Black Maternal Health Experiences In The United States Healthcare System: A Critical Analysis of Serena Williams' Birthing Experience and Its Representations

Dimgba, Kelechi

Black Maternal Health Experiences In The United States Healthcare System: A Critical Analysis of Serena Williams' Birthing Experience and Its Representations

Persistent URL

https://dspace.allegheny.edu/handle/10456/56267

Author(s)

Dimgba, Kelechi

Date Issued

April 3, 2023

Abstract

This research project highlights the importance of intersectionality in understanding and addressing the unique experiences of Black women in the US healthcare system. By acknowledging and addressing these issues, we can work towards creating a healthcare system that is equitable and provides safe and respectful care for all. These questions will be explored through a critical analysis of Serena Williams’ story about her pregnancy and its representation by others. The first chapter discusses who Serena Williams is and her birthing experience as well as elaborates on Black women’s maternal mortality statistics. The second chapter is a literature review discussing the representation of key issues including systemic issues, fame/social status, gender identity, race, stigma, and privilege. The third chapter analyzes Serena Williams’s story through the lens of other individuals and what that represents on the key issues in relation to how Serena Williams’s birthing experience is represented to show the Black pregnant women’s experience regarding maternal health in the United States healthcare system. Serena's story has become an influential tool for raising awareness surrounding the issue of racial bias in the United States and Black maternal health. Commentators emphasize certain aspects of her biography and story to imagine and comment on the wider plight of Black women. My analysis also shows how Serena Williams has to construct her story in ways to challenge negative stereotypes about Black women regarding knowledge of their bodies and push back against their silencing.

Major

Global Health Studies

First Reader(s)

Pinnow, Kenneth M.