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Hey. It's The Takeaway. I'm Jena Pierre and from Melissa Harris-Perry.

Today marks the last day of Black Maternal Health Week, a week that sheds light on the rise of maternal mortality in the U.S.

A recent report from the CDC found that since the pandemic, there has been a 40% increase in maternal deaths.

That is unacceptably high.

Women in our nation are dying at a higher rate

than any other developed nation in our world. As Vice President Kamala Harris remarks,

Black women bear the burden of this inequity.

And think about it, regardless of income level,

regardless of education level,

Black women, Native women, women who live in rural areas,

are more likely to die or be left, scared, or scarred

from an experience that should be safe and should be a joyful one.

Black women are over three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women.

Babies born to black mothers are half as likely to survive their first year.

Black women experience policing, coercion, and disempowerment that takes away agency during a time that should be a celebration of welcoming new life into this world.

To help us round out Black Maternal Health Week, we're speaking with Loretta Ross.

She's an activist, educator, author, and co-founder of Sister Song, Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective. Loretta is currently an associate professor for the study of women

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