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If it’s important, teach us: accountability in education on structural racism

Journal of Perinatology volume 41, pages 367–369 (2021)Cite this article

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Black infants in the United States are dying at a rate more than double that of White infants, with the neonatal mortality rate in 2017 reported as 7.16 infants per 1000 live births in Black infants compared to 3.04 per 1000 births in White infants [1]. Women of color are more than twice as likely to deliver before 34 weeks gestation and almost three times as likely to deliver a very low birth weight infant. In 2018, only two-thirds of Black women received prenatal care within their first trimester, compared to ~82% of White and Asian women [2].

What is described above details the alarming statistics that mirror the larger societal issue of structural racism that has risen to the forefront of national discourse. Protestors and activists around the world are calling attention to centuries-long injustices woven into the matrix of daily life in the United States. These are not new topics. Explorations of segregated neighborhoods and unequal access to quality education have been discussed for decades. The longtime issue of police violence against minorities has recently received increased recognition, due in part to cell phones serving as ubiquitous recording devices. Paralleling these societal injustices, healthcare inequality continues to disproportionately affect people of color across the age spectrum, including newborns. Despite the undeniable health impact of inequities rooted in racism, these issues remain underrepresented in medical education.

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  1. Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Duke University, 2424 Erwin Road–Hock Plaza, 5th floor 5035 C, Durham, NC, USA

    Sharla Rent

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  1. Sharla Rent
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Correspondence to Sharla Rent.

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Rent, S. If it’s important, teach us: accountability in education on structural racism. J Perinatol 41, 367–369 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-020-00811-y

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