"She joined the county's Black Infant Health program, which in her words, "became extended family," checking on her and connecting her to other resources before and after her son Kristopher's birth."
"She crawled down a hallway of her residence in pain so intense she could not walk and was driven to Kaiser Redwood City, where staff told her she was not ready to give birth and insisted she return home. "I don't feel safe going home. I can't walk ... something is clearly happening," she said. As they prepared to send her home, she stood up and her water broke all over their feet, forcing the nurse to admit she was in active labor."
Kwanzaa's Umoja calls for unity to confront threats to existence. In Santa Clara and San Mateo counties, Black infant deaths rose from 7.9 to 8.3 per 1,000 births while Black residents comprise roughly 2% of the population. Black mothers die from pregnancy-related causes at 69 per 100,000 births, four to nearly nine times higher than other groups. Without united action, Black communities risk disappearing. One San Jose resident, Kenyatta Yarn, followed recommended prenatal care, found a Black OB-GYN, and joined the Black Infant Health program. During labor in 2021, medical staff dismissed her pain until her water broke, and no apology followed.
Read at San Jose Spotlight
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