Dr. Janell Green Smith was a midwife, a maternal health advocate, and a fighter for Black women’s lives. She spent her career working to reduce racial disparities in birth outcomes — helping mothers feel seen, heard, and safe.

She knew the risks. She spoke about them often.

And yet, on January 1, 2026 — just days after giving birth to her first child — Janell died from complications her own advocacy warned us about.

Her worst fear came true.

Janell developed pre-eclampsia, a life-threatening but treatable condition. She gave birth via C-section, appeared to be recovering, then suffered a medical emergency and died after her surgical incision ruptured. Her daughter, Eden, remains in the NICU.

Janell was just 31.

Her death is not an isolated tragedy — it is part of a national crisis.

Black women in the U.S. are more than three times as likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women. This disparity exists regardless of income or education. It is driven by systemic racism, implicit bias, and unequal access to quality care.

It is long past time to act.

We are calling on:

• The Trump administration and HHS to declare Black maternal mortality a national public health priority
• Congress to fully fund and implement the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act
• States to expand postpartum Medicaid coverage to 12 months and invest in community-based midwifery care
• Hospitals and health systems to be held accountable when preventable deaths like Janell’s occur.

Janell died trying to change the system — and was failed by that very system. We must ensure her daughter grows up in a country that protects Black mothers, not buries them.

Sign this petition to honor Dr. Janell Green Smith by demanding real action — now — on Black maternal health.

Photo: Henry Taylor for NBC News