Jack Turman and Tyan Parker Dominguez
Photo/Francesca Rhodes

Scientists, doctors, politicians and community members must work together in order to save black babies, concluded a panel of USC experts who participated in a forum to discuss the persistently high rates of infant mortality, preterm delivery and low birth weight among African Americans.

“This is not a black problem,” said Jack Turman, director of the USC Center for Premature Infant Health and Development. “We might be losing a person who can change the world. Everybody has that potential; everyone deserves an equal chance.”

About 150 people attended the Nov. 5 community forum at The California Endowment, a downtown Los Angeles-based health foundation that focuses on expanding access to affordable, quality health care for underserved individuals and communities.

The event began with Turman giving an overview of the issue, citing statistics documenting how black babies have died at twice the rate of white babies since the 1850s.

Infant mortality is defined as the number of deaths of infants within the first year of life, per 1,000 live births. For whites, four out of 1,000 infants die; for African Americans, 10 out of 1,000 infants die.

“Black infant mortality rates are no better today than they were during the Civil War era,” said Turman, also an associate professor at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. “This is unacceptable to scientists. This is unacceptable to Americans.”

The group then viewed “When the Bough Breaks,” part of the PBS documentary series Unnatural Causes … Is Inequality Making Us Sick? The segment further highlighted the problem of racial disparities.

According to research, although birth outcomes are generally better for those with higher education and income, black women with college degrees are more likely to give birth prematurely than white women who have not finished high school.

The documentary suggests that racism may play a part. Tyan Parker Dominguez, assistant professor at the USC School of Social Work who studies the issue, agreed that racism is taking a heavy toll on children even before they leave the womb. Experiencing racism, directly or indirectly, can trigger an emotional and a physiological response, she said.

Parker Dominguez, who is featured in the series and was the lead organizer of the forum, explained that with the “fight or flight” response, the body reacts to stress by releasing stress hormones that ready the body to defend itself. During the normal course of pregnancy, levels of these same stress hormones rise; once they reach a certain level, the body is signaled to begin labor. Women who are under a great deal of stress, particularly chronic and uniquely distressing threats such as racism, may reach that tipping point for labor to begin sooner than expected, she said.

Being exposed to and being the victim of racism over a lifetime also can possibly affect a fetus that has yet to be conceived, said Parker Dominguez, who added that chronic engagement of the body’s stress response can lead to physiological wear and tear on a body, which increases health risks.

Parker Dominguez referred to research that indicates that African American women’s bodies age faster than those of white women. This so-called “weathering” increases the risk for poor pregnancy outcomes.

“The body ages faster because black women are subjected to the chronic threat of social disadvantages due to racism,” she said.

Panelist Lavonna Blair Lewis, a clinical associate professor at the USC School of Policy, Planning, and Development, emphasized the importance of educating the community on the political process and ways to effectively influence policy decisions in order to promote social equity.

Community members expressed outrage, shock and sadness in response to the information learned from the panelists and the PBS documentary.

Georgina Serrano works mostly with pregnant Hispanic teenagers at the Esperanza Community Housing Corp., a community development organization in Los Angeles.

She said she was surprised to learn that this problem has existed for so long.

“It is the responsibility of everyone to help every single woman, no matter the color,” she said. “It is our responsibility as humans.”

Marilyn Flynn, dean of the USC School of Social Work, was on hand to support the cause. She commended the panel and audience for coming together in an effort to discuss solutions.

“Unequal distribution of resources in society results in unequal health outcomes in different populations,” Flynn said.

Flynn agreed with the panel about the seriousness of the issue, but she was optimistic that with the help of all stakeholders, including the community at large, progress can be made toward equality for all. She assured the group that USC, the School of Social Work and the Center for Premature Infant Health and Development are committed to solving social problems.

The forum was one of dozens across the country focusing on inequality and health since the PBS series aired earlier this year. The documentary investigates the stories and findings that are shaking up conventional notions about what makes individuals healthy or sick.

The event was sponsored by the USC School of Social Work and the USC Center for Premature Infant Health and Development. Community partners included the March of Dimes Greater Los Angeles, the Pasadena Black Infant Health Program, the Pasadena Birthing Project, Los Angeles Black Infant Health and the California Black Women’s Health Project.

Wenonah Valentine is featured in an article titled "Mentoring Matters" in the Fall Issue of Black MBA magazine:

Original article

January 27, 2008

Doctor 'disgusted' by infant mortality

By Nic Corbett
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER

Black babies have been dying at twice the rate of white babies since the Civil War, a speaker said Saturday at a forum on infant death.

And some social scientists say the racial disparity has worsened since the period of slavery, said Dr. Jack Turman, an associate professor from the University of Southern California.

"I am disgusted this has lasted for 150 years," Turman said.

In Leon County, black babies died at nearly four times the rate of white babies in 2006, according to statistics from the Florida Department of Health.

Turman was one of several speakers at a forum sponsored by the Florida A&M University Black Infant Health Alliance, which was formed in December to decrease infant deaths in Leon County. The event was at the FAMU College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences.

"We wanted to give a snapshot of some of the things we're doing in the Tallahassee-Leon area," said Dr. Joseph Webster, co-chair of the alliance.

