This week marks the fifth annual Black Maternal Health Week, a campaign started by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance that was formally recognized by the Biden administration last year. This week is dedicated to celebrating Black motherhood and raising awareness about the state of Black maternal health in the United States.

Due to systemic and overt discrimination, Black people are disproportionately affected by high maternal and infant morbidities and mortality. A recent KFF analysis found that Black people fared worse than other racial and ethnic groups in all maternal health indicators measured. They were more likely to have preterm births and have low birthweight babies compared to other racial/ethnic groups. Black infants were twice as likely to die as White infants, and Black people were more likely to die while pregnant or within a year of giving birth compared to all other groups.