Why More Black Doctors Won’t Solve The Black Maternal Mortality Crisis

Recently, resurfaced comments from Bravo’s hit reality show “Married to Medicine” star Dr. Jackie Walters, have reignited critical conversations about Black maternal health and medical racism. In a resurfaced video from 2020, while Dr. Jackie was having a conversation with another star from the show Dr. Heavenly Kimes, Dr. Jackie stated, “Sometimes, as African-American women, we’re a bit more dramatic and that you go to the doctor and you complain and you complain and you complain and you’re not taken seriously because you cry wolf the entire pregnancy.” The video came as a shock to many, as Dr. Jackie recently had a conversation with Vice President Kamala Harris about the dire Black maternal mortality crisis in the United States. Dr. Jackie did issue an apology on her Instagram page but the situation provides an important opportunity for conversations about why diversity alone will not close the Black maternal mortality gap. Black women are, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), three times more likely to die because of a pregnancy-related cause compared to their white counterparts.

Often times, when discussing medical racism within healthcare, the solution proposed is more diversity. People will say things like “we need more Black doctors,” which is absolutely true, but isn’t the cure-all for the inequities that are so pervasive within healthcare and medicine. There must also be conversations about how deeply engrained anti-blackness is in healthcare systems and how even those who are Black have internalized these negative stereotypes. Research indicates that Black people are not immune to perpetuating harmful and anti-black stereotypes that are learned within society and this can lead to discrimination against fellow Blacks.

There are several examples of the prevalent nature of anti-black bias within society. In early January 2023, the brutal beating of a 29-year-old Black man named Tyre Nichols after a traffic stop dominated headlines. The story was particularly shocking to some because all five of the officers involved were Black. Internalized racism and anti-blackness may have played a role in Nichol’s untimely death.

Anti-black bias also shows up in healthcare in a number of ways and may contribute to the abysmal Black maternal mortality rates. In early July 2023, Jessica Ross, a Black 20-year-old mother in Georgia, went into labor. An NBC News report indicates that according to a lawsuit filed by Ross and her partner Treveon Isaiah Taylor Sr., obstetrician Dr. Tracey St. Julian applied “ridiculously excessive force” during the delivery resulting in the baby’s decapitation. The story may have been particularly surprising to some because the obstetrician, Dr. Tracey St. Julian, was a Black woman.

Addressing the Black maternal mortality crisis and other racial disparities within our systems and structures requires a nuanced and multi-pronged approach. For one, Black doulas can play an instrumental role in closing the Black maternal care gap. Second, in medical and healthcare education and curriculum, there needs to be more conversations about how harmful stereotypes can be internalized, especially by those who are part of oppressed communities, and research must continue to examine the persistent nature of anti-blackness within these structures. Representation is not enough—diversity alone can lull us into a false sense of security. We must be committed to ensuring that equity, inclusion and justice are the north star of our efforts to address Black maternal health and close racial health gaps.

Dr. Jackie Walters was contacted for this story but did not immediately respond for comment.