Granville County woman awarded for efforts to make pregnancy and childbirth safer for people of color 

OXFORD, N.C. (WNCN) — A Granville County mother is working to make pregnancy and childbirth safer for everyone, especially people of color.

According to the CDC, Black women are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women, and the infant mortality rate is twice as high for Black babies.

Tonya Daniel is being honored for her work to change that. She wants every baby to be born safely and everyone who gives birth to feel supported.

It’s a passion that arose from a personal tragedy. During her second pregnancy, Daniel says she asked her healthcare provider about some concerning symptoms.

“All these times I called, and nobody really listened,” she recalled. Her baby was born months early and didn’t survive.

As Tonya grieved, and as she worked with other pregnant women, she realized she wasn’t alone.

“I was hearing those stories from people who looked like me,” she said. “I got certified as a childbirth educator because I figured maybe if I start teaching people how to how to know the warning signs or how to push and advocate for themselves, then that would help,” she explained.

Daniel also became a doula, a position that allowed her to support and advocate for families through pregnancy and childbirth.

“If a pregnant person is asking a question, and they’re asking repeatedly, they’re concerned about it, and so it needs to be addressed,” she said. “Providers need to know how to respectfully and culturally appropriately give them those answers that they’re looking for.”

Her passion led her to pursue her master’s degree in Health Leadership at Western Governors University. She will receive the distinguished graduate award later this week.

Daniel now runs her own company “Enjoy the Baby.” She trains doulas and works with healthcare providers.

“I think that’s the key is making sure that the doulas are working in tandem with the healthcare providers, not on opposing teams,” she said. “Really seeing if we can bridge those things together to really make some impact in changing this narrative of Black maternal health.”