Featured Articles:

“Supporting the Journey of Midwives of Color; From Student, to Apprentice, to Initiate” explores the urgent need for more Black and Indigenous midwives, highlighting the ways systemic racism, medical mistreatment, and exclusionary educational pathways have contributed to maternal health disparities. The article centers culturally rooted midwifery education, ancestral healing, and community-based training as essential tools for restoring trust, reclaiming traditional birth practices, and increasing access to holistic, community-centered care for families of the African diaspora.

“Global Midwifery: Delving into the Diaspora” uncovers the sacred and ancestral roots of midwifery across the globe, emphasizing how traditional birth knowledge has been suppressed through colonization and medicalization. The focal point is restoring culturally grounded midwifery practices through international collaboration, herbal wisdom, and community-based care models that reconnect families of the African diaspora to birth traditions rooted in dignity, sovereignty, and collective healing.

“The Impact of Access to Home Birth for Families of African Descent” delves into the life-saving importance of accessible home birth options for women of color, especially in the face of medical racism, maternal mortality disparities, and systemic barriers to out-of-hospital care. The article highlights the role of Birth from The Earth’s Amber Rose Isaac Access to Home Birth Fund in reducing financial obstacles, restoring birth autonomy, and supporting culturally affirming birth experiences rooted in ancestral traditions and community trust.

“Group Prenatal Care: A Communal Approach of Exposure to the Midwifery Model of Care” explores the ways in which communal prenatal care creates safer, more empowering spaces for women of color by centering sisterhood, education, and shared decision-making. The focal point is ensuring that pregnant people become active participants in their own wellness journey through culturally grounded support, preventive education, and access to the midwifery model of care in a collective setting.

“Fatherhood Fridays: The Role of Fathers in Improving Maternal Health” reveals the importance of fathers and co-parents in strengthening maternal health outcomes, pregnancy support, postpartum wellness, and family stability. The article highlights how creating intentional spaces for fathers to gather, learn, advocate, and receive support fosters stronger family foundations, deeper community healing, and more empowered birth experiences for mothers and babies alike.

“Uplifting the Experience and Duration of Lactation for Women of Color” examines the historical, cultural, and systemic barriers that have contributed to lower breastfeeding rates and higher infant mortality within Black and Indigenous communities. The article centers breastfeeding as both ancestral medicine and a public health intervention, while highlighting the transformative impact of culturally rooted lactation support, communal healing spaces, and family involvement in improving breastfeeding duration and maternal-infant wellness outcomes.