Black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white women.
Tragically, more than 80% of pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. are preventable.
This public health crisis is bringing together celebrities and state officials like Illinois Lt. Gov. Julianna Stratton to sound the alarm.
The Chicago Chapter Charities Foundation (CCCF) will host their sixth annual Power & Purpose luncheon with keynote speaker Tonya Lee Lewis, award-winning filmmaker, author, and entrepreneur whose work often explores the personal impact of social justice issues. Co-director and co-producer of AFTERSHOCK (HULU), a documentary exploring the U.S. maternal mortality crises that has received numerous awards, including a 2024 DuPont-Columbia Award, a 2023 Peabody Award, a 2022 Sundance Special Jury Impact for Change Award, and a 2023 Emmy Award nomination. AFTERSHOCK examines the tragic implications of a healthcare system that neglects maternity patients in distress seeking help. From an often-overlooked perspective, the documentary follows two families left to raise children without their mothers due to preventable childbirth complications.