Each year, #Juneteenth serves as a moment of remembrance and bittersweet celebration for Black Americans–a “day of freedom” meant to commemorate the end of race-based slavery in the United States.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ For maternal health advocates, Juneteenth is also an opportunity to reaffirm how maternal health outcomes and racial justice are inextricably linked. This connection feels particularly important as reproductive rights continue to be challenged in the United States, with the burden falling on many of the same communities most impacted by our current maternal health crisis. As we continue to work towards a world where all birthing people have equitable access to quality, respectful maternity care, we must center racial justice and anti-racism in this work. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ The reason for this is clear. Across the United States, Black birthing people experience disproportionately poor health outcomes compared to white women. Today, Black women are still three times more likely to die from complications of pregnancy and birth than their white counterparts, and are also more likely to experience disrespect or mistreatment during their maternity care. Evidence has consistently shown that racism is an underlying cause of these disparities, which persist across all socio-economic levels.⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ To achieve a world where everyone giving birth has equitable access to high-quality respectful care, we need action rooted in reproductive justice. Reproductive justice, a term coined by 12 women of color in 1994, is a movement-building and organizing framework that identifies how reproductive oppression is both intersectional and inherently connected to the struggle for social justice and human rights. ⁣⁣