i don't think i've ever seen anyone more thrilled to be expecting. she was just so excited. >> i think that's also part of why it was so shocking, because it was like, this is fine. she's happy, she's healthy, everything's good. and then -- >> black women in the united states are three to four times more likely to die in childbirth than their white counterparts. >> everyone else has done better, but not african-american women. >> i remember being angry. after everything, that she's dead. just gone. >> the hospital ws in our neighborhood don't offer the things we need. >> race itself as biological reality. it's not race, it's racism. >> that's daddy, that's mommy,

that's you in the belly. >> hopefully they'll be able to help other people. right, baby? >> "hear her voice." a film by muta' ali, will be right back. when heartburn hits fight back fast... ...with tums chewy bites... beat heartburn fast tums chewy bites for bathroom odors that linger try febreze small spaces. just press firmly and it continuously eliminates odors in the air and on soft surfaces. for 45 days. why did we choose to give plastic bottles a second life in our kitchen fronts? ♪ ♪ it's just one of our commitments to a more sustainable future.

for the planet, and those who'll inherit it. ikea. make the dream yours. ♪ if i could, baby i'd ♪ how can i, when you won't take it from me ♪ ♪ you can go your own way ♪ ♪ go your own way your wireless. your rules. only with xfinity mobile. ♪ kordell was very aware with

the mortality rate of black women giving birth. february 26th. she was receiving an award for a documentary that she did in harlem. >> she was on the stage. she said -- >> i'd like to address the elephant in the room. i am pregnant. >> i'm pregnant. >> i did not know this, am i mind? >> and just to see the joy in her eyes when she talked about it. it was beautiful to watch. that's what i hold on to a lot. the next day, the next morning, we got up and headed to the hospital to have the scheduled c-section. the reason we ended up in this hospital is because the hospital is in our neighborhoods, they don't offer the things we need. sometimes i struggle with

driving her in there, you know. like, wow, i just drove the love of my life to her death. >> black women in the united states are three to four times more likely to die in childbirth than their white counterparts. a black woman who has more than a college education across the united states is five times more likely than a white woman to die this childbirth. the united states is the only high income nation where women are dying within a year of childbirth at a more frequent rate. everywhere else in the world, people are decreasing the number of women who are dying in childbirth. the united states, the number's going up. >> there's increasing evidence about issues related to structural racism and implicit bias. and we're hearing a lot of stories from women, particularly african-american women, who had pregnancy-related concerns, and

they simply felt that they were not being heard. >> after she gave birth, she's like, it feels different, i don't know, i had a c-section before, it doesn't feel like that, it feels like something is wrenching around in my stomach. and i was like, babe, are you scared? she was like, no, i'm not scared, i just want to go home. i want this to be over, and that's it. we went in the hospital on thursday. they went and did the exploratory surgery. about 8:00 p.m. sunday, i gave her a forehead kiss, told her that i love her, and i'll be right here waiting for you when you get back, i'm not going nowhere. that's the last thing i said to her. you know, alive, with a response back. >> okay, it's daddy right there.

that's mommy. that's you in the belly. >> we had aspirations of getting married right after -- you know, when she came home from the hospital. we were looking forward to that, too, and getting a new home and starting our family, moving in, living happily ever after. it was cut short. >> when you go to give birth, as a woman of color, you should not be four times more likely to die than our white counterparts. that is absurd. but because we are treated differently, that's where the bad outcomes come from. in my private practice, i provide doula care. so i'm able to see the very stark differences between the treatment of women of color and in white women. we are treated very different. and when i say different, i don't just mean like, oh, i'm not coming into your room to see

you. i come into your room and disrespect you, don't speak to you like you understand what i'm saying. i've had clients' information shared in hallways. i've had clients who have been left alone and no one came to check on them. so it's not just about pain, it's about the care that people are receiving as well. >> maternal health is important not just for the woman, but also for the baby. so if we have healthy mothers, we have a really wonderful opportunity to then have healthy infants. in the united states right now, we know that black babies die at a rate twice that of white infants. >> everyone else has done better, but not african-american women. and it's very often blamed on them. many people still believe that there's something inherent about the bodies of african-americans

that causes african-american children and infants to encounter difficulties from birth. but it's not true. genetics don't govern this. what governs this is experience of the fetus. black children in the womb, fetuses, are already assailed by many things that they're going to encounter once they're born. environmental toxins can perpetuate, can not only harm the fetus you're carrying but the fetus that your daughter ends up carrying. living in an environment where there's a lot of environmental toxins, heavy metals, lead, even pathogens, mercury. living there is not a choice. people don't choose to live in those areas. people live in those areas because they've been hoarsed to live there. not only has racial segregation in housing not ended, it's actually increased. and their children pay a cost. unfortunately, the prenatal counseling that should warn women about these dangers often does not address these dangers in the very women who have the

highest rates. and by not warning them, that silence can be very deadly. it's not race, it's racism. race itself has no biological reality, but it does have a social reality. that social reality causes people to be treated differently. >> solutions that we've come up so far for many generations have been to tell black people what we should do differently. we should finish school, we should go to the doctor, we should exercise, we should get married, we should plan our pregnancies. and what the data is showing us is that even when we do all of those things, we're still more likely to die in childbirth, even when we have a high school or college education, or even when we have wealth. when people still see us as broken, they don't listen to us, they don't value us, they don't trust us. we don't get our pain evaluated in a timely manner, we don't get our symptoms treated in a timely manner. we're more likely to bleed to death, more likely to have a heart attack, more likely to

have a blood clot that does not get evaluated. >> i learned i was pregnant the week before christmas. screamed and cried, so excited and happy. she is going to be 30 in august. her fiance is abroad in london, studying law. he's been very involved. everyone's so excited and happy for the baby. >> i don't think i've ever seen anyone more thrilled to be expecting. he's just so excited. immediately jumped into, okay, so what books do i need to read, what websites do i need to have? so many apps. >> she did have prenatal care. she would follow all her appointments, do everything they asked her to do. she would walk in and say, oh, the boy's doing great. she liked to call him the boy. the boy's doing great today. >> she was so excited. she was nervous a bit about some of the realities of what we know about this. but she seemed so confident, that like, okay, i've done everything, and it's going to be

okay, that you know, when that chain of events started in june, it just -- yeah. it was -- i think that's also part of why it was so shocking is because it's like, this is fine, it's perfect, she's doing great, she's happy, she's healthy, everything's good. and then -- >> so this is a mixed emotion piece for me. it's nice to see her handwriting. and here, this is aretha's birthday. august 20th was supposed to be baby's due date. >> child came eight weeks early. eight weeks earlier than he should have. that tuesday morning, aretha called me and said they were going to take the baby by c-section because they wanted as much movement as they wanted, they didn't want to take chances with the baby. by the time i got to the hospital, the baby was already

out. >> c-section, contrary to popular cultural belief, huge, major surgery, people don't realize you're getting split open at the mid-part of your body, going through to your very innermost organs. it's hard to do anything. to move, to do anything after, for a while. >> she had to choose to be sent home that friday. because the baby came early, they took the baby to the nicu, and she would spend two to three hours or more with him. she sent me a picture with her and the baby. then the tuesday we were planning to leave around 1:00, going to see the baby during the day. and -- and then everything just went the opposite direction. while we were getting ready, she was about to take a shower. then she fainted. about 20 minutes after -- she fainted again.

and we decided, let's go to the e.r., because this is unusual, that you fainted twice in that short time span. and so we got in the car and we went, and she had like a few seizures, a few short seizures in the van. i don't know how many seizures, she just, you know -- then we got to the hospital, and -- she kept saying, mommy, can you please come with me? and they kept saying, no, hospital policy, you can't go with her. and she just kept saying, mommy,

can you please come with me? that's the last thing she said to me. >> oh, i'm sorry, sorry, sorry. okay, okay, all right, all right. okay, it's okay now. it's okay. >> i remember being angry. i was very angry at --

incredibly angry that this happened, after everything we did to plan, after every precaution was taken, after every step that we took, after every class, after every -- everything. that this was still the outcome. not just, you know, she had some injury, or she had -- that she's dead. like, gone. and not here. to be her child's mother, that she was so excited about. and not here to marry the person she loved. and not here to be the amazing friend and daughter and colleague that she is. colleague that she is. but just gone.

touches, , even after multe keeps killing bacteria for 24 hours. i trust microban 24 to keep killing bacteria for 24-hours. now roomba vacuums exactly where you need it. hey google, tell roomba to vacuum the kitchen counter. and offers personalized cleaning suggestions for a clean unique to you and your home. roomba and the irobot home app. only from irobot. dove moisture renew blendshing is different. these beads represent dove moisturizers and work with your skin to produce new moisturizers. unlike others, that don't. proven lasting care for the skin you live in.

and mine's unlisted.. try boost® high protein... -with 20 grams of protein for muscle health- -versus only 16 grams in ensure® high protein. and now enjoy boost® high protein in new café mocha flavor. vicks vapopatch. easy to wear with soothing vicks vapors for her, for you, for the whole family. trusted soothing vapors, from vicks unlike ordinary memory want supplements-ter? neuriva has clinically proven ingredients that fuel 5 indicators of brain performance. memory, focus, accuracy, learning, and concentration. try our new gummies for 30 days and see the difference.

