LeToya Luckett has worn many titles over the course of her two-decade career. She’s donned titles like Grammy-winning singer, actress, entrepreneur, and now, advocate. But of all the roles she’s embraced, motherhood has perhaps shaped her the most.
The Houston native, who first rose to fame as an original member of Destiny’s Child, has since built a solo career, taken on film and television roles, and launched business ventures that celebrate women’s wellness. Offstage, she’s a proud mother of two and wife to entrepreneur Taleo Coles, whom she married in 2024. Her journey balancing motherhood, work, and self-care is what grounds her latest passion of raising awareness around the alarming realities of Black maternal health in America.
Luckett’s advocacy came into sharp focus at the 2025 Urbanworld Film Festival in New York City, where she moderated a special screening of “The Ebony Canal: A Story of Black Infant Health.” The documentary, directed by six-time Emmy Award-winner Emmai Alaquiva and narrated by Viola Davis, examines the nation’s maternal and infant health crisis through the stories of four Black women whose experiences reflect both heartbreak and hope.
A Dark Reality for Black Mothers
According to the CDC, Black women in the U.S. are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women, and Black babies face an infant loss rate 2.5 times higher before their first birthday. For Luckett, who first saw the film during this year’s Essence Festival in New Orleans, those statistics felt deeply personal.
“I found myself becoming really overwhelmed with emotion,” she said. “A lot of times we’re just a number, a lot of times we get overlooked. I just feel like it’s my part. I’m doing my part in moderating, helping to get the word out, asking the questions, and doing whatever I can to help this docu become more successful.”
Her involvement with “The Ebony Canal” is part of a broader movement to reframe how Black maternal health is discussed. It should be viewed as not just a medical issue, but as a human one. Alaquiva, in particular, believes that it was his responsibility to bring this film to life.
“If you see something, you do something,” he said. “My goal is to crystallize the human spirit through cinematic and purposeful storytelling.”
Luckett’s commitment to women’s health doesn’t begin or end with one film. In recent years, she has been vocal about the importance of holistic care and self-advocacy for women, particularly mothers of color. Not only does she believe the medical system needs change, but Black women need to begin to take their health more seriously.
“Some of us shy away from going to the doctor,” Luckett said. “We hear about things, we see things on social media, and we don’t think it can happen to us. A lot of times it’s not until it’s too late that we realize, ‘Wait a minute, I should have gone to the doctor.’”
The Power of Sisterhood
Beyond policy or awareness campaigns, Luckett believes the key to improving maternal health outcomes lies in something more personal. She believes in the power of community.
“Oh my gosh, sisterhood is so important,” she said. “Had it not been for my group of sisters, my friends, my family that I have, I don’t know if I would have survived. The support, the love that I feel from them is top-tier.”
She credits that support network with getting her through the hardest chapters of her life and says it’s something all women need to sustain themselves.
“Especially for our strong girls, the ones that cover us and the ones that are always looking out, check on them the most,” she added. “They’re holding everybody up most of the time, and a lot of times we find ourselves pouring out and not replenishing.”
For Luckett, sisterhood is a survival tool. It’s the infrastructure that keeps women grounded in birth, in motherhood, and beyond.
Carrying the Work Forward
Luckett’s voice joins a growing chorus of Black women in entertainment, from Tina Knowles to Serena Williams, who are using their platforms to call attention to disparities in healthcare. But what makes Luckett’s advocacy resonate is her blend of authenticity and accessibility. She speaks as a mother and a woman who understands both the fear and the faith that motherhood demands.
“When you hear these stories, when you see what these women have been through,” she said, “I think it will finally become real and won’t feel like something that’s so far from becoming a reality for some of us.”