The CDC reveals that pregnancy related deaths per 100,000 live births for women of color is five-times higher than for white women, largely credited to hemorrhaging and hypertensive disorders during pregnancy, which also has a higher prevalence for women of color. In the United States, black women specifically have nearly three times the maternal mortality rate of white women. Missouri ranks number 44 in national maternal-mortality rates.
Racism in Medicine
In addition to the social stratification that has made the equity gap increasingly apparent, the medical institution in America has been historically directed to the treating of white patients, while there is little focus on minority races. As a result, medical care for minorities is often inadequate. In her TEDX Talk, Dr. Nwando Olayiwola discusses the harm that is perpetuated in the medical field and solutions that can combat medical bias and racism.
In the 1910s, Saint Louis passed a reform that generated racial segregation between zipcodes. This is known as Red Lining
White neighborhoods enforced contracts that prevented the selling of homes to members of the black community, and many black families were forcefully evicted from the neighborhoods that were deemed “white”.
Black communities were destroyed by poor public funding allocation, as well as by lack of funding for public education and medical care. While the reform was overturned, the consequences are still apparent today. Generational poverty exists for many black families and the lack of resources has made social mobility for future generations nearly impossible.
This separation of social, economic, and racial constructs have translated into significant limitations in modern black-business growth and both available and accessible resources for minorities. The line of separation is commonly known as the Delmar Divide.
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March of Dimes
Community Health Workers Coalition