Episode 163: Let's Do Better By Black Mothers & Babies: A Look at Racism in the American Healthcare System

On Episdoe 163 of the Mama Bear Dares Podcast, Tesi and Leslie begin with a look at institutional racism in the American healthcare system. They focus on Linda Villarosa's incredible article, "Why American's Black Mothers and Babies are in a Life-or-Death Crisis,"in a segment they call "We Read It, We Loved It, Let's Discuss." The two are more than troubled by what Villarosa reports. Not only are shaken by the terrible disparity in death rates between white and black babies and women, but by the fact that this disparity has everything to do with the lived experience of being a black woman in America. Leslie and Tesi talk through this information and dig into the research because they believe the way of the Mama Bear is to learn and then lean in. This episode is about seeing—seeing the struggles of others and then processing them and fighting for change AND seeing the goodness in those around us and acknowledging that beauty. Because of that, the Mama Bears end the episode with a segment called "We See You"where they celebrate the everyday acts of love and kindness put forth by the women around them. For full Show Notes, click HERE.