Birth HERstory Vlog & Podcast
Celebrating the HERstory of Black women in birth in the 21st Century
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3/9/2020
Birthing into Black Hands... Black Birthworkers as an Essential Part of Black Liberation"Every other culture has no problem or shame in unifying and promoting their people. I feel like it's my duty and responsibility to uplift my people, my culture. | That goes to the larger conversation... whether we ask for it or not, people are used to saving Black people. People don't look at us having authority and saving ourselves."
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THESE TWO SISTAS RIGHT HERE!
They are two of the most special birthworkers you will ever meet and I am THA-RILLED to be able say that they are my friends. They are both doing incredible work here in the Chicagoland area. They talk about themselves and how they met in our conversation, so I will not spend too much time on that here, but what stands out most about these women is how they have used their #BlackGirlMagic like Wonder Twin Powers (look it up) to transform themselves from individual awesomeness to a collective greatness. I love these sisters together! Jeanine is one of the few Black CNMs in the Chicago area serving moms in the hospital setting and Shaquan is a doula and aspiring midwife. I simply could not be happier as I contemplate what Chicago will be like in the coming years because THEY ARE HERE. |
This interview is a celebration of SISTERHOOD among Black women! WE ARE HERE!!! ENJOY!
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Topics discussed:
They offer these words of appreciation: "I always give gratitude and thanks to the women who have willingly given their bodies to this work, the enslaved Africans that were tortured in the name of gynecology, Anarcha Westscott, Betsey Harris, and Lucy Zimmerman. I also lean on the history and legacy of Araminta Ross (Harriet Tubman) for motivation and guidance. Her work as a herbalist, nurse, and freedom fighter ais exemplary and I work to honor that. Lastly, my mother as my hero was an absolutely brilliant woman. Her health struggle and "excess death" experience is what pushed me to this work. These are my mentors, guides, and North Stars in this work." "My Bae and mentor, Jeanine Valrie Logan" |
Listen to the podcast:
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Birthworker Baes
Email: birthworkerbaes@gmail.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/birthworkerbaes/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Birthworker-Baes Shaquan Dupart Website: https://www.thepeoplesdoula.com/ Email: hello@thepeoplesdoula.com Instagram: www.instagram.com/doulaforthepeople Instagram: www.instagram.com/chicagoblackdoulaalliance Facebook: www.facebook.com/thepeoplesdoula Facebook: www.facebook.com/chicagoblackdoulaalliance Jeanine Valrie Logan Email: jeaninevalrie@gmail.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mgangamidwife/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_herbsinthehood_/ |
"When you take something away from its ceremonial use and spiritual significance, it can no longer feed your soul and it turns into something that is harmful for you... The plants can actually tell you 'how do you use me and when do you use me and how much'. Those instructions actually exist when you open yourself enough into deeper listening."
~ Aysen Adelle Farag
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During one of my trips to South Africa I spoke with a sangoma (traditional healer) and told her about "the call" I felt toward certain spiritual work. I lamented that, sadly, most of the Black traditional healers that had been a dominant part of Black culture only 50 - 60 years ago had been (at best) villainized or pushed underground, and (at worst) outlawed completely in the U.S. I asked her where I, a Diasporic African disconnected from many healing traditions, should begin.
Her response? "You need to learn about plants." At the time, that seemed overwhelming and it was not an answer that I expected. Over the past few years, I have begun to see the connections between plant medicine, ancestral practices and traditional modes of healing. It was my conversation with Aysen Adelle Farag that filled in the missing pieces to my fundamental understanding of plant medicine. Aysen is a "medicine woman" and her journey to reclaim her African ancestral roots from northern Africa will inspire you and offer a path for you to follow if you desire to do the same. The unassuming manner in which Aysen presents plants as our medicine and part of our ancestral relationships will make it easy to see connections to plants in your own journey to RECLAIM. |
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Like the sangoma told me a few years ago, connecting to plants is essential to understand oneself as a traditional healer. Equally important is becoming acquainted with how our ancestors traversed and navigated through the world when they depended on their connection to plants and the environment to sustain themselves.
Enjoy this very thoughtful conversation with Aysen.
Topics discussed:
Aysen offers gratitude to her grandmothers, and her friend, Shireen. |
Listen to the podcast:
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Connect with Aysen about the sacred work she does with plant medicine:
Email: DreamingRootsMedicine@gmail.com Website: http://dreamingroots.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/aysendreamingroots/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lady_of_the_green/ |
"If you say a lie enough times, people will believe it's the truth. You will be out here thinking and operating inside of lies. [Homebirth] is not new, it's old... Let's go back to the beginning, let's go back to the GENESIS, to how we used to do it. What did all those women do before they went to hospitals?" ~ Shayla Brown
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Shayla Brown is passionate about the work she does with Black women, whether they are dealing with their fertility or managing unexpected challenges within the childbearing year.
The changes and the shifts that have occurred since our Black midwives were systematically outlawed in the U.S. have not only influenced the options that Black women have for providers, but they have also influenced the way that Black families care for their birthing women. In our interview, we discusses some of the ways that deficiencies in maternity care affected Shayla and influenced her decision to serve as birth support for birthing families, and stay at home to birth her children. She is a powerful force within the birth community and she does her work, unapologetically, from a God-centered perspective. Shayla offers gratitude to the following individuals: Nicole Deggins, Divine Birth Wisdom, Shafia Monroe, Fatima Muhammad, Toni Hill, Kim Flanders, Lakisa Muhammad |
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Topics discussed:
- Dealing with the inevitability of birthing in the hospital
- When homebirth midwives are not accessible
- Utilizing student midwives
- When "Baby doesn't like" something
- Miscarriages
- Being misunderstood in the medical environment
- Preparing a healthy body for pregnancy
- Dealing with pseudocyesis (false pregnancy)
- Deciding to have a Black midwife
- Understanding that "we have a culture"
- "In the beginning..."
- Deciding on an unassisted birth
- "Synthetic" in the birth environment
- Understanding how induction can affect your birth experiences and future pregnancies
Listen to the podcast:
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You can connect with Shayla and the work she is doing in the following ways:
Blog: https://GenesisBirthing.wordpress.com/ Email: EveFromGenesis@gmail.com Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/genesisbirthingandliving/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GenesisBirthingandLiving/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/BirthBlog |
What are YOU waiting for to start learning about how to care for women during the childbearing year? Whether you are considering a career in birthwork, want to learn to help your family and friends or desire to be a resource for your community, "10 THINGS" is your starting place! Learn from from a Black historical perspective... learn from "someone who looks like you"... STOP WAITING... START LEARNING RIGHT NOW! |
In other words, "She said what she said..." When we help Birth HERstories we are acknowledging the BLACK BIRTH RENAISSANCE that is happening around the world! When we share our stories, practices, or traditions from women of African descent in America, we help preserve Black Birth HERstory. It is our responsibility as descendants of African women who were trafficked to the U.S. to hold their stories and know their practices, so that we are able to continue their tradition of being self-reliant and self-sustaining as communities of Black women. |
Dr. Doula
My work is informed by my background – experiences, expertise, exposure, education & environment – as a woman, mother, wife, sister, educator, researcher, scholar, advocate, birth ally and legacy builder. #IAmTheAnswer #WeSaveOurselves
(Please note that the information shared on this blog is for information purposes only. Pregnant women should consult their PCP before following any practices found within the Birth HERstory Series Blog.)
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