In our first What Else Happened? episode of 2018, Rewire managing editors Regina Mahone and Kat Jercich discuss the disproportionately high rates of maternal mortality among women of color in Texas, the Trump administration’s latest moves against trans students, and how Chicago is putting religious restrictions above patient access to care. Plus, Kat talks to Sonia Chopra about a Black student in Mason, Ohio, facing racist comments from his white social studies teacher—and what his mother is doing about it.

An edited excerpt:

Kat: There’s also the issue of injustices Black patients experience while in the care of medical professionals, right?

Regina: Yes, so this issue has gained more exposure in the wake of Serena Williams’ Vogue cover story, in which the star shared her birth experience of having to advocate for herself to receive the care she needed to survive.

Kat: Black women have long said that they are often not believed in medical settings, and the reports supporting their claims are piling up.

Regina: The Texas Tribune report adds to this growing body of evidence showing health systems and legislative bodies are not doing enough to support pregnant people.

Recommended Reading:

• Sickened by Oppression: Mourning the Loss of Another Black Mother, Erica Garner, by Jessica Roach for Rewire, January 2018
• Dangerous Deliveries, by Marissa Evans (with Chris Essig) for The Texas Tribune, January 2018
• White Teacher Threatens Black Student With ‘Lynching’ If He Doesn’t Stay on Top of His Homework, by Sonia Chopra for HuffPost
• Trump Admin to Transgender Kids: We Won’t Deal With Your Civil Rights Complaints, by Rebecca Klein for HuffPost, January 2018

Transcript (PDF)