In Week 7 of our 12-part series, “Black Women Living Well 2025,” we take a moment to honor Black History Month by reflecting on the health disparities that have historically impacted Black women and how these inequities continue to shape our experiences today.
We’re diving into the effects of these disparities through three key lenses: the past, the present, and the future where we envision a healthier, more empowered future for Black women.
The importance of these articles is to raise awareness that the issues Black women faced in the past, especially those in communities like Black Wall Street, are the same struggles we continue to face today as it relates to our health.
These systemic challenges, particularly in healthcare, have been passed down through generations, and despite the progress we’ve made, Black women still contend with the same disparities in access to care, the same health risks, and the same societal pressures.
This is why it’s crucial to address these disparities, not just to honor the legacy of the women who came before us, but to ensure that Black women today can access the same opportunities for health, wellness, and empowerment that every woman deserves.
Is stress killing Black women at a higher rate?
Black women continue to live under the immense pressure of being everything to everybody, whether as mothers, daughters, workers, caregivers, leaders, or community pillars.
This constant balancing act, driven by societal expectations, cultural norms, and the historical burden of systemic racism, takes a profound toll on our physical health, especially in relation to heart disease and stroke.
More than 50% of Black women have high blood pressure compared to about 39% of White women, according to research from the National Institutes of Health.
The unique stressors faced by Black women, including daily microaggressions, discrimination, and the weight of societal expectations, create a profound and cumulative effect on their mental and physical health.
In fact, Black women are nearly 50% more likely to experience a stroke than White women, and hypertension is a leading cause of both heart disease and stroke, often exacerbated by chronic stress.
Heart disease the silent killer of Black women
Black women have a higher rate of heart disease compared to white women and other racial groups.
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), Black women are 60% more likely to have heart disease than their White counterparts and it disproportionately impacts Black women in the United States at higher rates compared to women of other racial and ethnic groups.
The factors contributing to these disparities are complex and include socioeconomic inequalities, healthcare access, stress, and racial discrimination, among others.
The past: Factors contributing to shorter life expectancy in pre-modern medicine
In pre-modern medicine women historically tended to have shorter life expectancies compared to men due to factors like childbirth risks, lack of medical knowledge, and nutritional deficiencies.
However, for Black American women, the disparities in life expectancy were particularly stark, with much earlier deaths often before the age of 50, especially in the pre-modern medicine era.
Slavery had a profound and lasting impact on Black women’s health. The harsh conditions of enslavement, including forced labor, lack of nutritious food, and constant stress, led to higher rates of complications during pregnancy and childbirth, along with early mortality.
The disparity in maternal health outcomes for Black women is rooted in a complex history of systemic racism, economic inequality, and healthcare neglect that dates back to the era of slavery and continues to affect Black women today.
From 1865 to 2025, Black women have consistently faced higher maternal mortality rates compared to other racial groups, and these disparities have been exacerbated by chronic stress, healthcare inaccessibility, and racism within the medical system.
The Role of Doulas
Doulas played a significant role in childcare and pregnancy at a time Black women lacked access. Traditionally, Doulas were integral members of many Black communities, especially in the South and rural areas, where medical care was often sparse.
Before modern obstetrics, Black midwives and doulas were the primary sources of care and assistance during childbirth. These women often provided care not only during labor but also postpartum, helping with nursing, newborn care, and emotional support.
The role of doulas in the childbirth experience for Black women is incredibly significant, particularly when addressing the health disparities and biases that persist within the medical system.
Doulas offer emotional, physical, and informational support that empowers Black women, ensures their voices are heard, and advocates for their needs.
Strategies to improve lives of Black Women in healthcare
In order to address the current and future state of Black women’s health, we must address the disparities and look at how we can improve access to healthcare, eliminate racial biases, provide community support for Black women during pregnancy, and advocate for policies that promote equity in maternal healthcare.
Here are several key strategies that could significantly improve the lives of Black women in healthcare:
1. Address Systemic Racism in Healthcare
- Cultural Competency Training: Healthcare professionals should receive anti-racism and cultural competency training to ensure that they understand the unique challenges faced by Black women and to combat unconscious bias.
- This would help ensure that Black women receive respectful, fair, and equitable treatment in healthcare settings.
2. Expand Access to Quality Healthcare
- Improve Access to Primary Care: The reversal of Roe v. Wade has created additional barriers to access for Black women seeking consistent, quality healthcare, particularly in reproductive health. The fear of legal repercussions has led many practitioners, especially in conservative states, to either relocate to more liberal states or retire altogether, leaving underserved and rural areas, where Black women disproportionately reside, with even fewer healthcare options.
- Expanding access to primary care, preventative services, and mental health support through community clinics and telemedicine can help Black women receive earlier diagnoses and avoid complications. The Oklahoma Birth Equity Initiative is an organization on the front lines who work tirelessly to equip families to have healthy births with dignity and reduce health disparities among pregnant women so that all of Oklahoma can grow together
3. Promote Preventative Health and Wellness Education
- Health Education Initiatives: Establishing community-based programs that provide health education focused on topics such as heart disease, diabetes prevention, mental health, and reproductive health can help empower Black women to take control of their health. The Tulsa Chapter of The Links has a well-established reputation for its emphasis on serving youth, through dynamic cultural, civic, educational and health-related community programs. Their program provides both guidance and hands-on service to underserved individuals seeking preventative services and treatment
4. Enhance Maternal and Reproductive Health Care
- Address Maternal Mortality: Black women face a much higher risk of maternal mortality and complications during childbirth. To improve outcomes, it’s critical to increase access to pre-natal care, provide birthing options that respect cultural preferences, and improve post-natal care.
5. Increase Research and Focus on Black Women’s Health
- Inclusive Health Research: Historically, Black women have been underrepresented in medical studies. More research on health conditions that disproportionately affect Black women, such as hypertension, heart disease, maternal mortality, and chronic stress, is needed. Research should also focus on developing treatments that are more effective for Black women’s unique genetic and environmental health factors.
6. Provide Access to Culturally Relevant Care
- Respect Cultural Beliefs: Healthcare providers must be respectful and attuned to cultural beliefs and practices in caring for Black women. This means acknowledging the significance of spirituality, family support structures, and traditional health practices, while still providing scientifically grounded care.
7. Combat Discrimination in Healthcare
- Address Implicit Bias: Implicit biases often lead to Black women being undertreated or misdiagnosed. Training healthcare professionals to identify and confront their biases and to treat Black women with dignity and respect is critical.
8. Policy and Systemic Change
- Healthcare Policy Advocacy: Advocating for policies that reduce health disparities through expanded access to care, anti-discrimination laws, and legislation to address the root causes of health inequities—such as economic inequality and education disparities—is essential for long-term change.
Improving the healthcare of Black women requires a holistic approach that addresses the unique challenges they face, such as racism, economic inequality, and poor healthcare access.
Solutions must be multi-faceted, from improving healthcare access to providing culturally relevant care and combating systemic discrimination in healthcare. A focused effort that includes research, policy changes, cultural competency, and community-based approaches will help ensure that Black women have the opportunity to lead healthier, longer lives.
The fight for equity continues, and through awareness, education, and collective action, we can work toward closing these gaps and creating a healthier future for all Black women.
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- 12 Weeks of Healing: Black women living well in 2025
This is such an informative post. I love how you’ve provided a mix of theoretical background and practical advice—this makes the content not only interesting but also highly actionable. I feel much more confident in my understanding of this topic after reading it!