Mural To Honor Pregnant Woman Who Died At Bed-Stuy Hospital

BED-STUY, BROOKLYN — A mural coming to the corner of Lewis Avenue and Monroe Street will honor a woman who died during delivery at Woodhull Hospital earlier this year, highlighting racial disparities Black women face when giving birth.

The mural or Sha-Asia Washington will be unveiled to the 26-year-old's family on Saturday, according to a post from organizers on Facebook.

Volunteers hoping to clean up the street in front of the mural plan to meet Wednesday morning to spruce up the street corner, according to the post.

The meeting will help clean up the block, paint benches and add plants to the site. Those who wish to help or donate material can meet at 10 a.m. Wednesday, wearing a mask, or can message the organizer.

Washington died July 3 at Woodhull Hospital, where she had been admitted for a routine stress test, according to reports from the time. She went into cardiac arrest after doctors induced labor and gave her an epidural.

Doctors were able to deliver her baby via c-section, but Washington was pronounced dead after 45 minutes of CPR, according to the reports.

Organizations have rallied around Washington's family since her death to highlight the racial disparities Black women face when giving birth.

In 2018, 658 women died of maternal causes in the U.S. A recent study showed Black women had a death rate of 40.8 per 100,000 births, three times higher than the rate of white women, Rolling Stone reported.

The mural unveiling will happen at 2 p.m.