Nationwide — Erica Jimenez, a white Hispanic woman from Pasadena, California, has filed a federal discrimination lawsuit after being denied entry into the state’s Black Infant Health program. She argues that the program’s race-based eligibility rules violate constitutional protections and federal civil rights law.
The lawsuit focuses on the Black Infant Health program run by the California Department of Public Health. The program offers counseling, group support, and health services for pregnant and postpartum Black mothers, delivered by nurses and mental health professionals. It does not have income requirements and is funded through both state and federal sources.
Jimenez is represented by the Pacific Legal Foundation. According to California Globe, her complaint states she applied while pregnant in February and was later rejected after program staff confirmed she was not Black. She claims she met all other eligibility requirements aside from race.
Court filings state that Jimenez was denied access to services aimed at supporting healthy pregnancies and early childhood development. She gave birth to a baby boy in mid-March. The lawsuit also asks the court to certify the case as a class action to include other applicants excluded under the same criteria.
Program materials describe its goal as addressing disparities in birth outcomes among Black mothers, linked to social and economic conditions. The program received about $23.9 million in state funding and more than $6 million from the United States Department of Health and Human Services in the current fiscal year.
A lawyer for the Pacific Legal Foundation said government programs cannot legally deny access based on race under constitutional and civil rights protections. The California Department of Public Health declined to comment, citing ongoing litigation.