There are stark health inequities, by race and ethnicity, in the percentage of women in New Jersey who receive any prenatal care, with Black mothers more than twice as likely to not receive any prenatal care compared to all other racial/ethnic groups.

Embedded within these persistent disparities are the ongoing effects of institutional racism—racism that began with the enslavement of Black people, was embedded in our earliest institutions, and has continued to influence policies and practices ever since, according to the National Institute for Children’s Health Quality.