Black maternal health advocate Dr. Janell Green Smith passes away following childbirth.
Just in her 30s, Green Smith—widely known as the “Loc’d Midwife”—worked with the nonprofit organization and app Hive Impact Fund, serving as a powerful resource during Black Maternal Health Week.
The healthcare community is grieving the loss of Dr. Janell Green Smith, a South Carolina midwife and deeply respected advocate for Black maternal health, who died from childbirth complications shortly after the start of 2026, according to The Grio.
In her 30s, Green Smith—affectionately known as the “Loc’d Midwife”—worked with the nonprofit organization and app Hive Impact Fund, where she served as a vital resource during Black Maternal Health Week. A GoFundMe campaign with an $80,000 goal has been launched to support her family, noting that donations will help provide “stability, relief, and care during a time when the family needs it most” as her husband, Daiquan, and their newborn cope with this profound loss. “Every kind gesture, word, donation, and prayer is deeply felt and appreciated more than we can express,” the campaign states.
In an April 2024 Instagram post, Green Smith spoke about what led her to midwifery and emphasized the critical role of this care—particularly for Black women. She cited data showing that Black women are three times more likely to die during pregnancy and childbirth than women of other races. “When I learned these alarming statistics, I knew I had to do something,” she said. “I wanted to be part of the solution and become a provider who truly listens to patients when they say they are in pain.”
“I wanted to be the kind of provider who would answer every question and go above and beyond to ensure my patients felt supported and at ease throughout their pregnancy and during labor.”
Conversations around Black maternal health and the role of midwifery have been central for Black women for decades, but increased advocacy in recent years appears to have contributed to a decline in maternal deaths. Data from the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health shows fatalities dropped from 817 in 2022 to 669 in 2023. However, research efforts that could help sustain and further this progress were ultimately halted during the Trump administration.
In March 2025, a $2.4 million National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant was terminated, with officials stating that funding priorities had shifted and the research would not meaningfully extend life expectancy. The canceled study would have tracked more than 500 Black women in Detroit. Epidemiologist Jaime Slaughter-Acey called the decision “heartbreaking and, frankly, infuriating,” citing the nation’s persistently high maternal and infant mortality rates.
Throughout her career, Green Smith’s work earned recognition from industry leaders and nonprofit organizations, including the American College of Nurse-Midwives. In acknowledging her passing, the organization described it as a stark reminder of the “persistent and well-documented reality that Black women—regardless of education, income, or professional expertise—continue to face disproportionate risks during pregnancy and childbirth due to systemic racism and failures in care.”
“We mourn the loss of Dr. Smith and acknowledge it as a devastating failure of the systems designed to safeguard birthing people. In honoring her legacy, ACNM is committed not only to reaffirming our values but to strengthening our efforts to dismantle racial inequities in maternal health, increase accountability within care systems, and work in partnership with Black midwives, clinicians, and communities to prevent future tragedies,” the organization wrote in an Instagram post.