...this one's for you. you inspired us to make your humira experience even better... with humira citrate-free. it has the same effectiveness you know and trust, but we removed the citrate buffers, there's less liquid, and a thinner needle... with less pain immediately following injection. ask your doctor about humira citrate-free. and you can use your co-pay card to pay as little as $5 a month. humira can lower your ability to fight infections. serious and sometimes fatal infections,... ...including tuberculosis, and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened,... ...as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems,... ...serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure.

tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common... and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections,... or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. ask your doctor about humira citrate-free. the same humira you trust with less pain immediately following injection. if you can't afford your medicine, abbvie may be able to help.

♪ there's no reason why black women in this country are dying at four times the rate of death in childbirth? it's got a victorian ring to it. we should not be worrying about that anymore, yet we are. there's lack of urgency for a long time, but i'm happy to see now people are seeing it as urgent. i'd like to see it as even more urgent. so urgent that we are not content to do the hand wringing but are focused on the possible,

all the possible risk factors. >> the hard part for our movement for black maternal health has been to think of racism as a root cause, to shaming black people when it comes to poor outcomes. i think the black lives matter movement made room for this conversation. talking about the impact of racism in police violence and mass incarceration, it's easier for people to hear me talk about it when it comes to babies and mamas. the language i'm using is the same language. our hope is with this movement we've been doing around moms and babies, it helps people see the same underlying oppressions are also causing police violence and mass incarceration. >> the beauty also of this moment is that people are stepping up. so many of my ob-gyn colleagues are like, i talk to my patients and i know racism is harmful, and i am fighting for them, and they know i am fighting for them. people are saying, we're going to undo this.

>> she was an amazing human being, arika. she was warm, she was outgoing. she truly understood what it is to love god and love people, in the full sense. her brothers refer to it as, we had the near-perfect sister. when i talk about her i'm like, i have almost a near-perfect daughter. >> i look at the pictures in here, go through my phone, and each time that i look at cordell, as much as i love my pictures, it knocks the wind out of me. to be able to see somebody that i used to kiss, hold hands, walk with, love.

we planned to do so many things. you know, just get to the next chapter of life. and the fact that she's not here and i have to do this without her and be reminded of videos, and i can hear her voice, it stinks. i don't dread anything, but i wonder how i'll be the day they ask me about their mama. hopefully we'll be able to do something to help some other people. right, baby? is often unseen. because the pain you're feeling could be a sign of irreversible joint damage.

every day you live with pain, swelling, and stiffness... you risk not being able to do the things you love. especially in these times, it's important to keep up with your rheumatologist. schedule an appointment today. but what about afoods creamy chicken sautee? it's important to keep up with your rheumatologist. salad, sure, but what about a pasta bake? whatever's left in your fridge you can do more with best foods than you think. see the possibilities at bestfoods.com secret stops sweat 3x more ♪yo yo yo yo yo yo start your day with secret. than ordinary antiperspirants. with secret you're unstoppable. no sweat. try it and love it or get your money back. secret. ♪ all strength, no sweat i promise you i will lead. my plan lowers health care costs, gets us to universal coverage quickly - when americans desperately need it

- by making it less expensive for americans to choose plans with lower deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses, by lowering prescription drug prices, by ending the practice of so called "surprise billings." when i'm president i will take of your health care coverage and your family the same way i would my own. i'm joe biden, and i approve this message. a blast of immune support and the confidence to take on the day. i'm joe biden, that's why airborne is the only #1 pharmacist recommended immune support brand. airborne. your daily dose of confidence. each febreze car vent clip gives you up to 30 days of fresh air. so, you can have open window freshness... even with all the windows up. enjoy fresh, any time, with febreze.

but i can't say i expected this. because it was easy. to fight these fires, we need funding - plain and simple. for this crisis, and for the next one. prop 15 closes tax loopholes so rich corporations pay their fair share of taxes. so firefighters like me, have what we need to do the job, and to do it right. the big corporations want to keep their tax loopholes. it's what they do. well, i do what i do. if you'ld like to help, join me and vote yes on prop 15.

and the veterans that never quit on their team. when being a fan gets tough, and stretching your budget gets even tougher... ...our agents put in the time and legwork for you, ...so saving on auto insurance is easy. because saving a little extra goes a long way. usaa. what you're made of, we're made for.

♪