“Moment Mapping as Reparative Arts to Address Obstetric Racism in Labor & Delivery”

The United States’ medical system has a lengthy history of obstetric racism and Black birthing people have long endured the burden of this violence (Bridges 2011, Mullings 2005, Roberts 1997, Washington 2006). In 2021, the maternal mortality rate for non-latinx Black women was nearly three times the rate of non-latinx White women (Hoyert 2023). Given that 60-70% of perinatal deaths are preventable, we need new approaches and orientations to address these problems (Scott 2012). This study investigates the relationships between racial bias, discrimination, and hate and how they structure labor and delivery in the U.S. We propose a unique methodological approach called moment mapping, which bridges data visualization and healing arts, to investigate and address moments of anti-Black hate that permeate clinical encounters in hospital-based labor and delivery care. We use a mixed methods approach including in-depth interviews, participant observation, birth histories, healing circles, and reparative arts to center the experiences and perspectives of Black women and birthing people. The study is designed to provide the foundation for future research into effective hospital-based interventions to redress harm and to guide efforts to mitigate obstetric racism and its effects.