Halle Bailey Recognized By City of Los Angeles For Maternal Health Advocacy

The City of Los Angeles is honoring Halle Bailey for using her platform to speak up about maternal health by sharing her postpartum journey.

The Little Mermaid star took center stage at Project Pit’s first-ever Maternal Health Summit on Aug. 16, where she and Faith Evans were honored for their advocacy in support of women and maternal health.

“Hii everyone i just want to thank the City of Los Angeles and @projectpit for this incredible honor,” Bailey captioned an Instagram post. “To be recognized for speaking up about maternal health and my own postpartum journey is really humbling just a reminder that vulnerability is not a weakness, it’s the bridge that connects us all.”

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A post shared by Halle Bailey (@hallebailey)

The city’s recognition comes more than a year after Bailey revealed on Snapchat that she was battling “severe” postpartum depression following the 2023 birth of her son Halo, an admission that sparked widespread support and opened the door to candid conversations among new moms.

“I have severe, severe postpartum [depression], and I don’t know if any new moms can relate, but it’s to the point where it’s really bad, and it’s hard for me to be separated from my baby for more than 30 minutes at a time before I start to kind of freak out,” she said.

After her reveal, fans and fellow moms filled her Instagram comments with words of encouragement and personal stories from their postpartum journeys.

“I didn’t feel normal in my own body until like over a year after my baby,” one mom wrote.

“Thank you for your words on postpartum. For using your voice to speak not only on your experience but that of so many mothers,” added another.

Bailey was celebrated for using her platform to raise awareness about postpartum depression. At the same time, Evans was honored for founding Ryder’s Room, a nonprofit organization that supports children and families with disabilities and special needs. Held at Baldwin Hills Crenshaw Plaza, the Project Pit event was a free, one-day gathering focused on raising awareness and advancing solutions for maternal health challenges, particularly in Black and brown communities.

“One thing that we have realized is it is a growing fear when a Black woman goes in to give birth,” said Creative Director Maryam Dorsey. “When we go and we give life, we are also risking our lives.”

The summit featured educational panels, relaxation spaces, kids’ play areas, and a community baby shower, hosted in partnership with It’s Bigger Than Us LA, that offered free diapers, baby formula, wipes, new breast pumps, and other essentials.

“A lot of women are afraid,” Dorsey said. “Sometimes insurance is a barrier, finances are a barrier, so to be able to be able to come somewhere for completely free and be able to get those resources, I mean, it’s indescribable.”

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