Black women are more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than White women.
Those are harsh statics that are shared in “Listen to Me,” a documentary which follows three Black women through pregnancy revealing how medical bias and mistreatment endangered their lives.
Directed by Kanika Harris and Stephanie Etienne, it is the debut film of Harris, a Washington, D.C.-based behavioral health scientist and Etienne, a Baltimore-based certified nurse-midwife and herbalist.
This impactful film is being released at a time when maternal mortality rates in the United States are declining for all groups except Black women.
The film is part of Black Public Media‘s AfroPoP: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange, public television’s documentary and narrative series dedicated to sharing the global Black experience.
“Listen to Me is exactly the kind of story AfroPoP was created to share — powerful, unflinching and rooted in the lived experiences of Black people across the diaspora,” said BPM Executive Director Leslie Fields-Cruz, who executive produces the series. “It is vital that these stories remain in the public sphere because they deepen our understanding of one another, challenge inequities and reflect the complexities of Black life.”
“Listen to Me” premieres June 15 on the PBS App and PBS.org.
