Allyson Felix: Record-Breaking Athlete and Advocate for Women’s Rights and Maternal Health
Allyson Felix, the most decorated track and field athlete, with 20 World Championship and 11 Olympic medals, is one on the track but also fiercely advocating for women’s rights, particularly maternal health. She appears in the list of 2024 BBC 100 Women. Felix shows resilience by advocating for change in culture to address the pressing issue of violence against women athletes worldwide. This was fueled by the tragic death of Olympic athlete Rebecca Cheptegei in Kenya, which brought into sharp focus the risks faced by women athletes.
Felix’s activism took the leap in 2018, as she exposed Nike’s maternity pay policies after facing her own pregnancy complications. This bold stance brought a policy change across the athletic industry by making sure that pregnant athletes received pay and bonuses. In 2021, she founded Saysh, a footwear brand meant for women, then went on to make history for the Olympic Village to feature a nursery.
It extends beyond athletics thanks to a $20 million grant from Melinda Gates, Felix says she’s working to bridge gaps in maternal mortality – three times greater among Black women in the U.S. than their white counterparts. She criticizes the implicit biases present within healthcare systems and pushes for systemic reforms and better training for health care professionals.
All these efforts speak so much to Felix’s motherhood. The woman desires to create legacy and inspiration for empowerment and equality with resilience that defines her own life for coming generations. Her management company, Always Alpha, advocates for women athletes; their role in sports and business should never become an afterthought. As an Athletes’ Commission member, Felix pledged to advance rights of the athlete, motherhood being one of those professions not at risk to stifle careers.
Allyson Felix stands as a beacon of hope through her multifaceted advocacy, inspiring women to stand for what they
