Misogynoir in Medicine
A three-part docuseries following Black women’s healthcare experiences through Birth, Life, and Death.
What is “Misogynoir?”
Coined by Dr. Moya Bailey (professor, author, and our director), “misogynoir” describes the unique combination of negative race and gender stereotypes that shape popular ideas about Black women. This specific combination of anti-Black racist and misogynistic representation in visual culture and digital spaces determine how the world sees and experiences Black women and people read as Black women, resulting in real material consequences in their lives. Black women have some of the worst health outcomes in the country, regardless of their income, medical history or educational attainment.This documentary explores the ways misogynoir shapes the experiences of Black women who give and receive care in all sectors of our healthcare system.
Misogynoir in Medicine pushes back on the notion that Black women need to be doing more as individuals to support their health. Many studies lament the disparities in care but few offer concrete solutions nor look to the work that is already being done to address some of these disparities.
Misogynoir in Medicine is a three-part documentary series that follows the three major transitions of life - Birth, Life, and Death - through exploring Black women's experiences of these different moments that bring them in contact with the medical system of the United States. This documentary will investigate Black women provider, patient, and advocate experiences within the US healthcare system in an effort to propose new practices and protocols to address deep disparities in care. Each of the three parts of the series highlights a different advocate that is working to make material change in the health outcomes connected to misogynoir during each of the three stages of life described.
Part I: Birth
The first part in the series highlights the way that anti-Black racist misogyny affects birth outcomes for Black women, people read as Black women, and their children. We follow Detroit-based birth advocate Leseliey Welch in her efforts to build Birth Detroit, a birth center for Black birthing people in the city. Despite ample research that shows midwives are an essential part of safe deliveries, the US has disinvested in midwifery and has actively worked to medicalize childbirth.
Part II: Life
Black women should not be scared to go to the doctor and should not be harmed when they do so. Unfortunately, that is not the case. The statistics for Black women's health outcomes are abysmal and a way to shift this reality is by creating an experience of healthcare that is rooted in joy, love, and abundance.
Part III: Death
MiM closely examines end-of-life and hospice care for Black women. This episode will feature an interview with chaplain Zeena Regis, who explains how misogynoir shows up in the end-of-life care people experience in hospice settings. These are but two examples of the kind of interviews that the subsequent parts of the series hold.