Black maternal health will be the focus of a documentary screening and community conversation in Winston-Salem this weekend.
In 2010, a five-year average showed that Black babies died at almost 3 times the rate of white babies in Forsyth County. In 2024, that number remained about the same.
Connie McLendon Perry is a registered nurse and co-founder of the Be Well Foundation, a Forsyth-based initiative focused on strengthening maternal health. She says one contributor to the disparity is pervasive stereotypes, like Black women have a higher pain threshold than their white peers.
"That is not true," says Perry. "That is not biologically true, and that comes from a historical construct that was passed down to us years and years ago during times of slavery. So we need to debunk those types of practices and myths in order to really change some of the care that we're providing today."
Co-founder and health education specialist Brianna Holland says the Be Well Foundation was created to address Black maternal wellness both inside and outside of clinical settings.
"Being organized and focused on creating trusted community-led spaces where Black mothers and families can access culturally aligned support, wellness education, collective care throughout pregnancy, postpartum, and beyond," she says.
Holland says that support comes from the foundation’s Be Well Maternal Network, currently made up of five Black practitioners. This Saturday, Be Well will screen the documentary High Risk: Black Mothers Protecting Themselves and Their Babies.
Following the film screening at the Central Library in Winston-Salem, Holland and Perry will lead a community conversation.