Partnership Film Screening Provides Space for Important Dialogue Around Maternal Health Disparities

At the end of September, nearly 100 members of the Henry Ford, MSU, and the local community registered for the third Henry Ford + MSU Health Equity Film Series featuring “Black Motherhood Through the Lens.” The evening included a special screening of the film and a candid conversation on the maternal health disparities that Black women face daily.

“It is the partnership’s goal to make sure these events are intergenerational and offer the space to have the informative, purposeful but difficult dialogues around health disparities,” said Marita Gilbert, Ph.D., who serves as the Henry Ford + MSU DEIJ Committee chair and is the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine associate dean of Diversity and Campus Inclusion.”

Leading that dialogue with Gilbert was the film’s Producer and Filmmaker, Adeiyewunmi (Ade) Osinubi, M.D., and an experienced Obstetrician-Gynecologist and Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine Alum, Anissa Mattison, D.O.

“I'm grateful that we had a platform to have this discussion so that more women can see that it is safe to discuss your experiences with each other in the wider community,” said Mattison, who specializes in the female reproductive system, providing comprehensive care for women during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postpartum period.

An award-winning documentary, the film follows four Black women's experiences navigating the reproductive and maternal healthcare system from conception to postpartum. And despite the challenges these four Black women experience they boldly pursue their dreams of Black motherhood.

“I was grateful for Dr. Ade sharing her thoughts and answering the questions so candidly,” shared one audience member as well as others echoing the sentiment of the evening’s sincere conversation held between the panel and audience.

Part of that conversation included Osinubi sharing how her work highlights the stories of minoritized population. An emergency medicine resident physician at the University of Pennsylvania, Osinubi is passionate about raising awareness around health inequities and amplifying the voices of minoritized communities in medicine and beyond.

“When people view the film, I hope they take away the message to listen and believe Black women,” said Osinubi, whose middle name, Enitan, means “storyteller.”

This listening and believing encompasses understanding that Black women are 2 times more likely than white women to experience postpartum depression (Medical News Today) or that Black women are 2-4 times more likely than white women to die from pregnancy related causes (Center for Disease Control and Prevention).

“It was nice to be able to see throughout the film the spectrum that many black women go through,” said Krista Walker, Ph.D., Michigan State University College of Nursing DEI Assistant Dean. “But I think what the film also highlights well is how much further the dialogue needs to go to understand the full range that black birthing people experience.”

The evening sparked that dialogue and provided the opportunity for faculty, staff, and students to feel comfortable asking difficult questions that they may not have asked in a typical work or classroom setting.

“We hope this film series has been a space for those to participate in the dialogue around health disparities,” said Gilbert. “And we hope to offer more opportunities for that dialogue to continue in the near future.”

This Henry Ford + MSU event was sponsored by the Henry Ford + MSU DEIJ Committee and Michigan State University College of Nursing.