Turman, a neuroscientist, said black women have much higher levels of stress than women of other ethnic groups. That high stress level has a negative effect on their babies once they become pregnant.

Webster said that stress is caused by the racism black women continue to encounter in their lives.

"We have to step up to the plate and start taking responsibility for this," Turman said.

Paradoxically, the racial disparity in infant-mortality rates is worse among women of higher socio-economic status, he said.

Pre-term delivery, which increased 30 percent from 1980 to 2004, is the leading cause of infant death, Turman said. About 100,000 preemies born annually will suffer long-term problems, he said. This costs the U.S. health-care system at least $26 billion a year.

However, Turman said the issue of infant death has been given a low priority nationally.

Webster said the issue was first raised locally in 2004 in an editorial written by Dr. Ed Holifield, which stated that the infant-death rate in Tallahassee was 53 percent higher in the black community than the white community.

Turman founded the Center for Premature Infant Health and Development at USC. He gave detailed, practical advice to FAMU faculty and students in the audience about how to launch a similar center at their university.

A member of the audience, FAMU graduate student Cynthia Ulysse, 23, said she was impressed with how passionate the speakers were about the issue.

"This problem doesn't get enough recognition, and it's really a big problem," she said.

Contact reporter Nic Corbett at (850) 599-2161 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

CHAMPION PROFILE
Better Birth Outcomes with
Wenonah Valentine
This August, Wenonah Valentine will celebrate her 11th year as executive director of the Pasadena Birthing Project (PBP).  PBP is an organization focused on maintaining a collaborative network of Sister Friend mentors, also known as the "Underground Railroad for New Life," who help encourage better birth outcomes for women by providing practical support during pregnancy and up to a year after the baby's birth. 
     A respected opinion leader regarding racial and ethnic health disparities, Ms. Valentine works to build communities with greater compassion. She is an alumna of the California Endowment's "Women's Health Leadership" program and has served as a trained facilitator for the United Way-funded Motheread/Fatheread ® program since 1997, helping parents explore and personalize the meanings of classic and multicultural stories.
     Ms. Valentine holds a BA with double majors in Black Studies and Economics from the University of California, Santa Barbara, and earned a Master's Degree in Business Administration from Azusa Pacific University.
     She is the mother of one adult son and resides in Los Angeles County.

Which book has most influenced your life?
Daily, I read the one-year Bible and listen to the New Testament on CD read by James Earl Jones.

What makes you happy?
I love to see pregnant black women embraced and protected by their families.

Which historical figure do you admire most and why?
Harriet Tubman traveled below the Mason-Dixon Line and ensured safe passage for more than 200 enslaved men, women and children into freedom.

Which living person do you most admire and why?
For 33 years, my son has represented God's love and hope in my life; in turn, I reciprocate that power into my work. 

Who was your favorite teacher and why?
As a freshman at Saint Mary's Academy (Inglewood, CA), Sister Mary Andre challenged me and I entered the world of public speaking.

What is your motto?
George Washington Carver said, "How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of both the weak and the strong; because someday in life, you will have been one or all of these."

Birthing Project Matches
Women to Reduce Preterm Birth
If you've ever been pregnant, you know the importance of having a reliable support system. Having someone help you through the stress of pregnancy can be crucial for the health of mother and child. But because not all women have that special someone, organizations like the Pasadena Birthing Project step in. A local chapter of Birthing Project USA, the Pasadena project was founded in 1994 to support local pregnant women, specifically in the African American community, which has the highest rate of preterm births compared to other groups.
Utilizing the black community's wise woman or "big mamma" concept, the Project paired trained volunteer mentors called "sister friends" with pregnant women of any age to provide a cross section of personal and professional assistance, including health care education, social service referral and advocacy.
"Sister friends are like extended family members with a special toolkit of important knowledge," says Wenonah Valentine, executive director of the local Pasadena chapter. Valentine trains each "sister friend" in health literacy, community leadership, and active engagement.
Susie Dixon, a sister friend with the Project since 1997 has mentored three women. "I loved these girls like they were my family," says Dixon, now Godmother to her last mentee's set of twins. Dixon, 62 and a small business owner, helped her first mentee cope with an abusive relationship with her babies' father and helped her last through a series of medical complications, including the babies' low birth weight.
The numbers speak to the need for such support. In L.A. County, almost 15 percent of African American babies are preterm - three percent more than the average. Moreover, "the rate of preterm births among this community is two to three times higher than the national statistic," says Dr. Jack Turman, Jr. founder of the Center for Premature Infant Health and Development at the USC Keck School of Medicine.
Valentine has partnered with Dr. Turman to be sure that all mentors have up-to-date knowledge on how to help their mentee's avoid preterm birth.
The Birthing Project is currently enhancing and expanding the project through a three-tiered, Sister Friend Leadership training academy and hopes to extend its reach into the City of L.A. The First 5 LA-funded Hyde Park School Readiness Center will be bringing the Project to their community soon.
To learn more about Birthing Project USA visit www.birthingprojectusa.com or call Wenonah Valentine at (323) 732-1350.