Black women are three and a half times more likely to die in childbirth than white women. Even highly educated, wealthy African Americans are at a greater risk than whites. To combat the disparity, Dr. Rochanda Mitchell advocates hiring more African American nurse educators and providing anti-bias training for medical professionals. Plus: Bellamy Shoffner was well aware of the frightening statistics when she gave birth to her sons. Shoffner is Founder and Editor of Hold The Line Magazine, about social justice motherhood.

Later in the show: Although doulas have become more popular as birth and postpartum support, they’re still expensive and most insurance won’t cover their services. This can be particularly important for African Americans who are at greater risk throughout pregnancy and whose babies are at greater risk at birth. Christin Farmer created Birthing Beautiful Communities of Cleveland, a non-profit that trains and provides doulas at no cost to African Americans in Cleveland, Ohio.