During Black Maternal Mental Health Week, Black Girl Vitamins, a Chicago-based wellness brand, released a film that examines how systemic failures in healthcare drive inequities in maternal health and beyond.
The popular vitamin company unveiled The Visit, a short film that shines a light on an all-too-familiar reality for many Black women: having their pain, symptoms, and concerns dismissed by the healthcare system, with hopes to spark a necessary conversation while advancing its commitment to science-backed solutions; serving as a trusted source of information and building sustained strategic partnerships with organizations and institutions working to improve health outcomes for Black women.
The Visit follows four Black women at different stages of life, revealing how repeated experiences of medical dismissal shape their health journeys. Through interconnected stories, the film illustrates how these cumulative experiences contribute to health inequities—including Black maternal mortality—within a healthcare system that too often fails to listen to Black women.
“The Visit is rooted in Black Girl Vitamins’ purpose to ensure Black women feel seen, heard, and supported in their health journeys,” said Jennifer Juma, Chief Strategy Officer at Black Girl Vitamins “It extends that mission by sparking an honest, necessary conversation and raising awareness around critical issues like Black maternal health, medical bias, and the importance of truly listening to Black women.”
The film demonstrates how a single medical encounter can echo across a Black woman’s life, revealing how delayed care, implicit bias, and dismissed symptoms can compound over time and, in some cases, lead to life-threatening consequences.
Black Girl Vitamins is extending the impact of The Visit through a strategic collaboration with Mamatoto Village to help drive meaningful change in Black maternal healthcare. Through this collaboration, the work will center on elevating the lived experiences of Black women, engaging key stakeholders, and advancing greater equity, accountability, and improved maternal health outcomes. The Visit marks the first in a broader series of conversation-led initiatives from Black Girl Vitamins designed to elevate Black women’s voices, inspire meaningful dialogue, and advance a future where every Black woman is heard, believed, and receives the quality care she deserves.
Watch the film here.