CHARLESTON , S.C. (WCIV) — The family of Dr. Janell Green Smith, a midwife and scholar who advocated for Black maternal health amidst an ongoing national systemic mortality crisis, has invited the community to attend a vigil in her honor Wednesday they say she died of complications from childbirth this month.
Dr. Smith, who proudly branded herself the Loc’d Midwife, worked in maternal health in South Carolina and with the nonprofit Hive Impact Fund, an organization that aids early parenting families through community events and accessible mental health tools.
She became a certified midwife in July 2021 after passing the certification exam amid the devastating loss of her brother. Persevering, Smith entered a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program before withdrawing when her mom tragically passed away on Mother’s Day in 2022. After starting with a new practice and getting engaged, she re-enrolled in 2023, and in 2024, got married and earned her doctorate, she disclosed on her Instagram profile.
In a statement posted Jan. 3, the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) mourned Dr. Smith’s passing and said her work reflected her deep commitment to respectful, evidence-based, and equitable care, recognizing her death as “a profound failure of the systems meant to protect birthing people.”
“That a Black midwife and maternal health expert died after giving birth in the United States is both heartbreaking and unacceptable. Her death underscores the persistent and well-documented reality that Black women—regardless of education, income, or professional expertise—face disproportionate risks during pregnancy and childbirth due to systemic racism and failures in care,” the ACNM statement reads, in part.
The National Black Nurses Association said Dr. Smith’s scholarship and advocacy helped expand knowledge, elevate standards of care, and protect the dignity and lives of mothers and babies. “She understood the science. She understood the systems. She understood the stakes,” the association’s statement reads.
“As nurses, we know this loss cannot be framed as an isolated tragedy,” the statement continues. “It is inseparable from a national Black maternal health crisis shaped by inequity, bias, and structural neglect. Dr. Green Smith’s knowledge did not shield her. Her credentials did not protect her. That reality demands more than reflection; it demands accountability.”
“I see you, I salute you, I honor you, and your midwife will always support you.”
Hundreds of women die each year during pregnancy or the year after, with over 80% of pregnancy-related deaths in the United States considered preventable, according to the Center for Disease Control (CDC). Further, the CDC states that Black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than White women.
During Black Maternal Health Week in April 2024, Dr. Smith said addressing that mortality rate was what directly influenced her to pursue a career in midwifery.
“I wanted to be a part of the solution and step into a role as the provider that would listen to my patients when they said they were in pain,” she said. “I wanted to be the provider that would answer the questions and that will go above and beyond to allow my patients to feel comfortable in their journey of pregnancy and in labor.”
“With that being said,” she concluded. “I would like to tell all Black mothers all over the world that I see you, I salute you, I honor you, and your midwife will always support you.”
Flowers, Candles, Photos, Anything & Anyone Who Would Like To Come Out & Reminisce On The Legacy Of Janell Green Smith
Dr. Smith’s sister Selina Green invited the community to remember her at a vigil in Charleston Wednesday, Jan. 7. Nurses and midwifes were highly encouraged to attend and light a candle or place flowers in her honor.
The vigil will be held at Forest Park Playground, 780 Playground Road in West Ashley, from 5 to 7 p.m.