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Maternal mortality rates in the United States have been on a troubling trajectory in recent years, and while researchers are quibbling over just how high the numbers are, two facts are undisputed: Black women are more likely than their white counterparts to experience fatal complications from labor and delivery, and many of these deaths are entirely preventable. (More than 80%, in fact, according to data from the CDC.)
It is within this landscape that journalist and TV host Elaine Welteroth has founded and launched birthFUND, a grant-making coalition aimed at providing midwife and birth care for families who can’t afford the out-of-pocket costs for these services. Funding for birthFUND comes from Serena Williams, John Legend, Chrissy Teigen, Ayesha Curry, Karlie Kloss and others.
“We’re hearing grim stats, we’re hearing sad stories about the loss of mothers and infants, but when you hear it, it’s not talked about through the lens of a solution,” Welteroth told Moira Forbes in a recorded conversation this week. “We’ve been waiting far too long for lawmakers, for insurance companies, for hospitals and doctors and birth workers to figure this out for us, and I think we are at a time where we cannot afford to wait. Change isn’t happening fast enough. It’s on us to save us.”
Cheers to that!
Maggie McGrath
P.S.: Nominations for the 2024 50 Over 50 list are officially open, so if you are creating your greatest professional impact after the age of 50, please head to this link here to nominate yourself today!
Exclusive Forbes Profile: How YouTube Sensation Emma Chamberlain Is Scaling Her Coffee Startup
“It was just a part of me, and even my parents,” Chamberlain says about the coffee industry. “It’s who we are.”
Jamel Toppin for Forbes
Vlogging has made Emma Chamberlain one of the most influential creators of her generation. With more than 12 million subscribers on YouTube and 15 million followers on Instagram, she earned some $20 million last year, Forbes estimates. As her audience has grown, Chamberlain has been tapped to serve as the face of Louis Vuitton, Lancôme and Cartier, among other luxury brands that have been drawn to the Emma-verse. And these days, she’s using her platform to scale her startup, Chamberlain Coffee.
ICYMI: News Of The Week
THE KELLY CLARKSON SHOW — Episode 7I076 — Pictured: Sarah J. Maas — (Photo by: Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal via Getty Images
Sarah J. Maas has claimed the title of the year’s bestselling author after the first quarter, newly released Circana data shows, an example of a strong surge in the romance and fantasy genres and a case study in how TikTok popularity can catapult authors to fame years after their works first release. Maas has sold 3.1 million print books so far in 2024.
The third annual Forbes list of most entrepreneurial CMOs was released this week, and it recognizes 50 marketing leaders who stand above the rest, as determined by their peers, executive recruiters, list alumni and Forbes reporters. Among the women who made the cut: Sophie Bambuck, CMO for The North Face; Esi Eggleston Bracey, chief growth and marketing officer for Unilever; and Nikki Neuburger, lululemon’s CMO.
The uniforms designed by Nike for the USA women’s Olympic track and field team have been met with harsh criticism from current and former athletes alleging an unnecessarily skimp design and sexist undertones that have drawn the ire of women across the world, including those on competing Olympic teams.
All of the WNBA’s top 10 most expensive regular season games this year belong to the Indiana Fever, according to secondary ticket data released Wednesday, after the Fever drafted Iowa phenom Caitlin Clark this week as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 WNBA draft—Clark’s latest feat after she helped set NCAA viewership and ticket price records.
The Checklist
1. Hire a CAIO. That’s chief AI officer, and the role has become one of the hottest jobs in the c-suite.
2. Understand the invisible labor of leadership. As a founder or organizational leader, you’re not just responsible for running projects, setting budgets and making business decisions. You also have to manage employee anxiety—and, in some cases, apathy. Here’s how.
3. Make your actions speak as loudly as your words. Using your hands properly while communicating can make your message 60% more effective, research shows. Here’s how to use body language to your advantage in public speaking.
The Quiz
Former Dance Moms and Nickelodeon star JoJo Siwa debuted a dramatically different look earlier this month, trading in the high ponytail and bright colors she was known for as a child star for an edgier look critics have described as KISS cosplay. Which of the following controversies has Siwa found herself in?
A. Siwa admitted she didn’t know who KISS was
B. Fellow child star Lil Tay called Siwa out for not writing her new single, “Karma”
C. Siwa said she wanted to create the “gap pop” genre, which already exists
D. All of the above
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