Essential Media for Understanding Black Maternal Health One
Every year during Black Maternal Health Week, we shine a spotlight on the urgent need to protect, support, and uplift Black birthing people. It’s a time to raise awareness of the systemic inequities that impact Black maternal health outcomes and to celebrate the power, resilience, and leadership of Black mothers, midwives, doulas, and advocates.
One of the most impactful ways to engage with this movement is by listening to the stories of those most affected. Whether you’re a birth worker, a parent, a student, or simply someone wanting to better understand, these films and books offer deep insight into the historical and ongoing struggles and the radical hope within the Black maternal health movement.
Films & Documentaries to Watch
1. Aftershock (Hulu)
A heart-wrenching yet empowering documentary following families who lost loved ones due to preventable maternal complications. Through grief and resilience, they become activists demanding justice and systemic change.
2. Belly of the Beast
This film uncovers the reproductive abuse occurring in U.S. women’s prisons, including coerced sterilizations of mostly Black and Brown women. A critical lens on reproductive justice and bodily autonomy.
3. The Business of Being Born
While not focused exclusively on Black maternal health, this documentary critiques the U.S. maternity care system and opens the door to discussions about alternative birth practices and the importance of midwifery, conversations that are deeply relevant to Black communities.
Books to Read & Reflect On
1. Reproductive Justice: An Introduction by Loretta Ross & Rickie Solinger
A foundational text that introduces the framework of reproductive justice, developed by Black women, and explores the intersections of race, class, and bodily autonomy.
2. Battling Over Birth by Julia Chinyere Oparah
Based on interviews and surveys with Black women, this book provides a powerful, research-based look at how race and racism shape birth experiences.
3. Killing the Black Body by Dorothy Roberts
A groundbreaking work that traces the history of reproductive control over Black women in the United States, from slavery to the modern era. Essential reading for understanding the roots of systemic injustice.
4. Listen to Me Good: The Life Story of an Alabama Midwife by Margaret Charles Smith
A moving memoir of one of the most respected Black midwives in the South. Smith’s story is a testament to the expertise and care that existed in traditional Black birth work.
5. Birthing Black Mothers by Jennifer C. Nash
An exploration of how the figure of the “Black mother” has become central in media and activism and what that visibility means for Black feminism and care.
6. Pregnancy Justice: A New Framework for Reproductive Rights by Lynn Paltrow
Though broader in scope, this book interrogates how legal systems criminalize pregnancy, especially for women of color, and offers a new lens for justice-centered advocacy.
Why These Stories Matter
These films and books do more than inform, they humanize. They illuminate the lived realities behind the statistics and call us to action. By engaging with these stories, we acknowledge the deep roots of systemic harm and honor the strength and wisdom within Black maternal traditions.
As we observe Black Maternal Health Week, let’s commit not only to awareness but to ongoing education, reflection, and advocacy. Because Black lives, births, and families matter, this week and every week.
