The US has the highest maternal mortality of all industrialized countries. For Black women, the risk is 3.5 times higher. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 84% of those maternal deaths are preventable. Dr. Shalon worked at the CDC, raising her voice against inequality in healthcare before falling victim to the systemic racism she fought against. Three weeks after giving birth, she died. But her voice lives on.
Through AI, Dr. Shalon’s voice was brought back to life so that she can sing one last lullaby. Not for her daughter, but to seek a change in the American healthcare system. To keep Black voices alive so no other mother dies a preventable death.
In collaboration with the victim's family, useful recordings of Dr. Shalon were identified and fed to an algorithm to learn her speech patterns and bring back her voice through AI. Harnessing the emotional power of lullabies, one of the most popular children's songs was reinterpreted to create an intimate audible experience that raises awareness, creates conversation, and pushes for a more accountable healthcare system through public visibility.