Even someone who doesn’t follow athletics has likely heard of the biggest names in track
– such as Usain Bolt or Allyson Felix. Felix has won more Olympic medals than any other
American track-and-field runner in history, with a whopping 7 gold medals amongst 11 total
medals. She has also won more World Championship medals than any other athletes; with 19
across five events with 13 of which are gold. Her gazelle-like running style and incredible records cement her name in history books.
But it’s not only her performance on the track that makes her amazing. She gave birth to
her daughter Camryn 8 weeks early after she discovered she had pre-eclampsia, a condition that can be life threatening to both the baby and the mother. Camryn weighed only 3 pounds when she was born and was put into intensive care in her first month. Pre-eclampsia is prevalent among African American women in the US, and Felix’s experience inspired her to raise awareness of maternal mortality.
In 2019, she spoke out to Congress, saying “After enduring the two most terrifying days of
my life, I learned my story was not so uncommon. There were others like me, just like me… black like me, healthy like me and doing their best, just like me. And they faced death like me, too.
“We need to provide women of color with more support during their pregnancies. There’s
a level of racial bias within our healthcare system that is troubling and will be difficult to tackle,
but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t.”
Felix’s words quickly turned into activism, and she used her voice and social media
platforms to speak out and raise awareness about women’s rights. In May 2019, Felix wrote an
opinion article regarding maternal rights, explaining that her sponsor Nike wanted to pay her 70% less after becoming a mother.
She wrote: “I’ve always known that expressing myself could hurt my career… but you can’t
change anything with silence. If we have children, we risk pay cuts from our sponsors during
pregnancy and afterward. It’s one example of a sports industry where the rules are still mostly
made for and by men.”
Three months later, Nike changed its stance on maternity pay and promised not to reduce
any performance-based salary for 18 consecutive months for pregnant athletes.
Even now, Felix is still fighting for maternal rights. She said that she’s: “trying to leave the
sport better than I found it, trying to support female athletes and women in general and fight for more equality.”
On her Instagram, she made it clear that using her voice will be a big part of her future in
raising awareness for female athletes. Not only is her performance on the track history-making, but her ambition to speak out about women’s rights makes her a forever legend.
– such as Usain Bolt or Allyson Felix. Felix has won more Olympic medals than any other
American track-and-field runner in history, with a whopping 7 gold medals amongst 11 total
medals. She has also won more World Championship medals than any other athletes; with 19
across five events with 13 of which are gold. Her gazelle-like running style and incredible records cement her name in history books.
But it’s not only her performance on the track that makes her amazing. She gave birth to
her daughter Camryn 8 weeks early after she discovered she had pre-eclampsia, a condition that can be life threatening to both the baby and the mother. Camryn weighed only 3 pounds when she was born and was put into intensive care in her first month. Pre-eclampsia is prevalent among African American women in the US, and Felix’s experience inspired her to raise awareness of maternal mortality.
In 2019, she spoke out to Congress, saying “After enduring the two most terrifying days of
my life, I learned my story was not so uncommon. There were others like me, just like me… black like me, healthy like me and doing their best, just like me. And they faced death like me, too.
“We need to provide women of color with more support during their pregnancies. There’s
a level of racial bias within our healthcare system that is troubling and will be difficult to tackle,
but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t.”
Felix’s words quickly turned into activism, and she used her voice and social media
platforms to speak out and raise awareness about women’s rights. In May 2019, Felix wrote an
opinion article regarding maternal rights, explaining that her sponsor Nike wanted to pay her 70% less after becoming a mother.
She wrote: “I’ve always known that expressing myself could hurt my career… but you can’t
change anything with silence. If we have children, we risk pay cuts from our sponsors during
pregnancy and afterward. It’s one example of a sports industry where the rules are still mostly
made for and by men.”
Three months later, Nike changed its stance on maternity pay and promised not to reduce
any performance-based salary for 18 consecutive months for pregnant athletes.
Even now, Felix is still fighting for maternal rights. She said that she’s: “trying to leave the
sport better than I found it, trying to support female athletes and women in general and fight for more equality.”
On her Instagram, she made it clear that using her voice will be a big part of her future in
raising awareness for female athletes. Not only is her performance on the track history-making, but her ambition to speak out about women’s rights makes her a forever legend.
