Anti-Black Racism and Maternal Health in the Greater Toronto Area

In June 2020, the Toronto Board of Public Health declared anti-Black racism a public health crisis. Yet, race-based data with respect to the maternal healthcare experiences of Black women in Canada is limited (Turner et al., 2020). Recognizing perinatal care as a site of racialization (Bridges, 2011), this study uses Critical Race Theory (Crenshaw, 2011) and Reproductive Justice Framework (Ross & Solinger, 2017) to investigate the relationship between race and perinatal experiences of Black women. This research conducted a document analysis of postpartum material (Weber & Hilfinger Messias, 2012) and collected semi-structured interview data from 7 Black women (Hayes & Casstevens, 2017) who delivered a child in January 2020 to May 2023 and sought care in a hospital in the Greater Toronto Area. It is evident that approaches for person-centred care are needed in the Canadian health care system, as it is critical in providing Black women with dignified care.