Before Rebecca moved to North Carolina five years ago, she served as a lactation activist, sat on boards and advocated for Black families who desired to teach their children based on African principles. During my recorded conversation with her, we talked about the changes that are manifesting in the Chicago area that seemed so far out of reach a half decade ago. Since the beginning of 2019, Black birth workers have begun to offer workshops centered around Black women, marched in the Bud Billiken Parade to highlight Black breastfeeding and hosted the 1st Annual Black Breastfeeding Cookout to introduce the Black community in Chicago to Black birth workers and kick off Black Breastfeeding Week 2019. At each event I have attended, I have thought to myself: "Rebecca would LOVE this!" The seeds she planted all over Chicagoland are not only growing, but they are blooming flowers.

In many ways, Rebecca's influence seemed to be ahead of its time in the Chicago area. And while her influence in birth culture was dynamic, it was short lived. She has returned to her first love - FILM and THE STAGE, though few who have experienced Rebecca's passion in the birth world would ever believe that lactation was not her first love.

Through Sankofa Birth Ambassador Workshops, I encounter women who find themselves drawn to birth work from different professions. I am excited to share a portion of Rebecca's story because I believe it will demonstrate to others the diversity of Black women who are coming to this work. I hope it serves as a reminder that Black women should see NO LIMITS to the ways that they can be a part of birth culture. Rebecca is a wonderful example of how we can use our diverse gifts and talents to save ourselves.

I have admired Mars Lord and followed her work for a while, and was excited about the opportunity to speak to her face-to-face. I always feel extremely blessed when I meet someone and I notice a  natural connection and a kindred spirit, especially when I find these connections with African women internationally. Our conversation was full of laughter from the very beginning. My conversation with Mars confirmed my belief that if Black women are to help ourselves to heal ourselves and save ourselves, we must extend our hands to reach out to other women of African descent, both on the continent and throughout the African Diaspora. We must all connect and unify our strengths to overcome our limitations. It was my pleasure to hear her thoughts and to be able to share them with you.

Mars expresses this gratitude:

"I'm grateful to Nicola Mahdiyyah Goodall, whose knowledge of birth and the postnatal period is immense. She encourages me to continually learn more. Maisie Hill who has always pushed me to do a little bit more. Jennie Joseph and her hard work and tenacity that encourages me to continue in my birth activism. The friendship of these three women is incredible. And I cannot forget Lorna Phillip and Thando Zwane, my sistas who make me laugh whilst encouraging me and who continually believe in the work that I do. "

You can connect with Divine to learn about her current workshops and  the work she is doing:

Website: https://www.divinebirthwisdom.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DivineBirthWisdom/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/divinebirthwisdom/
Non-profit: http://communitybirthcompanion.org/
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Meet Tunisia Macklin, the Peaceful Birthing Doula. She has been a massage therapist for more than 15 years and professional doula and a placenta encapsulator for almost 10 years. However, birth has always been a part of her life and and a passion to which she feels called.  While her nature is the "peaceful doula", she is also known to be unrelenting in her passion to teach women how to advocate for themselves in the hospital environment.