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"
HEAR MY VOICE
LIVE ON"
"I SEE INEQUITY
WHEREVER IT EXISTS.
I AM NOT AFRAID TO
CALL IT BY NAME
AND WORK HARD TO
ELIMINATE IT. I VOW
TO CREATE A
BETTER EARTH"
– Dr. Shalon Irving
DR.
SHALON
IRVING'S
STORY
Dr. Shalon Irving was an epidemiologist working at the CDC – fighting against inequality and disparity in health access. At 36 years of age, Shalon gave birth to her daughter, Soleil. Three weeks later, Shalon collapsed and died from complications. We believe her death was preventable.
Despite Dr. Shalon’s work to eradicate disparities in health access and outcomes for black women, she fell victim to the very same issue she fought so hard to eradicate.
Her passion for justice and trailblazing work in community health inspires us to fight for a bright future for Black mothers—one in which they are not dismissed, but are heard, respected, and cared for as equal individuals.
Thanks to the help of her mother and the brave people at the Dr. Shalon's Maternal Action Project organization, that work is still being done. With their collaboration and support, audio messages and clips from video recordings were used to recreate Shalon’s voice. Her message lives-on through this song so no other black mom dies from a preventable death.
SHEDDING LIGHT ON INEQUALITY
The Population Reference Bureau provides evidence of the reality women of color face in the US healthcare system today.
The US has the highest maternal mortality
rate of all
affluent countries.
3.5x
Black women are 3.5 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications.
5x
Black women are 5 times more likely to die from postpartum blood pressure disorders and cardiomyopathy in the weeks after giving birth.
HELP
MAKE A
DIFFERENCE
According to the CDC, 84% of maternal deaths are preventable.
Donate, to help us remove barriers, biases, and disparate practices that impede access to equitable, quality care for Black women and women of color.
POWERED BY
DSMAP, Dr. Shalon’s Maternal Action Project is dedicated to eradicating disparities in the healthcare system for women of color.
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PRB, Population Reference Bureau promotes and supports evidence-based policies, practices, and decision-making to improve the health and well-being of people throughout the world.
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