Being Black and pregnant in the United States? Like being a Black man pulled over at a traffic stop. Scary.
An expecting mother tells us so. The story here is many, but at its simplest, Aftershock is about Black American women dying around childbirth; how; why; and what their loved ones and community are doing about it. It is without a doubt a distressing topic.
But just as a good parent does when speaking with their child about the facts of life, this movie delivers its message to us with empathy and stoicism. Its subjects—our stars in a cold, seemingly unforgiving space—shine bright. Their reactions to tumult are creating positive energy; power for the powerless. Stars indeed.
The statistics are appalling and scary: Black American mothers die around childbirth at an alarmingly high rate, at a disproportionately high rate compared to other women in the United States, and in a country which itself already has disproportionately high rates of maternal mortality around childbirth compared to other rich nations.
That’s a lot to take in. First, we spend time with Shamony. With Amber Rose. These two young women were ready to raise the future, and home video captures some intimate moments of their family and promise. What a joy life can be!
And then we lose them.
Why? Experts at medical schools, hospitals, and non-hospital birthing centers weigh in. A bit of old-fashioned interpersonal racism here, a bit of a healthcare complex that incentivizes faulty algorithms, quick turnaround, and drug-induced surgeries there. A big business which (rather like a fast food chain) advertises happiness while providing product that’s cheap, quick, and unhealthy.
So is it all sadness? No. We follow Omari and Kevin, who Shamony and Amber Rose left behind. They create art and spread the word, respectively. They help other people process and grieve and learn and be held accountable. Shamony’s mother, Shawnee—herself a healthcare professional—speaks in a manner so composed and powerful and insightful. Helena Grant, CNM and Dr. Neel Shah teach us about empathy and history and paths forward. Seeing these people is inspiring and makes me proud.
How lovely, to see people create power out of pain. And yet, the better thing would’ve been that this pain never happened. Death is natural, but negligence is preventable. To make sure none of this happens again, then, we need to first listen. And so Aftershock is for us a gift.