The Visit: A Short Film on Medical Bias and Black Maternal Health
What happens when a doctor doesn't listen to their patient?
For many Black women, it's not just one frustrating appointment. This is often the beginning of a pattern that can shape their health for years to come.
The history of Black women's healthcare is deeply intertwined with medical exploitation and unequal treatment. Historians point to the experimentation performed on enslaved Black women during the development of modern gynecology and obstetrics, often without anesthesia because of the false belief that Black people experienced less pain (KFF).
Although medicine has advanced, research continues to show that racial bias in pain perception and treatment persists today, influencing how symptoms are evaluated and addressed.
Those experiences continue to affect trust in healthcare generations later.
The Reality Black Women Are Still Facing
Black women continuously face significant disparities throughout the healthcare system. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the maternal mortality rate for Black women was 50.3 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2023. This rate is three times more the rate for White women (14.5) and substantially higher than Hispanic (12.4) and Asian (10.7) women.
While maternal mortality is one of the most visible examples, many Black women report experiencing something much earlier and far more common: having their pain, symptoms, and concerns dismissed.
A 2025 State of Black Women's Health Survey of 2,000 women conducted by Black Girl Vitamins found that:
- 91% of women reported having a primary care provider.
- Yet only 35% said that provider is a Black physician.
- 93% believe their health outcomes would improve if there were more Black women medical practitioners.
- 50% said they have felt their health concerns were dismissed by a healthcare professional.
These findings reflect a broader national challenge. Although women represented 38% of active physicians in 2022, Black women make up only 2.8% of the U.S. physician workforce, limiting opportunities for many patients to receive culturally informed care. Experts have warned that this shortage is more than a representation issue, but a public health one (NLM).
Introducing The Visit
Black Girl Vitamins' new short film, "The Visit" follows four Black women at different stages of life, revealing how repeated experiences of medical dismissal shape their health journeys. Through interconnected stories, The Visit demonstrates how delayed care, implicit bias, and dismissed symptoms accumulate over time, contributing to health inequities, like Black maternal mortality.
The Visit invites viewers to reflect on their own healthcare experiences and encourages an honest conversation about what it means to truly listen to Black women.
Beyond Storytelling
To extend the impact of The Visit, Black Girl Vitamins has launched a strategic collaboration with Mamatoto Village, an organization dedicated to advancing Black maternal health through culturally responsive care and community-based support. The collaboration will help elevate the lived experiences of Black women, engage healthcare stakeholders, and advance greater equity, accountability, and improved maternal health outcomes.
BGV is also making a charitable donation to Dr. Shalon's Maternal Action Project (DSMAP), further investing in organizations working to improve Black maternal health and health equity.
Just the Beginning
The Visit marks the first in a broader series of conversation-led initiatives from Black Girl Vitamins designed to advocate for a future where every Black woman receives the quality care she deserves.
We invite you to watch The Visit, share it with your community, and join the conversation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OexrjtVbGXo.