Our Vision

Our vision is to be a voice for the voiceless and put an end to the maternal mortality crisis.

Our mission

Our mission is to fight for improved maternal outcomes through advocacy and coalition building, educate the public about the impact of maternal mortality in communities, provide peer support to victim’s families, and promote the idea that maternal mortality should be viewed, and discussed as a human rights issue.

Our Impact

Since our inception, our founder has testified twice before Congress where 4Kira4Moms advocated in support of key legislation including, the Preventing Maternal Death Act of 2018, the Protecting Moms Who Served Act of 2021, and the California Momnibus. We are currently advocating on behalf of all mothers, families, and babies to pass the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2021, an unprecedented set of bills addressing every aspect of the maternal health crisis happening in America.

Timeline

12:30 pm

Kyira was admitted to Cedars-Sinai Hospital on April 12, 2016 at approximately 12:30 p.m. for a routine cesarean delivery

2:33 pm

She gave birth to her son, Langston, at 2:33 PM.

3:00 pm

At 3:00 p.m. Kyira was out of the operating room and was taken to the Post Anesthesia Care Unit (PACU). Shortly before 5:00 p.m., blood-tinged urine was seen in Kyira’s foley catheter

5:24 pm

By 5:24 p.m. Kyira’s foley catheter was draining bright red blood. Dr. Naim was made aware of his patient Kyira’s situation

6:44 pm

It wasn’t until 6:44 that a “surgical emergency” CT scan was ordered that ultimately was never performed

11:42 pm

At 11:42 p.m., two physicians were at Kyira’s bedside and one performed an ultrasound that found “expanding hematoma and now free fluid.” They recommended taking Kyira to surgery to identify the source of the bleeding. However, Dr. Naim, who was also at the bedside at this time, wished “to continue expectant management at this time.”

12:30 am

As Kyira’s condition continued to rapidly decline, her husband Charles pleaded for help. Kyira was finally taken to surgery approximately around 12:30 a.m. on April 13, 2016, 10 hours from the time when the family initially realized something was wrong and pleaded for help

2:22 am

During surgery Kyira was found to have 3 liters of blood in her abdomen and did not survive the blood loss. Kyira was pronounced dead at 2:22 a.m. on April 13, 2016.

The autopsy stated that the cause of “death was due to hemorrhagic shock, due to acute hemoperitoneum,” (massive internal bleeding) post cesarean section.

Our Story

In 2016, our founder, Charles Johnson, lost his wife Kira, during a routine C-section at Cedar Sinai hospital in Los Angeles, California. He founded 4Kira4Moms in 2017 as a response to his experience, to be a voice for other mothers and families facing unnecessary maternal loss, and putting an end to the maternal mortality health crisis. Black women are disproportionately affected by this epidemic, where they are 3x more likely to die from pregnancy than white women. Implicit bias, access to healthcare, and a number of other factors highlight the need for legislation, support for community-based organizations focused on Black maternal health, and access to care, information, and resources for all underserved and disproportionately affected communities.

We are on a mission to advocate for improved maternal health policies and regulations, to educate the public about the impact of maternal mortality in communities, provide peer support to victims’ families, and promote the idea that maternal mortality should be viewed, and discussed as a human rights issue.

Charles Johnson, founder and 4kira4moms worked relentlessly with congress to pass the preventing maternal death act (H.R.1318). This milestone legislation is the first ever to combat the maternal death crisis in the United States. The bill was signed into law December 21, 2018 and dedicated to the memory of Kira Dixon Johnson. Our work has just begun. Our mothers, sisters, daughter, wives need your help. Join the fight!

Meet Our Founder

Charles Johnson has dedicated his life to the pursuit of what his own family failed to receive – safe, respectful, & equitable maternal health outcomes in America. His passion for systemic change is driven by his love for his wife, Kira, who passed away following the birth of their second child.

Meet Our Team

Alicia Scarborough, Executive Director

Alicia J Scarborough is a solutionist, innovator, and community servant who is deeply passionate about solving global crisis’s and helping individuals fulfill their career goals and life’s calling.

She began her career in Human Resources at Emory University. Shortly thereafter she founded H.A.N.D.S. Linked (Help. Aspire. Networking. Development. Success.) where for a period she annually returned to her alma mater, the College of Wooster, to host career centric symposiums and networking events connecting students with career training and job opportunities. She later served as an employer brand consultant with Bernard Hodes Group, then transitioning into the media industry as a Human Resources Generalist with the southeast’s most prestigious public broadcasting entity, Georgia Public Broadcasting (GPB).