How Kyesha Lindberg is Leading the Fight for Maternal Health Equity
Black Maternal Health continues to garner attention, thanks to the growing number of Black women speaking out about their mistreatment within the medical system. From the harmful myth that Black women have a higher pain tolerance—leading to their health concerns being dismissed—to systemic barriers limiting access to quality care, the issue has ignited a movement within the community. Melanin Thriving sat down with Kyesha ‘Ky’ Lindberg, VP of Community Engagement at the Georgia Health Initiative, a non-profit, non-partisan private foundation, to discuss her deep passion for Black maternal health and commitment to driving awareness and change in this critical area.
MT: What sparked your passion for Black Maternal Health?
“I am a racialized Black woman who has been gifted with the opportunity to mother three amazing young men and had experiences navigating pregnancy, birth, and postpartum that fueled my unwavering passion for Black Maternal Health.”
KL: It’s interesting; growing up, I would hear stories of how I was my mom's “miracle baby” and how she and I almost died when she was giving birth to me. I never thought to ask my mom if those events were unavoidable or if her blackness, Medicaid insurance, young age, and/or limited education factored into the trauma she experienced in navigating her motherhood journey. Like many things, I didn’t appreciate the wisdom and lessons behind my mom until I became a young mom.
My eldest was born 6 days before my 21st birthday, and despite the questionable prenatal care I received throughout my pregnancy, I was excited to give birth and meet my son. Like my mom, I was on Medicaid and experiencing poverty, but unlike her, I tried my best to read books and ask questions to prepare myself for delivery and the months following as a new mom. My experience was traumatizing; I was ignored, treated like a “thing” versus a human, and felt so invisible and under-supported. After my son was born, I was sent home with few resources and had to navigate depression, violence, and poverty while attempting to parent, heal, work, and obtain my degree. Needless to say, having a child was not something I wanted to do again after that.
Fast forward 12 years, and I had been fortunate enough to have a successful career, meet my husband, and have an expanded understanding of the type of support available to me should I decide to have more children.
My husband and I were pregnant and invested in a doula, a community midwife, and many other resources that I didn’t realize I needed. The beautiful and tragic part of my second pregnancy was that neither my financial positioning, insurance status, nor formal education shielded me from the systemic issues affecting Black Maternal Health outcomes in our country, BUT my self-advocacy and support systems did. Thanks to my husband, doula, and an incredible staff nurse midwife at my birthing hospital, together we tackled every hurdle, ensured my wishes were prioritized, and worked as active members in my care.
I learned that my experiences with my first childbirth weren’t unique and that far too many Black people experience childbirth feeling unnoticed, unheard, and unserved, which can be detrimental to their lives and the lives of their sweet babies. Those experiences sparked my passion for addressing the systematic barriers families face when attempting to preserve the health and well-being of themselves and their new baby.
MT: Thank you for sharing your story with us! Given your personal and professional experiences, what roles do social determinants of health—such as housing, education, and access to quality healthcare—play in supporting Black maternal health
KL: I want to lead by saying that the disparate maternal health outcomes we’ve observed in Georgia over the years are more far-reaching than a poor people’s issue. This is important to note because I don’t want us to conflate Blackness with being poor, which may at times fuel unhealthy stereotypes. In Georgia, agnostic of race, maternal health outcomes lag that of other states in the nation, ranking 45th or worse compared to the rest of the country for rates of maternal mortality for about the last decade.
The reasons for these outcomes are complex, with several factors contributing. These include our aging maternal health workforce which contributes to our provider shortages; constrained funding models to sustain our clinics and hospitals that have resulted in hospital closures, healthcare deserts, and so much more: and yes, the stark wealth inequities that contribute to limited access to affordable high-quality health insurance, housing insecurity, transportation barriers, and limited access to healthy, nutrient-dense foods, as well as other social determinants of health. This is further exacerbated if you live in a rural part of our state.
Now add in race, and Black people are twice as likely to die from maternal-related complications than their white counterparts. Black people experience higher incidents of systemic discrimination, implicit bias, and delayed recognition of risk and complications, which contribute to their higher rates of maternal deaths and morbidities. There have been a multitude of stories of celebrities, athletes, public health leaders, and everyday Black people experiencing unacceptable care that at best resulted in emotional or physical trauma and, at worst, them losing their lives when 80% of the time they’ve been deemed preventable. All this signals that this is solvable and systemic, and if we continue to prioritize addressing the maternal health inequities experienced by Black people, ALL people will benefit.
MT: Walk us through your journey in this field—what do you consider the most challenging and exciting aspects?
“I’ve enjoyed a 20-plus-year career in public service, and have developed specific expertise in maternal health and health equity within the past few years”
KL: The hardest part of my job is that there is universal agreement that maternal health is a critical issue, yet the pace at which we implement solutions to address systemic challenges is incredibly slow. More intimately, because this issue is so near to my heart, I often take on an unreasonable emotional load and elevated responsibility, which at times is hard to manage.
MT: Are there any systems-level opportunities to improve maternal health outcomes for Black women?
KL: Very simply, yes. Policies that address workforce shortages include allowing midwives to practice within their full scope, loan forgiveness, and abatement programs to attract and retain talent, and increasing reimbursement rates through Medicaid for maternal health services provided by both clinical and community-based perinatal professionals. Additionally, policies such as job-protected paid parental leave, investments in the social determinants of health, growing and diversifying the perinatal workforce, and improving data collection for maternal health would have a significant impact. The policies I named are but a few of many that were highlighted by the House Study Committee on Maternal Mortality as well as through thought leaders in the policy space such as Black Mamas Matter Alliance, and Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies Coalition of Georgia, to name a few.
MT: And what are you most thrilled about in your role?
“Safe space-making and building bridges across many diverse groups with a unified goal to achieve maternal health vitality in our state.”
KL: I think this is something that will touch all people living in Georgia, particularly families with whom I share culture. For a decade, we have had a focus on the challenges that are before us to solve, and I am excited to work alongside countless change-makers on SOLUTIONS. We must get to a place where the baseline isn’t simply to prevent death but, more importantly, how to ensure that people can thrive before, during, and after pregnancy.
Melanin Thriving’s conversation with Ky Lindberg explored the critical issue of Black maternal health and the urgent need for systemic change. With the alarming disparities in maternal mortality rates, Black mothers and families must have access to the resources and support they deserve. Organizations like the Georgia Health Initiative are working to address these gaps by building bridges across multi-sector partners, supporting, advocating, commissioning, and publishing research to educate and inspire. Beyond that, individuals, activists, and allies—both locally and nationally—are championing efforts to improve outcomes for Black mothers, from doulas and midwives to policymakers and grassroots organizations pushing for legislative reform. The fight for Black maternal health equity is ongoing, but through community-driven initiatives and continued advocacy, we can work toward a future where every Black mother receives the care, respect, and support she needs.