My State: Infant Mortality Rate- Nardia M

Hello everyone,

I’m so sad to learn about the infant mortality rate for African American women. In the documentary, it said that even with African women with higher income, a higher economical situation, and support, there is no difference in the rate. I always thought that the high mortality rate was from not having the education and resources to maintain good health. Unfortunately, the documentary shows even when you have the ability to take care of yourself, it still happens. It seems as though generational trauma, chronic stress, and racism can cross the blood and soul barrier. I felt this especially when the documentary said that when Africans from abroad come, they first have a similar birth mortality to white women, but after a year, it decreases to the levels of African American women.

For my research, I looked at the Massachusetts Center for Disease Control and Prevention website. It showed the birth mortality for all racial groups, such as the usual non-Hispanic Black, non-Hispanic white, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander from 2016 to 2018.

Massachusetts ranks as one of the states with the lowest infant mortality rate in the country. Massachusetts’ overall average is on average 4 deaths per 1,000 births. That was okay, but looking deeper, the disparity is sad.

While Massachusetts consistently ranks among the states with the lowest overall infant mortality rates in the country (averaging around 3.6 to 4 deaths per 1,000 live births), a deeper breakdown of the data reveals stark and persistent racial disparities:

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