Documentary Aftershock, about two young Black women in New York who died as a result of childbirth, premieres on Hulu July 19. Paula Eiselt and Tonya Lewis Lee direct.
In October 2019, 30-year-old Shamony Gibson died after being ignored by medical providers, according to Hulu, 13 days following the birth of her son. Aftershock details Gibson’s mother Shawnee Benton Gibson and Gibson’s partner, Omari Maynard, as they process the tragedy.
In April 2020, 26-year-old Amber Rose Isaac died due to an emergency C-section that the family says stemmed from medical negligence. Maynard reaches out to Isaac’s partner, Bruce McIntyre, and a bond is formed. "Together, Omari and Bruce begin the fight for justice to their partners with their families and community by their side, while caring for their children as newly single parents," according to Hulu.
The film comes from Onyx Collective and ABC News.
A New York Times review says, "...the images of Maynard and McIntyre parenting their children in the midst of grief and outrage, and expressing vulnerability as well as strength, act as a powerful counternarrative to pervasive stereotypes about absentee Black fathers. Aftershock is a moving ode to Black families in a society where too many forces work to tear them apart." ■
