Birth Equity & Justice Massachusetts (BEJMA): Statement Against Police Brutality and the Impact of Systemic Racism on Maternal Outcomes

We, as the Birth Equity & Justice Massachusetts (BEJMA) (formerly Massachusetts Covid-19 Maternal Equity Coalition), denounce police brutality and its impact on Black communities both here in the Commonwealth and across the United States. The recent and widely publicized killings of Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, Rayshard Brooks, and George Floyd have sparked national protests that rightfully condemn the unnecessary and pervasive use of excessive force against Black men and women. Police brutality is not a new thing and the lasting impact of it on the physical and mental well-being of Black communities is immeasurable. The African American Policy Forum and #sayhername movement give visibility to the countless number of Black women that have been killed by police violence.

The lived experiences of racism, discrimination, and inequality as experienced by Black women in this country are the very reason that MCPC was founded. For Black and brown childbearing people who are facing not only higher levels of infection, illness and death from COVID-19, but who also experience maternal mortality at a rate of 2 - 6 times that of their white counterparts, this is an urgent crisis that demands immediate attention. We came together as the MCPC to promote policies that remedy racial inequities in pregnancy outcomes and prevent maternal deaths, injuries, and traumas. Leadership is necessary to ensure that best practices and latest research are identified, consistently implemented and disparities eliminated for birthing people in the Commonwealth. (Learn more about the MCPC.)

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen a disproportionate mortality rate in communities of color. Nationally, Black people are now dying at 2 times the rate of white people, and if the virus had impacted Black people at the same rate it did for whites, 13,000 African Americans would still be alive. In Massachusetts, we do not have complete and accurate data to understand the racial inequities of COVID-19 infections and outcomes. To understand why these rates are the way they are requires examining the systemic impacts of racism, including stress, environment, and the reasons why more white people are likely to work from home and less likely to be an essential worker with increased exposure to COVID-19.

For pregnant Black women, the situation is even more dire with some mothers being separated from their newborn infants and denied proper time to bond and begin breastfeeding. COVID-19 has also highlighted and continues to underscore the disparate ways that Black women are treated in some clinical settings. The dismissiveness and disrespect already documented prior to the pandemic are further illuminated now. Policies to control coronavirus infection spread also leave childbearing people with less access to the support needed to prevent and mitigate some of these stresses and inequities. All of us have an obligation to ensure that women are receiving equitable treatment and respectful maternity care across the Commonwealth.

Anti-Black racism is a public health crisis. Police brutality, maternal health, and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are examples of inequitable outcomes and deaths due to racism. Our organization, the MCPC, was intentionally established with a majority of women of color on the steering committee. We believe in the leadership of Black women and the need to center racial equity in maternal health as the cornerstone of our work. Black lives matter.

We are grateful for the many resources and organizations that are working towards racial, social, or reproductive justice. Here are a few we urge you to learn about and support:

In solidarity,

Coalition Steering Committee