Allyson Felix: A Voice For Change
- Ebony Birth Collective
- Apr 12
- 2 min read
As we raise awareness for the Black maternal mortality crisis and advocate for change, it is important to uplift, acknowledge and be inspired by those who are pushing for change. Olympic gold medalist Allyson Felix — after a pregnancy made traumatic by a lack of information and awareness surrounding the Black maternal mortality crisis — has worked tirelessly to amplify the voices of struggling African American women across the United States and call for real change from the healthcare industry.
Felix’s connection to the Black maternal mortality crisis is personal. Her friend and teammate, fellow Olympic medalist and track and field athlete Torie Bowie, passed away while in labor. According to Associate Medical Examiner Chantel Nijwaji, Bowie’s cause of death was eclampsia, a condition that causes high blood pressure and seizures. African American women are at a higher risk of eclampsia than others, and it is one factor of the Black maternal mortality crisis.
During her own pregnancy, Felix struggled with severe preeclampsia, a less extreme — but still extremely grave — manifestation of eclampsia. Felix experienced preeclampsia all throughout her pregnancy, yet did not even have any idea of what preeclampsia was until she was diagnosed with it at her 32 week mark. Felix had no idea that she was at high risk for preeclampsia, nor was she aware of the Black maternal mortality crisis because none of her doctors mentioned anything about it to her.
Felix was plagued with fear and concern for the remainder of her pregnancy. Felix’s preeclampsia resulted in Felix needing an emergency C-section only 48 hours after diagnosis. Her newborn daughter’s heart rate plummeted immediately after birth, ultimately leading to a stressful month-long stay at the intensive care nursery.
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