Charles S. Johnson IV Instagram – Repost from @people • When Charles Johnson awoke in the hospital maternity room with his newborn son Langston on the day after his birth April 12, 2016, he felt joy — but also shock and grief. His wife Kira, who had given birth to their second child just hours before, had died after her Cesarian section. Unfortunately, he is one of many partners who has lost someone through childbirth. At least 861 women died of maternal causes in the U.S. in 2020, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And Black women are nearly three times more likely to die in childbirth or from childbirth complications than white women. In some communities, the disparity is even larger. “Women all over this country deserve better,” said Johnson, who has made it his mission to prevent more maternal losses. “There’s nothing I can do to bring Kira back. But what I can do, and the highest honor and tribute that I can pay to my wife, is to fight as hard as I possibly can whenever I can to make sure that we send mothers home with their babies.” Tap the link in bio for the full story. l📷: Charles Johnson