Though Charles Johnson sees Black Maternal Health Week as a week to amplify and really fulfill his role as an ally to Black women, this time of year is extremely bittersweet for not only him but also his two sons. In 2016, he lost his wife, Kira, during a routine C-section at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, California. “Even 10 years later, all of this still seems surreal,” Johnson told EBONY. He founded 4Kira4Moms in 2017 as a way to advocate for the experiences of mothers and families affected by unnecessary maternal loss and striving to end the maternal mortality crisis.
“The way that her story has touched people is interesting, it’s surreal, but I’m not surprised, because she never ceased to amaze me when she was here in the physical, and still, the way her story resonates and she brings people together, and she helps people find the courage, and it’s really remarkable,” he said.
As the founder of 4Kira4Moms, his advocacy has contributed to landmark federal legislation, influenced healthcare systems and redefined the role of fathers and families in improving outcomes. “As I look back at the 10-year milestone, I’m tremendously proud of all the things that we’ve accomplished and the progress we’ve made, but a lot of milestones are bittersweet,” he said. “We have a lot to celebrate, a lot to be grateful for, but at the same time, just being as honest as I possibly can, we really miss her.”
Black women are disproportionately affected by this epidemic, where they are three times more likely to die from pregnancy than white women. Through this initiative, Johnson is on a mission to advocate for improved maternal health policies and regulations, educate the public about the impact of maternal mortality in communities, support victims’ families, and promote the view that maternal mortality should be viewed and discussed as a human rights issue.
“We’ve watched that awareness transition towards action,” he said. “Now more than ever, in this climate where there are rollbacks in funding, attacks on DEI and things that have to do with our audience, our people, women of color, collaboration is truly our secret sauce,” he said.
Throughout his work and collaboration, he relentlessly worked with Congress to pass the Preventing Maternal Death Act (H.R.1318). This landmark legislation is the first to address the maternal death crisis in the United States. The bill was signed into law on December 21, 2018, and is dedicated to the memory of Kira Dixon Johnson. “If you can find common interest, common values, and a shared mission on something, then that’s enough to move forward, and just having those conversations helps,” he said.
With each step forward, Johnson and his organization, 4Kira4Moms, not only honor Kira’s legacy but also pave the way for a future where all mothers, especially those from marginalized communities, can expect and receive equitable care. His commitment to allyship continues to serve as a reminder of how one voice can drive real change, particularly in a climate that demands urgent attention to maternal mortality.
“For me, I am so tremendously proud to be a man in this space and leverage my voice and my privilege as a man, and oftentimes we think as men of color and Black men, that we don’t have privilege, but the reality of the situation is you do,” he said. “There are things that you can say, lending your voice, your power, your presence, to that do not get received the same by women, particularly women of color.”
In reflecting on a decade of advocacy born from unimaginable loss, Charles Johnson’s main mission continues to be love and legacy not only for his family, but for thousands of future families. “For me, the biggest thing is that love really transcends realms of existence,” he said. Though Kira is no longer here physically, he insists, “we’re still very much in partnership,” and the impact people credit to him is, in his eyes, “really a Kira touching people’s lives. All I have to do is keep showing up.”
That commitment to keep showing up has meant choosing a path to accountability that centers the greater good. As he explains, there is no true justice that can bring Kira back, but there is meaning in “sending other mothers home with their babies” and building systems that honor her sacrifice.
Along the way, he has faced people who said bills wouldn’t pass, that no one would care, even that “nobody’s gonna believe that this happened to you.” Yet he has persisted, “just being crazy enough to believe that you can change things and make an impact,” not because he is extraordinary, but because he has been able to find purpose.
Much of that purpose is anchored in his sons. “We don’t take on fights that we know we can win—that’s called being a bully,” he said. “I hope that they understand that even though we may have lost, they didn’t win, and that their mother’s legacy is so tremendously powerful, and it’s because of her sacrifice that millions of mothers will get to go home with their babies.”