Allyson Felix, retired Olympic athlete and teammate to Tori Bowie, voiced her concerns about the Black maternal health crisis following Bowie’s death.
Felix penned a heartfelt essay for TIME where she said Bowie’s death from pregnancy complications – possibly respiratory distress and eclampsia – cannot be “in vain.”
According to USA Today she said, “We must see this clearly for what it is – a maternal health crisis. That is why we must continue to fight to protect the lives of every woman and every mother in our nation.”
The decorated athlete and mother reflected on her experience with preeclampsia before giving birth to her daughter, Camryn. Felix called on the medical community to do its part:
“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 made it known that the Black Maternal Health Crisis impacts everyday Black women and celebrity Black women in the same way. The athlete revealed that three of the four women who won an Olympic gold medal alongside Tori had pregnancy complications.
“Here you have three Olympic champions, and we’re still at risk.”
“Three gold medalists from that 4 x 100 relay team in Rio set out to become mothers. All three of us—all Black women—had serious complications,” the athlete said in her essay.
Felix went on to name other well-known Black women who had pregnancy complications including, Serena Williams and Beyoncé.
Felix has advocated for expectant mothers in more ways than one. She founded Saysh, footwear brand for women after the popular shoe brand Nike switched up on her
when she became pregnant. BLACK ENTERPRISE covered her brand is the first-ever to offer maternity returns. In 2019 Felix, the most decorated athlete in the U.S. was offered a 70 percent cut in pay all because she was expecting.