01/05/2026
😢💕
We mourn the life of Dr. Janell Green Smith with hearts that are broken and heavy beyond words.
Dr. Smith was more than a physician. She was a midwife, protector, healer, educator, and fierce advocate for Black birthing people. Her work in the maternal health space centered dignity, informed consent, and safety for Black mothers navigating systems that too often dismiss pain, ignore warning signs, and devalue Black lives. She dedicated her life to ensuring Black mothers were heard, respected, and kept alive.
It is a devastating and painful truth that Dr. Smith lost her life to complications of childbirth; the very injustice she spent her life fighting to end. Her death is not an isolated tragedy; it is a reflection of systemic failures that continue to cost Black women their lives.
Across the United States, Black women are significantly more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women, regardless of income, education level, or profession. Even being highly educated; even being a medical professional; does not protect Black women from racism in maternal healthcare.
This is why Black Maternal Health is a core pillar of Black Lives Matter NH.
Because change requires more than awareness; it requires action.
We honor Dr. Janell Green Smith by speaking her name, carrying her legacy forward, and recommitting ourselves to the work she gave her life to. We will not allow her death to be in vain. We will continue to demand justice, safety, and dignity in childbirth because Black women deserve to live, to birth with dignity, and to come home.
If this story does not move you to outrage and deep sorrow, then you are not paying attention to the violence Black women endure or the urgency of this moment.
Rest in power, Dr. Janell Green Smith.
Your work, your love, and your legacy will never be forgotten.
