How Far Apart?

With high-profile Black women such as Serena Williams and Beyoncé recently discussing their difficult birthing experiences, the medical profession’s historic treatment of Black women accessing basic healthcare services is once again under microscope. Research from the University of Michigan’s article published this month in the Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology has found that Black and Latina women in America are 70% more likely than White women to develop life-threatening problems during childbirth. While we have the stereotype of developing countries falling short in regards to providing adequate healthcare, what does it say when the world’s wealthiest nations systematically fail women of colour, particularly Black women.

With a structure inspired by Thorton Wilder’s The Bridge of San Luis Rey, How Far Apart charts the paths of these 6 women and what leads them up to this moment. Performed by an all-female ensemble, How Far Apart explores the culture which allows for the discounting of Black women’s experience of childbirth.