Across California and the U.S., too many families face a maternal health system that is overstretched, inequitable, and often out of reach. Structural barriers, workforce shortages, and persistent disparities mean that Black, Brown, Indigenous, LGBT+, and low-income families are far more likely to experience poor maternal outcomes – from preventable complications to inadequate access to care and a mortality rate that is over 3 times higher than it is for white women.
But Rise Up Leaders like Olivia Favela-Gary, Executive Director of the California Nurse-Midwives Foundation and member of our 2024 California Cohort, are rewriting that story – one community at a time.
Olivia’s journey into midwifery began long before she had the language for it. “I’ve always known I was meant to be a healer,” she shared with Rise Up Together. “I grew up Black and Mexican, but like so many of us, I didn’t inherit stories about birthwork or the midwives in our ancestral lines – colonialism had stripped those narratives away.” It wasn’t until she watched Call the Midwife in 2010 that she felt a spark: “Seeing a midwife moving through her community, answering the call of women in labor, lit something deep in me. It felt like remembering something I was never taught.” Within a year, Olivia entered midwifery school, answering a call that had been with her all along.
Over time, her motivation evolved. “I’ve witnessed how structural racism, intergenerational trauma, and policy barriers shape outcomes long before someone enters labor,” she explained. “Today, my work is driven by the belief that midwives – especially midwives of color – are essential architects of a healthier, more just maternal health landscape. My inspiration now is not only the families I serve, but the collective movement we are building across California.”
Olivia joined Rise Up Together’s Leadership and Advocacy Accelerator to strengthen her leadership within a larger movement for gender equity and justice. “The maternal health crisis requires bold, collaborative, cross-sector leadership – and Rise Up Together offered a space where strategy, social justice, and community power were centered equally,” she said.
“Through the Accelerator, I gained clarity about the systems we must transform and the partnerships required to do so. It expanded my network of powerful leaders, deepened my tools for policy advocacy, expanded my awareness and understanding of the challenges faced by American Indian and LGTBQ+ communities, and helped me articulate a long-term vision for my organization’s role in statewide maternal health transformation.”
With Rise Up Together’s funding, training, and resources, Olivia is working to secure public funding that would cover accreditation fees for birth centers – a step in bringing critical care to communities that often have none. For families in these areas, a local, midwife-led birth center means safer, more respectful care, reduced health disparities, and the chance for every parent to bring their child into the world with dignity and support.
We’re thrilled to celebrate this month’s Global Good News: the incredible impact of the Rise Up Together-funded convening In Our Hands: Midwifery, Advocacy, and Action, held by Olivia and the California Nurse-Midwives Foundation in early December. Over 150 midwives, students, birth workers, policy leaders, and community advocates gathered to strengthen the workforce, map actionable solutions, and advance community-rooted systems of care. “Together, we mapped real solutions to expand birth centers, strengthen the midwifery workforce, and build collaborative, community-rooted systems of care,” Olivia reflected. “The event was filled with joy, truth-telling, and a shared commitment to transform maternal health in our state.”
Despite the ongoing maternal health crisis, Olivia sees hope in her community. “I see midwives, doulas, students, and families organizing and refusing to accept the status quo,” she said.
Rise Up Leaders like Olivia demonstrate that lasting change is possible when communities come together, invest in one another, and refuse to accept inequitable systems. Through Rise Up Together’s strategic support, advocacy, and collaboration, California’s maternal health landscape can transform – ensuring that every family has access to the care, respect, and support they deserve.
