This story was originally published on Dec. 27, 2023. Neo-soul trailblazer D’Angelo, whose music defined a generation, died Tuesday after a “prolonged and courageous battle with cancer,” according to his family. He was 51. DJ Premier mourned the singer on X, writing, “Such a sad loss to the passing of D’Angelo. We have so many […]
Margo Snipe
Margo Snipe was a health reporter at Capital B. Twitter @margoasnipe
Posted inHealth, News, Politics & Policy, Reproductive Health
The Black Reproductive Justice Leaders in a Post-Dobbs Era
Unknowns loom, and uncertainty lingers. It’s been two years since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, striking down the federal right to an abortion, limiting access in many states, and potentially exacerbating disparities in who’s most likely to suffer severe complications in maternal health and die. Women wonder whether their doctors should know […]
Posted inHealth
This Innovation Could Revolutionize Kidney Care of Black Patients
When the news hit this spring that the first genetically modified pig kidney was successfully transplanted into a 62-year-old Black man in Massachusetts, medical and health communities celebrated. It lifted hopes about saving lives amid donation shortages — and opened a door of hope for reducing the health disparities that persist within organ failures and […]
Posted inMaternal Health
Black Artists Respond to Increased Restrictions on Reproductive Rights
It took years for Beverly McIver to come back to the photo she snapped at the North Carolina Museum of Art. A woman had walked by completely naked, coated with black paint and outlines of flowers down her body. She was blending into the painting behind her. McIver, stunned in that moment, didn’t know that […]
Posted inHealth, Maternal Health
The Maternal Mortality Rate Dipped For Black Women. The Reason Is Complicated.
After a sharp rise in the number of women dying in childbirth, which was likely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, new data shows that the mortality rate is returning to pre-coronavirus levels and the racial disparities in who’s most likely to die remain. The rate for 2022 was 22.3 deaths per 100,000 live births, a […]
Posted inHealth, Reproductive Health
What Florida’s 6-Week Abortion Ban Signals to the Rest of Us
Abortion attacks aren’t slowing down as Florida’s six-week ban goes into effect and Arizona’s Supreme Court recently paved the way to reinforce a Civil War-era law that criminalizes nearly all abortions. The consequences could be catastrophic for Black reproductive health, exacerbating existing disparities in access to care and alarming rates of maternal mortality, advocates and […]
Posted inHealth, Politics & Policy
Black Families Left at Risk as U.S. Delays Menthol Cigarette Ban
When the Biden administration quietly let its deadline to approve a ban on menthol cigarettes pass earlier this year, advocates condemned the lack of action, urging public health officials to move forward on a decision that could save up to 654,000 lives over the next 40 years. But on Friday, the administration officially delayed the […]
Posted inMaternal Health, Reproductive Health
What Comes Next in the Battle for Emergency Abortion Care Access
When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, the media flooded with cases of women who had been denied abortion care during emergency situations, putting their lives at risk. Whether pregnant patients have the constitutional right to abortion care when their health is severely at risk is at the heart of Idaho […]
Posted inHealth, Politics & Policy
This Lawsuit May Decide the Fate of Menthol Cigarettes
Years of progress toward a federal ban on menthol cigarettes and flavored tobacco has been an intense game of legal maneuvering and White House delays — and two Black-led organizations are among the latest plaintiffs hoping their lawsuit forces the Biden administration’s hand. “We know that everyday it’s delayed, there are more Black children getting […]
Posted inEconomy, Money
How ‘Bidenomics’ May Not Be Adding Up for Some Black Americans
Tyler McFadden hoped a college degree would help her land a well-paying career in politics, but the 31-year-old didn’t expect it would come with hefty debt, poor credit, job instability, and anxiety, she says. After earning a bachelor’s degree in American Studies from George Washington University in 2014, McFadden became a bartender. With limited income, […]