How do we save the babies and the mothers?
by Naeemah Jackson, Family Programs Director Why are Black mothers and babies in the United States dying at more than double the rate of White mothers and babies? The answer has everything to do with the lived experience of being a Black woman in America. - Linda Villarosa, “Sunday New York Times Magazine” April 15, 2018 For the past year, I have been working with women’s organizations who are proactively addressing the issues of high Black infant mortality rates; and the high death rates of low-income Black women after childbirth (including uterine infections). At least 75% of participants in Peace Learning Center’s Family Programs live at or below the federal poverty guidelines. This does not mean that most mothers I work with are unemployed – too many are, however; even those that are employed find themselves working for low wages that keep them at or below the poverty rate. Currently, seven mothers are enrolled at Ivy Tech, IUPUI, and IU Bloomington. One has become a licensed Doula as she has seen first hand the perils of this deleterious phenomenon that is finally coming to national attention. "Your ZIP code matters more than your genetic code," said Dr. Anthony Iton, senior vice president of the California Endowment. "Where you live predicts how long you will live.". If you're an African-American born in the 46312 ZIP code — East Chicago, an economically depressed Rust Belt city in Indiana's northwest corner — you