PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — In the U.S., Black women face three times the pregnancy-related death rate of white women, along with higher rates of C-sections, preterm births and systemic racism. Advocates have led the call for policy change, and better access to care. This year marks the 20th anniversary of Saleemah McNeil’s birth story. The year her blood pressure spiked to 202 over 153 due to pre-eclampsia, which led to a C-section and a nine day hospital stay.
“That experience felt so jarring and so far from what I had anticipated or wanted for my birth story, and that made it very challenging in the postpartum because I felt like I was presented with a baby versus like having my son,” she explained.
That traumatic birthing experience led McNeil to embark on a personal healing journey that turned into a sisterhood of support and advocacy for better black maternal health outcomes and the founding of the Oshun Family Center.
“We aren't in the same place that we were 20 years ago. We actually aren't in the same place that we were 10 years ago, and so being a part of these enacted solutions feels really good as we journey forward,” she said.
A Certified Lactation Consultant, retired birth doula, maternal health researcher, adjunct professor, and maternal health advocate at just 38-years-old, McNeil is a leader in reproductive justice advocacy. She said she has the spirit of a panther, just like her father who always stood up for what was right.
“To be a leader in a way that I have been has been driven by my upbringing of knowing that there are inequities that occur, there are people that are treated differently, and I have a voice, and I have an audience, and I can impact those things by doing good with my superpowers,” she said.
The Oshun Family Center focuses on Mental and maternal health, holistic healing and fertility support as well as lactation services and doula support. McNeil said she’s thankful to help bring about change.
“My footprint will be in this maternal health space as a game changer, as a overall maternal health disruptor, as a connector, and as a very passionate black woman and mother here in Philadelphia.”
Saleemah McNeil, changing the game for better maternal health.
During Black History Month, KYW Newsradio’s GameChangers honors individuals or organizations that have made a significant, positive impact in communities of color in the greater Philadelphia region. View the 2026 honorees here.