Harlem Native and Columbia University Graduate Dominique Renee Hill Aims to Advance Birthing Justice

If there’s one thing that Harlem native Dominique Renee Hill has learned from the neighborhood that nurtured her, it’s the power of perseverance. It’s something that she’s had to lean into amid some of the most challenging chapters of her journey—especially along the road toward motherhood.

With African American women experiencing rising rates of complications during pregnancy, the Black maternal health crisis has been pushed to the forefront of a national conversation. Behind the harrowing statistics are stories, including Hill’s, that are rooted in reproductive oppression and bias that has historically plagued the healthcare system.

Motivated by her own experiences, the School of Social Work graduate is turning a painful chapter into purpose, and has set out on a mission to ensure birthing people of color in communities like Harlem have access to culturally competent care and support systems. For Hill—who credits her 5-year-old daughter as her inspiration—crossing the Commencement stage in May will symbolize another step toward advocacy.

Columbia Neighbors spoke with the soon-to-be graduate about how motherhood has inspired her journey, the imperative need to address the Black maternal health crisis, her passion for social work, and what Commencement represents for her.