Street-Race in Reproductive Health: A Qualitative Study of the Pregnancy and Birthing Experiences among Black and Afro-Latina Women in South Florida

Abstract

The lived-experience of race and racism among historically vulnerable populations needs critical examination in the United States’ (US) maternal and reproductive healthcare system. This study aims to measure how street-race influences the experiences of pregnancy and birthing among Black and Afro-Latina women in the South Florida region. Street-race, in this study, focuses on the lived experiences of phenotype and colorism (as real consequences due to structural racism) imposed on women during clinical encounters. Twenty-five women who self-reported their racial and street-identity as Black and / or Afro-Latina were interviewed, utilizing the qualitative approaches of narrative medicine and phenomenology. Study participants also had to have at least one recent pregnancy or birth of a living child (<\u200924 months). Adverse maternal mortality outcomes also do not tell the full story of what it means to be Black while giving birth in North America. The dominance of White-presenting Latinx individuals in South Florida (a seemingly “diverse” urban region) is also historical and persistent. These oppositional consequences at the clinical encounter, regarding street-race, further illustrate how White-dominance (via phenotype and skin color) are ever-present across US healthcare institutions serving pregnant women. The lived experience of hegemonic racial hierarchies (e.g., Black and White), ongoingly contributes to the racialization of maternal and reproductive healthcare in the US, as more attention is needed to achieve health equity.