Maternal Health Panel’ Brings Out Celebs

Morehouse School of Medicine became a hub of powerful purpose during a celebrity-supported conversation on the maternal health crisis affecting Black women nationwide.

Against the backdrop of alarming headlines about the disproportionate maternal mortality rates among Black women, including stories like Mercedes Wells’, The First Ladies Health Initiative’s “Born to Thrive: Maternal Health Panel & Resource Fair” offered a timely and much-needed discussion.

During the afternoon of advocacy, education, and emotional testimony, there were back-to-back panels moderated by FLHI Co-Executive Director Marquise Allison-Alston.

The convos drew notable guests from entertainment, medicine, and ministry, including Real Housewives of Atlanta star Shamea Morton, actress Demetria McKinney of Tyler Perry’s House of Payne, and board-certified OB-GYN Dr. Charis Chambers, widely known as “The Period Doctor.”

Throughout the discussion, speakers shared medical insights, personal experiences, and practical resources to address the disproportionately high maternal mortality rates affecting Black women.

Dr. Chambers encouraged Black women to stay vigilant while navigating pregnancy and childbirth.

“It is every aspect of the system,” said Chambers. “It is not just the doctor. It is not just the nurses. It is the person who greets you at the door. It’s the security person. It’s the maintenance person. Who brings your food into that room? Until you call everyone in and everyone out, there’s going to be continued issues with our system.”

Chambers, drawing on her own experiences, also described carefully selecting a birth team which she likened to an Avengers-style “village” that would advocate for her and provide emotional support.

“My husband—he’s wonderful, but when he sees blood…” she began with a laugh. “My older sister; she enjoys the tussle; she’s an attorney, ready to fight for me. My younger sister, her words are like honey. She can talk to anyone. So I’ve built a bigger team around me,” she explained.

Dr. Quantrilla Ard, a biobehavioral health scientist known as the “PHD Mama”, agreed and emphasized that Black women must advocate for themselves regardless of stereotypes.

“I think every mother deserves to feel seen and heard,” said Ard. “And we just heard her talk about how she didn’t want to be seen as the angry black woman; that is killing us. We should feel seen. We can cut a fit. We can do whatever we want because this is our experience.”

She continued,

“I should not have to feel afraid to show up as my full self, whatever that may look like. So every mother deserves to feel seen, heard, and to show up as her full self without judgment, without bias, without dismissal, and with care.”

Shamea Morton’s advocacy is credited with saving her life. The reality star and singer shared the harrowing story of nearly dying at a local Atlanta hospital after her fallopian tube ruptured, with her pain initially ignored. It wasn’t until she was transferred to a second hospital that she received life-saving surgery.

Opening up about her experience, Morton told BOSSIP that her ultimate goal in sharing her story is to educate and empower other moms, emphasizing the importance of speaking candidly about medical struggles.

“It would be ungodly, honestly, and just a disservice if I didn’t share my story,” said the housewife. “I feel like someone else’s story has shaped me, inspired me, and motivated me. I want to do the same thing. So sharing stories like about having a near-death experience or having a child of medical fragility, those things are important because it shows people that you’re not alone.”

And when asked about the joys of motherhood amid such hardships, she didn’t hesitate to reflect on the rewards of raising her daughters.

“My favorite thing about motherhood is when I come home from a long day, and sometimes the world can be harsh, but my girls don’t understand that they don’t see it,” said Morton. “They run to me and love on me like am their Shero, and that is so rewarding in itself. And just to know that I am doing everything to just raise beautiful black, educated, smart, kind, fearless women is enough for me.”

Similarly, Demetria McKinney was extremely vulnerable during the panel, opening up about childhood abuse and becoming a mother at a young age, the latter of which became the biggest blessing that changed her life and shaped her approach to motherhood and advocacy.

“I think that my young motherhood experience would have been a little bit different if I had the community conversations, if I understood advocacy,” she told BOSSIP. “If I felt like I had a mentorship, a partnership with some of the sisters going through some of the same stuff—it would be different. It is a big part of why I move the way that I do with my son.”

Sitting beside her 26-year-old son during the panel, McKinney marveled at his engagement and curiosity, noting,

“He’s listening to these women’s stories, so he’s asking questions I didn’t know you couldn’t have your village in there with you…He has an invested interest in what is going on here, because eventually he wants to be the best father, the best partner he can be to the next mother that’s coming up.”

Her reflections on young motherhood also led her to revisit the challenges she faced growing up, including the lasting impact of her mother being with a man who tried to molest her.

“Trauma is not anything to play with—and when you feel that alone, when you feel unseen, when you don’t feel like you’ve really experienced love, that can be a really, really dark, unsafe space,” she explained.

Despite the difficulties of her past, McKinney said her son has been a life-altering presence in her life.

“Him being here and being my truest partner in crime has been a godsend and a true life-altering experience. He’s my best friend, and we go through it all together, so this had to be no exception,” she said.

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Dr. Karri Bryant & Dr. Debra Morton Were Given Awards During The “Born To Thrive: Maternal Health Panel & Resource Fair”

In addition to an inspiring panel, the afternoon also included two special award presentations honoring women whose leadership and legacy have shaped communities across the country.

Dr. Karri Bryant, author, entrepreneur, pastor, and wife of Dr. Jamal Bryant, received the Light of Healing Award for her global work uplifting Black women.

Dr. Debra Morton, author, entrepreneur, and longtime pastor of Changing a Generation in Atlanta and Greater St. Stephen in New Orleans, was presented with the Lifetime Ministry Award, recognizing her decades of ministry and maternal advocacy. Morton, who also appeared on the panel, is the mother of five-time Grammy-winning musician PJ Morton.

About First Ladies Health Initiative

Founded in 2008 by Tracey Alston, the First Ladies Health Initiative (FLHI) is a national faith-based organization tackling health inequities in underserved communities. What started as a coalition of pastors’ wives sharing lifesaving health information has grown into a nationwide network delivering care, screenings, education, and advocacy to communities long denied access.

Now led by second-generation co-executive directors Marquise Alston-Allison and Taylor Alston-Cleveland, both Spelman College alumnae, FLHI has partnered with more than 250 health providers, facilitated over 700,000 screenings, and worked with more than 100 churches to provide trusted, community-centered outreach. The organization’s efforts have earned recognition from the White House Cancer Moonshot, the American Journal of Nursing, and the American Heart Association.

Reflecting on the event’s impact, Allison-Alston said via a statement;

“This event exceeded every expectation. Having Wanda Irving on our panel sharing the story of her daughter Shalon, a summa cum laude scholar with a dual PhD, a Johns Hopkins MPH, and a respected CDC epidemiologist, was heartbreaking and necessary. If someone with Shalon’s brilliance and credentials wasn’t believed when she said something was wrong and died three weeks after giving birth, what does that mean for everyone else?”

She added,

“What moved me just as deeply was seeing both women and men on the panel and throughout the audience fully engaged in this conversation. This crisis requires all of us. And even within the heaviness, the room found connection, understanding, and hope. Each person who came up afterward saying, ‘I needed this,’ reminded me that although FLHI has done more than 700,000 screenings, there is still so much more to do.”