Profiles in Women’s History is a project of our Justice Works Anti-Racism Team. A new profile will be spotlighted every Sunday during Women’s History Month.
Allyson Felix
Allyson Felix is used to getting work done on the track. To call her track and field career successful doesn’t even begin to cover it. Felix is a nine-time Olympic medalist (six of those being gold medals), and in 2019 she surpassed Usain Bolt to become the runner with the most gold medals won at the IAAF World Championships. The daughter of an ordained minister, Felix sees her athletic ability as a gift from God.
While her running feats are more than enough to make Felix a legend, there’s so much more to her than being fast. In 2018 Felix had a harrowing experience during her pregnancy with daughter Camryn. Diagnosed with severe pre-eclampsia, Felix had to undergo an emergency C-section 32 weeks into her pregnancy. Since that experience, Felix learned that her story was not unique as she encountered statistics revealing that African American women face much higher rates of both pregnancy complications and maternal mortality.
Wanting to help bring increased awareness to this crisis, Felix testified before a Congressional House Committee during a 2019 hearing about racial disparities found in maternal mortality. Since then, Allyson Felix has also helped bring attention to Nike’s unfair treatment of sponsored athletes who took time off to have children. Nike, in response to backlash, agreed to update their policies.
Most recently Felix has partnered with Better Starts for All, a maternal health program that works to bring maternal healthcare to the communities that need it most. And she’s not done running either. Now 35, Felix is training to compete in her 5th Olympics which are expected to take place in Tokyo this summer after delays due to the pandemic.
Sources:
https://www.oprahmag.com/life/a29518464/who-is-allyson-felix/
Rebecca Riley is a writer and filmmaker who lives in North County San Diego.