Wayne Miller's iconic photographs of South Side Chicago in the 1940s reveal that infants delivered at home by the Maxwell Street Maternity Center medical team had a higher survival rate compared to those born in most hospitals.

The maternal mortality rate for Black women in the U.S. has been rising for decades. The country continues to have the highest maternal mortality rate among high-income nations, with Black women being the most affected. Miller’s images expose the long-standing disparities and elevated levels of racial inequality in the U.S. healthcare system.