Olympic track star Allyson Felix has taken on a new race; improving health outcomes for Black mothers. Her efforts have received a significant boost from Melinda French Gates, who has donated $20 million to Felix as part of a broader $1 billion commitment to uplift marginalized communities.
Melinda French Gates announced the donation in a letter published in The New York Times, highlighting the persistent challenges faced by women and girls globally. “In nearly 20 years as an advocate for women and girls, I have learned that there will always be people who say it’s not the right time to talk about gender equality,” Gates wrote. “Not if you want to be relevant. Not if you want to be effective with world leaders (most of them men). The second the global agenda gets crowded, women and girls fall off.”
Gates emphasized the urgency of addressing maternal health disparities in the U.S., where Black and Native American mothers are at the highest risk. “In the United States, maternal mortality rates continue to be unconscionable,” Gates wrote. “Women in 14 states have lost the right to terminate a pregnancy under almost any circumstances. We remain the only advanced economy without any form of national paid family leave. And the number of teenage girls experiencing suicidal thoughts and persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness is at a decade high.”
Allyson Felix, herself a mother and a passionate advocate for maternal health, has previously collaborated with Pampers to amplify awareness around Black maternal health. In June 2022, the brand pledged $250,000 to the cause and provided $100,000 to the National Birth Equity Collaborative (NBEC).
Felix’s personal experiences have fueled her advocacy. In an open letter published in Time, she recounted her own complications during pregnancy. “Like so many Black women, I was unaware of the risks I faced while pregnant,” Felix wrote. “According to the CDC, in 2021 the maternal mortality rate for Black women was 2.6 times the rate for white women. About five days before I gave birth to Camryn, I was having Thanksgiving dinner with my family. I mentioned that my feet were swollen. As we went around the table, the women shared their experiences during pregnancy. My cousin said she also had swollen feet. My mom didn’t.”
Felix added: “Not once did someone say, ‘oh, well, that’s one of the indicators of preeclampsia.’ None of us knew.”
The Olympic track athletes experience underscores a much broader issue within the healthcare system. “When I became pregnant, my doctor didn’t sit me down and tell me, ‘these are things that you should look for in your pregnancy, because you are at a greater risk to experience these complications,” Felix wrote.
Reflecting on her journey and the future, Felix has stated, “I would love to have another child. That’s something that I know for sure. But will I be here to raise that child? That’s a very real concern. And that’s a terrifying thing. This is America, in 2023, and Black women are dying while giving birth. It’s absurd.”
The substantial grant from Melinda French Gates will support Felix’s ongoing work to raise awareness and improve healthcare outcomes for Black mothers, bringing much-needed attention and resources to a critical issue that affects countless families across the nation.
