I’m starting this year the way I finished last year; thinking about Erica Garner and her baby.
In reading about the hows-and-whys of her death, I read that Erica had a heart attack not long after giving birth. This is not the heart attack that killed her, but another one. So when I say that Erica’s death should be counted in the Black maternal mortality statistics, I mean it.
Remember the old cliche “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”? Research shows that this is not true, especially for Black people–and Black women in particular.
What doesn’t break us outwardly, breaks us inwardly. In short…white supremacy/racism kills.
I’m out of words for now.
East Of Midnight 