. In its honor, the MN State House Black Maternal Health Caucus hosted the “Expecting Better” roundtable. MN legislators and health advocates addressed Black maternal mortality and morbidity disparities in MN. The U.S. has one of the highest maternal mortality rates among wealthy nations. In the U.S., the rates are higher for people of color, due to structural racism and lack of access to healthcare. In MN, Black people are more than twice as likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white people. The participants in the roundtable gave powerful accounts of how racism in healthcare had impacted them personally, as well as other people in their lives. 

Please make time to watch the event  here - fast forward to minute 9.24 to start.

“The vast majority of these deaths can be prevented….. and over the decades we have continued to do nothing to prevent these deaths…. We’re not seeing people’s humanity. We’re not listening to Black women. It doesn’t matter who the Black woman is, it doesn’t matter if it’s Serena Williams, it doesn’t matter if it’s Beyonce. An important step of eradicating this is to listen to people.”- Rep. Richardson

Rep. Richardson ended the event by referencing a number of pieces of legislation they are hoping to get over the line this session, with the help of the Governor’s office:

• Paid Family and Medical Leave (HF1200/SF1205)

• Establishing a right for a pregnant person to have a designated support person while receiving healthcare (HF4025/SF3959) 

• Expand maternal mortality studies to include morbidity (HF2654/SF3026)

To add your voice in support of getting these bills passed this year, please join us April 19 for Time to Act or use our notes to take action on your own time.

Present were Rep. Richardson, Rep. Moran, Rep. Hollins, Rep. Agbaje and Rep. Hassan, Special guests were Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, Hennepin County Commissioner Angela Conley, Jennie Joseph (midwife and CEO Commonsense Childbirth Inc),  Sameerah Bilal-Roby (Dir. African American Babies Coalition), Akhmiri Sekhr-Ra (Cultural Wellness Center), Dr. Karen Scott, and Brittany Wright (Children’s Cabinet).