By Vern Anthony, BSN, MPH, Guest Columnist
Black History Month calls us not only to remember the past, but to confront how that past continues to shape the lives of Black mothers and babies today. In maternal health, that history is both painful and powerful.
An important and often overlooked figure in maternal health history is Anarcha Westcott. Enslaved and only 17 years old, Anarcha endured a traumatic childbirth that resulted in the death of her baby and severe injury. She was later subjected to repeated experimental surgeries by J. Marion Sims, without consent or anesthesia. These procedures were used to refine surgical techniques and instruments for white women, including versions of the speculum still used today.
At the time, a dangerous and false belief persisted that Black people did not feel pain the same way white people did. Surgeries performed on white women were done with anesthesia, while Black women were denied it. Though medicine has advanced, research shows bias in pain assessment and treatment persists. The legacy of that injustice is not distant history; it echoes in today’s maternal health disparities.
Black history in maternal health is not defined solely by exploitation. It is also defined by extraordinary leadership and service. Women like Maude Callen, served rural South Carolina for more than 60 years, delivering thousands of babies and training other midwives; Mary Francis Hill Coley, a Georgia midwife delivered more than 3,000 babies; and Biddy Mason, born into slavery and later a respected nurse and midwife in Los Angeles, provided free care to the poor. These women built systems of care rooted in dignity, trust and community, principles that remainessential today.
In Michigan, progress is measurable. The state recently reported the lowest recorded infant mortality rate in its history. In 2023, 607 infants under age 1 died, and the rate declined to 6.1 deaths per 1,000 live births, down from 6.3 the year before. Deaths among Black infants also fell to a record low of 11.9 per 1,000 live births, down from 14.1 in 2022.
Yet the reality remains stark: Black infants in Michigan still die at nearly three times the rate of white infants. Nationally, according to 2023 data from the CDC’s National Vital Statistics System, Black women had a mortality rate of 50.3 deaths per 100,000 live births — more than three times the rate for white women (14.5).
It is impossible to improve maternal health without acknowledging this history. It is equally impossible to move forward without intentionally dismantling the inequities rooted in it.
This is where the mission of the Southeast Michigan Perinatal Quality Improvement Coalition (SEMPQIC) becomes vital. The coalition works to reduce disparities in adverse maternal, perinataland infant outcomes by building a coordinated, equitable network for perinatal care across southeast Michigan.
SEMPQIC partners to increase access to doulas, a resource shown to improve birth outcomes, particularly for Black mothers.
It also works with the Michigan Health and Hospital Association, supporting 23 birthing hospitals in Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties in efforts to reduce maternal morbidity and mortality. More than 600 participants have completed its health equity and implicit bias trainings, and its outreach has included vaccine education for expectant mothers.
We stand on the shoulders of giants. Honoring them means more than telling their stories. It means dismantling inequities and carrying forward their commitment to community care.
This Black History Month, we honor Anarcha, Maude, Mary and Biddy not only with remembrance, but with action. By committing to equity in maternal and infant health, we ensure the next chapter of this history is defined not by disparity, but by dignity, justice and healthy beginnings for all.
Vern Anthony, BSN, MPH, lead consultant with the Southeast Michigan Perinatal Quality Improvement Coalition (SEMPQIC), brings years of executive and board leadership experience and a proven track record in health policy development, collaborative health care solutions, community health impact strategies, access-to-care models and health-related business initiatives. She has received numerous honors for her leadership and community service, including Distinguished Alumni Awards from Wayne State University and the University of Michigan School of Public Health. Most recently, she was recognized as a “Distinguished Warrior” by the Detroit Urban League and inducted into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame.