Black women in America face a maternal health crisis that reflects decades of systemic neglect. While the overall U.S. maternal mortality rate stood at 18.6 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2023, Black women experienced a rate of 50.3 per 100,000—nearly three times higher. This disparity has worsened since 2018, even as overall rates returned to pre-pandemic levels.
The problem extends beyond statistics to reveal troubling patterns in healthcare access. More than 35 percent of U.S. counties qualify as maternal care deserts, defined as areas lacking hospitals or birth centers with obstetric care and obstetric clinicians. These regions overlap significantly with areas where Black populations are concentrated.
In Washington, D.C., the crisis becomes starkly visible. Black residents account for half of all births but represent 90 percent of maternal deaths. In Wards 7 and 8, where Black residents exceed 80 percent of the population, 64 percent of maternal deaths occur. Despite these alarming outcomes, D.C. is classified as having full access to care.
Experts are pushing back against the term “maternal care deserts,” arguing it obscures intentional neglect. Aza Nedhari, co-founder of Mamatoto Village, which provides perinatal care in underserved D.C. communities, joined other panelists at the American Public Health Association’s annual meeting in calling these areas what they truly are: disinvestment zones. March of Dimes Chief Medical Officer Michael Warren supports reframing the language to acknowledge the deliberate underfunding that harms Black communities.
See: “Maternal care deserts are no accident—they are disinvestment zones harming Black mothers” (January 12, 2026)
