Last night I attended a screening at the offices of Women’s eNews. It was for a screening of the documentary, “Crisis In The Cribs” which is about African American infant mortality. Tonya Lewis Lee is the producer of the film and she is also the spokesperson for the U.S. Office of Minority Health’s A Healthy Baby Begins with You campaign.

I was struck by how devastating the rate of infant mortality is for African American women. It crosses socioeconomic status, so it affects all African American women. Infant Mortality for the African-American community is a pressing, but it’s often an overlooked public health issue. The rate of death for African American babies before their first birthday is twice the rate of white babies and greatly outpaces the national average.

Attending the screening, there were bloggers, Kimberly Seals Allers from Mocha Manual, Nikki from Mommy Factor and Lucinda from Corporate Mom Dropouts. I also spotted actress Tamara Tunie whose friend works with a nonprofit that helps homeless mothers.

What can you do? Spread the word. Get a copy of the documentary and have a screening. Be healthy. Even if you don’t plan to have kids, set the example.

Update:
ProPublica has written several articles about Black Maternal Health and infant mortality in 2017.
Nothing Protects Black Women From Dying in Pregnancy and Childbirth
Black Women Disproportionately Suffer Complications of Pregnancy and Childbirth. Let’s Talk About It