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Film shows how Black maternal health crisis touched 3 health professionals' pregnancies

Nbcwashington · · 370 words · By Jummy Olabanji; Andrea Swalec; Sherline Hawkins
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What to know about Film shows how Black maternal health crisis touched 3 health professionals' pregnancies

A documentary tells the stories of three Black women’s paths to motherhood: a D.C.

Claims checked 7
Techniques found 0
Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center75%
Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

A documentary tells the stories of three Black women’s paths to motherhood: a D.C.

Why it matters

maternal health specialist who survived life-threatening pregnancy complications, a D.C.

Common ground

midwife who struggled with infertility and an epidemiologist who died weeks after giving birth.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/health/film-tracks-how-black-maternal-health-…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 7 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 5
check_circle Corroborated 1
verified Verified By Reference 1
info
Claim 1: “The film explores racial disparities in maternal health, including for highly educated mothers-to-be.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence consists of general definitions of films and movie rating sites; it contains no information regarding the content or themes of a film titled 'Listen to Me'.
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web search NEUTRAL — Films are produced by recording actual people and objects with cameras or by creating them using animation techniques and special effects. They comprise a series of individual frames, but when these i…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film
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web search NEUTRAL — IMDb is the world's most popular and authoritative source for movie, TV and celebrity content. Find ratings and reviews for the newest movie and TV shows. Get personalized recommendations, and learn w…
https://www.imdb.com/
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web search NEUTRAL — 30 Most Popular Movies Right Now: What to Watch In Theaters and Streaming Discover the top, most popular movies available now, along with what’s stoking early buzz and hype! Across theaters, streaming…
https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/popular-movies/
info
Claim 2: “The third woman, Shalon Irving, Dr. Shalon Irving, we tragically lost due to a postpartum maternal health death”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim discusses urology and family physicians in Portland, Oregon; it contains no information regarding Dr. Shalon Irving.
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web search NEUTRAL — Male Fertility & Sexual Dysfunction From Male Fertility evaluations and treatment of reversible conditions like varicocele, to advanced care for erectile dysfunction, premature ejaculation, and low te…
https://www.nwurology.com/
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web search NEUTRAL — Apr 24, 2026 · For over 60 years, our dedicated team of healthcare providers has been serving the Portland community with compassionate, personalized healthcare.
https://www.southtabor.com/
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web search NEUTRAL — Metro Pediatrics has the best pediatricians in the Portland, OR area with 5 pediatric clinics. Our urgent care is open 7 days a week & we are welcoming newborns.
https://www.metropediatrics.com/
check_circle
Claim 3: “Dr. Ebony Marcelle, the midwifery director of D.C.’s Community of Hope health centers, tells her story of infertility.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple independent sources confirm Dr. Ebony Marcelle is the Director of Midwifery at Community of Hope in D.C. One specific source explicitly states she 'tells her story of infertility'.
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web search NEUTRAL — Dr. Ebony Marcelle, the midwifery director of D.C.’s Community of Hope health centers, tells her story of infertility.
https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/health/film-tracks-how-bl…
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web search NEUTRAL — Experience. Director of Midwifery. Community of Hope/ Family Health and Birth Center. May 2015 - Present7 years 9 months. Washington, District Of Columbia.
https://www.linkedin.com/in/ebony-marcelle-cnm-ms-facnm-3877…
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web search NEUTRAL — Ebony Marcelle, DNP is the Director of Midwifery at Community of Hope, which includes Family Health and Birth Center. Marcelle was previously administrative chief of midwifery service at Medstar Washi…
https://www.communityofhopedc.org/clinicians/ebony-marcelle/
info
Claim 4: “A documentary tells the stories of three Black women’s paths to motherhood: a D.C. maternal health specialist who survived life-threatening pregnancy complications, a D.C. midwife who struggled with infertility and an epidemiologist who died weeks after giving birth.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim discusses general Black maternal health statistics but does not mention a documentary titled 'Listen to Me' or the specific stories of the three women described.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Women die of pregnancy- and childbirth-related causes in this country at a higher rate than in other wealthy nations, such as Canada, where the maternal-mortality ratio is just less than half that of …
https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-new-yorker-documentary…
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web search NEUTRAL — Across this country, Black women are dying from pregnancy-related causes at nearly three times the rate of White women. Statistically, Arkansas is one of the most dangerous places in America to give b…
https://wordandway.org/2026/05/10/this-mothers-day-the-churc…
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web search NEUTRAL — Pregnant woman. Access Pregnancy Support Services and Health Centers. Navigating pregnancy can feel overwhelming, but you don't have to do it alone.
https://www.moms.gov/
info
Claim 5: “Irving, a graduate of Hampton University and Johns Hopkins University, died in 2017 at age 36.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence provided is general information about Johns Hopkins University and does not mention Dr. Shalon Irving, her graduation, or her death.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Incorporated in 1867 and opened in 1876 based on …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johns_Hopkins_University
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web search NEUTRAL — Johns Hopkins University. Students cross the lower quad amongst white blooming trees. An engineering design team innovates a medical device.A collection of some of the best recent shots from the unive…
https://www.jhu.edu/
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web search NEUTRAL — The Johns Hopkins University: Fueling Your Curiosity. Why do we look at the stars, the microscopic, and everything in between? Because we can’t help but ask "What’s next?" Welcome to the official YouT…
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeohrwR6-fO1EMk8FkJrlzw
verified
Claim 6: “co-director/producer Dr. Kanika Harris said.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
The evidence provided for this claim is completely irrelevant, discussing pediatricians in Portland, a spine surgeon, and unrelated Wikipedia entries for Ben Kingsley and Sunidhi Chauhan.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Sir Ben Kingsley (born Krishna Pandit Bhanji; 31 December 1943) is an English actor. He has received various accolades throughout his career spanning seven decades, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Kingsley
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Many films have featured mid- and post-credits scenes. Such scenes often include comedic gags, plot revelations, outtakes, or hints about sequels.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_films_with_post-credit…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — This is a list of songs recorded by Indian female playback singer Sunidhi Chauhan
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_songs_recorded_by_Suni…
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 7: “In “Listen to Me,” Harris shares her story of surviving pregnancy complications and reuniting with a doctor who treated her.”
SINGLE SOURCE
Web search results confirm Dr. Kanika Harris's professional role and focus on maternal health equity, but none of the provided evidence mentions the film 'Listen to Me' or her specific story of reuniting with a doctor within that film.
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web search NEUTRAL — Follow me on: Dr. Harris currently serves as the director of maternal and child health for the Black Women’s Health Imperative. She is a behavioral health scientist with a special focus on health equi…
https://www.aamchealthjustice.org/key-topics/maternal-health…
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web search NEUTRAL — Dr. Kanika Harris is the Director of Maternal and Child health for the Black Women’s Health Imperative (BHWI), in Washington, DC. Kanika obtained a PhD in Health Behavior & Health Education from the U…
https://www.walterrodneyfoundation.org/biographies/kanika-ha…
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web search NEUTRAL — Dr. Harris states her optimism comes from the attention garnered around Black maternal health and Black collaboration in finding solutions, “we find a lot of joy and healing in working together. We ar…
https://theblackwallsttimes.com/2022/04/19/dr-kanika-harris-…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.