Episode Overview

On this episode of birthincolor, we kick-off our celebration of Black History Month with a special episode focused on systemic transformation. Dorian Odems, Postdoctoral Scholar at the University of California, Davis, and Xonjenese Jacobs, the director of Florida Covering Kids & Families at the University of South Florida’s College of Public Health, join us to discuss the historical implications racial oppression, contemporary forms of obstetric racism and identify strategies to transform systems of care to improve outcomes and birthing experiences among Black Mommas and babies in Florida.

About birthincolor

birthincolor is a virtual learning miniseries created by the Florida Black Maternal Health Initiative at the University of South Florida College of Public Health. This project is supported by funding from the HealtheVoices Impact Fund and Johnson & Johnson.

Referenced Literature

Odems, D. S., Czaja, E., Vedam, S., Saltzman, B., & Scott, K. A. (2024). “It seemed like she just wanted me to suffer”: Acts of obstetric racism and birthing rights violations against Black women. SSM-Qualitative Research in Health, 6, 100479.

Davis, D. A. (2019). Obstetric racism: the racial politics of pregnancy, labor, and birthing. Medical Anthropology, 38(7), 560-573.

Okwandu, I. C., Anderson, M., Postlethwaite, D., Shirazi, A., & Torrente, S. (2022). Racial and ethnic disparities in cesarean delivery and indications among nulliparous, term, singleton, vertex women. Journal of Racial and Ethnic Health Disparities, 1-11.

Hoyert, D. L. (2025). Maternal mortality rates in the United States, 2023. NCHS Health E-Stats, 289.

Sealy-Jefferson, S. (2022). Injustices in Black maternal health: a call for different research questions, orientations, and methodologies. Frontiers in Public Health, 10, 860850.

Recommended Citation

Fross, M. (Host), Bell, M. (Cohost), Odems, D. (Guest) and Jacobs, X. (Guest). (2025, February 14). Acknowledging the Past & Reframing the Future (Ep. 3) [Audio podcast episode]. In birthincolor. DJ Brightlight Productions. https://creators.spotify.com/pod/show/fl-black-maternal-health-

More Information

Learn More: Florida Black Maternal Health Initiative

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