In the United States, Black women are two to three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women, a harrowing statistic that turned into a personal crisis for Dr. Jonisha Brown, a Charlotte-based physician and mother who nearly lost her life just ten days after giving birth.
“All of a sudden, I felt this strange sensation in my chest,” she recalls in a WCNC report. “What’s even scarier is that I was initially misdiagnosed—even though I’m a doctor.”
Dr. Brown had suffered a spontaneous coronary artery dissection, a rare but serious postpartum heart condition. She was told at first that it was likely a panic attack or heartburn. It wasn’t until an on-call cardiologist intervened that the true diagnosis was made, and her life was saved.
That experience set Brown on a mission—not just to survive, but to make birth equity a national conversation.
From Personal Emergency to Public Advocacy
After her recovery, Dr. Brown earned a degree in public health from Harvard and returned to Charlotte with a new purpose: to ensure that other women—especially Black women—don’t suffer the same dismissive treatment.
In 2023, she founded WEBI, the Women’s Empowerment and Birth Equity Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting women aged 15 to 65 through the full spectrum of reproductive health care—before, during, and after pregnancy.
“This isn’t just a Black women’s issue,” Dr. Brown stated. “But Black women are in a unique position—we’re historically marginalized, and that double burden means we’re often not heard. All women can understand what it feels like to be dismissed.”
Filling the Gaps in Care
WEBI isn’t just about advocacy—it’s about action. The organization connects women with prenatal, postpartum, and lactation resources, filling crucial gaps in the healthcare system.
Charlotte mother and WEBI volunteer Tia Carruthers knows this all too well.
“In the moment, you don’t realize certain things are happening,” she told WCNC, reflecting on her own birth experience. “But looking back, I know things could have been handled differently.”
She struggled with nursing after delivery but didn’t receive proper support from her hospital. Now, she helps other mothers navigate the same challenges through WEBI’s community-based programs:
“I think WEBI is so important because it highlights the resources that are out there—but that women often don’t even know exist.”
A Movement for Change
Dr. Brown describes her work as deeply personal and profoundly fulfilling:
“If I could help just one woman not go through what I went through alone—that would be enough. And now, I feel I’m part of real, visible change.”
Intending to expand its reach, WEBI is actively partnering with other Charlotte-area nonprofits, strengthening its impact and furthering its mission to ensure that maternal survival doesn’t depend on skin tone.
