In 2017, Williams added mother to her many roles, giving birth to daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. via an emergency c-section. The experience was harrowing for Williams, who experienced potentially fatal complications as a result of her pregnancy and delivery and had to fight to receive proper medical care.

Williams shared her experience publicly to advocate for other Black women who systematically receive lower-quality care during pregnancy and birth, and who are three times as likely as white women to die during childbirth. By recounting her experiences, which also included postpartum depression, Williams greatly increased awareness of the challenges that women in general, and Black women in particular, face surrounding pregnancy and childbirth.

impact

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