Annie Menzel discusses her book, Fatal Denial Racism and the Political Life of Black Infant Mortality. Drawing on her own experience as a midwife as inspiration, Prof. Menzel lays out the history of white innocence, flawed racial science, and the cult of true babyhood all contribute to real violence to black maternal outcomes. As overt racist practices gave way to more systemic biases, they seamlessly perpetuated black infanticide by blaming Black mothers and communities themselves. While the answers to these issues seem self-evident, the current political climate threatens any advancements achieved in the last 20 years.

Dr. Annie Menzel is Professor of Gender and Women’s Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison