Black Birthing Crisis ~ A Story About DC’s Maternal Care Disparities

Haley H. is a high school senior at School Without Walls High School in Washington, D.C. She wrote and directed this documentary short on the health disparities experienced by Black birthing people in the nation’s capital for her senior project. The senior project aims to encourage students to identify a topic they’re passionate about, prompting them to research and then create a product to improve the issue. 

Black Birthing Crisis is a documentary focused on the disparities within the District of Columbia that contribute to high maternal mortality rates among Black women and Black birthers.

Birther or birthing people is a term utilized to encompass all individuals who are able to carry a child, including those who may not identify as a woman

“Black birthing people constitute roughly half of all births in DC, they account for 90% of all pregnancy-related deaths and 93% of pregnancy associated, non-related deaths,” (Nedhari, et al).