Black Midwifery Collective mourns the passing of Dr. Janell Green Smith. A midwife, scholar, and a compassionate advocate. May Dr. Smith rest in peace and power. We vow to honor her legacy in the continued fight for birthing justice.

🚨Recall Alert🚨 ByHeart infant formula has issued a nationwide recall due to an outbreak of infant botulism. If you have any ByHeart formula, stop use & discard it. Watch for weakness & feeding issues in your baby, & see a doctor if needed. For help, call ByHeart at (833) 429-4327. Please repost!

Chicago: Looking for food, a hot meal, or support? Mutual aid keeps us strong. Click this link to find pantries, kitchens, and groups helping neighbors daily. Community is everything! static1.squarespace.com/static/5ed85...

The time is NOW for #BirthJustice in IL! After years of advocacy, certified professional midwives are finally recognized by the state. Midwives can step out of the shadows to provide safe, trusted, community-based care. This is a win for freedom, safety, and dignity in birth. Let’s keep going!

Only 6–8% of pregnancies are high-risk, but the birth-industrial complex treats nearly everyone like they are. Community midwifery is safe, evidence-based care that should be the standard for the 90% of people who don’t need high-risk intervention. #Midwifery #BirthJustice

💀 On #DiaDeLosMuertos, we honor our ancestors, whose lives and legacies shape us even after they are gone. This season is about holding space for grief and joy, for cherished memories and community traditions. At BMC, we uplift the stories, strength, and love passed down through generations.

It’s spooky season! Remember that for centuries, midwives & women healers were accused of witchcraft for practicing body- & earth-based knowledge rooted in community care. We honor the midwives who resisted persecution to protect life, knowledge, & community.

October is National #HoodooHeritageMonth, and we honor the ancestral healers, midwives and conjurers who protected Black life through spirit, herbs and care. Their legacy lives on in our birthwork today.

🧵: ✨Illinois Community-Based Birth Justice Summit Recap ✨ What an incredible gathering we had!

Today is National Mammography Day, a reminder of the importance of early detection of breast cancer. 💗 Black women are more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer at a younger age, & at later stages. Access to healthcare is a matter of justice. Schedule your mammogram today!

Today is #PregnancyAndInfantLossRemembranceDay. Black parents face higher risks for pregnancy and infant loss due to systemic racism, medical bias, and barriers to respectful, culturally-rooted care. We stand with every parent who mourns, and every birthworker fighting for safer births!

Too many infants and birthing people are dying. It's a tragedy caused by: ➡️ Too few midwives of color providing culturally-congruent care ➡️ Barriers to becoming a midwife ➡️ The belief that doulas in medicalized births are enough That’s why we’re working to get a #midwife in every neighborhood!

The world will face a shortage of 310,000 midwives by 2030, hitting marginalized communities the hardest. Midwives—especially Black and brown midwives—are essential for safe, equitable births. Join the fight for a midwife in every neighborhood now! #BirthJustice

It's finally here—Thursday is the Illinois Birth Justice State Strategic Plan Summit! The first of its kind, it's led by and for community-based perinatal care workers. We're coming together to build a statewide vision for birth and reproductive justice in Illinois! #BirthJustice

As we get ready for Monday's event with actress/activist Tatyana Ali, please check out our ED Star August Ali's post on Tatyana’s Baby Yams blog from earlier this year. Protecting Black maternal health means investing in a powerful Black midwifery workforce for the future! 🖤✨

Honored to announce that the Black Birthing Futures Project, led by Dr. Kaytura Felix at Johns Hopkins, won the 2025 Nexus Award for “Beloved Birth 50 by 50”—advancing midwifery, birth centers, and policy for safe, community-led care by 2050. #BelovedBirth50x50 #BirthJustice

🕯️Today is #WorldSuicidePreventionDay. Suicide is a leading cause of death during the postpartum period, and Black women are 2x more likely to report suicidal ideation at this time than white women. Let’s work together to break the silence, share resources, and uplift our community!

👶🏾 Today is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Awareness Day. FASD can cause lifelong physical, behavioral, & learning challenges. But it's 100% preventable by avoiding alcohol during pregnancy. Every child deserves a healthy start! 👶🏿 #FASDAwarenessDay

Happy Grandparents’ Day! 🤎 Today, we honor the wisdom, resilience, and love of grandparents whose stories inspire and guide Black birth traditions. Thank you for uplifting generations and shaping a powerful legacy. #GrandparentsDay #BirthJustice

We’re honored to be recognized in the latest JAMA Health Forum article on Black maternal health for our partnership with a Chicago community college to expand midwifery education and access. Black-led, community-based midwifery is saving lives, & the world is taking note! #BirthJustice

Volunteers are needed for the Illinois Birth Justice State Strategic Plan Summit with @hmprg.bsky.social! 🗓️ September 25–26, 2025 📍 Chicago's South Side Be part of a powerful gathering shaping the future of birth justice in Illinois! Register here: docs.google.com/forms/d/1XWH... #BirthJustice

Every kind of labor shapes our world, especially birthing new life. Today, #LaborDay, we uplift our ancestors. They built, created, & delivered us, not just through toil, but through the miracle of birth. We honor Black midwives, birthing people, & all who labor for culturally-congruent care!

🤱🏾 Breast milk = liquid gold! Packed with nutrients, antibodies and love, it fuels growth, boosts immunity and strengthens the bond between mama + baby. Every feed is nature’s perfect recipe. #BlackBreastfeedingWeek

Calling all midwives, doulas, & other birth workers & advocates! Join us & @hmprg.bsky.social Sept 25–26 in Chicago for the IL Birth Justice Summit. Free for students & birth workers, childcare included! Register here, help shape the future: bit.ly/ILSSPsummit

Reviving midwifery is key to ending the maternal health crisis. With safer births, lower costs, and deep cultural roots, midwife-led care empowers families and saves lives. Let’s fight for equity and honor birthing traditions! #BirthJustice #MidwivesMatter

Calling all small business owners, birth workers, artists, & wellness pros! Apply to be a vendor at the 2025 Milk & Melanin Festival Sat., Aug. 23 in Chicago. Share your gifts, support families, & celebrate Black breastfeeding! Vendor spots filling fast; sign up now! docs.google.com/forms/d/1oni...

📣 Volunteers needed for the 2025 Milk & Melanin Fest! 🧡 Help us celebrate Black breastfeeding on Saturday, August 23 in Chicago. Be part of the joy! Click here to sign up! docs.google.com/forms/d/1M-R... #MilkAndMelaninFest #BirthJustice

Join BMC & @hmprg.bsky.social for a powerful summit to connect & build a shared vision for birth justice in Illinois. Sept. 25 welcomes all interested in shaping the future. Sept. 26 is a private session for invited birth workers & stakeholders. Register now: www.eventbrite.com/e/illinois-b...

Community midwifery should be the standard for over 90%+ of births—safe, relational, and proven to protect birthing people, especially in Black and Brown communities. This is common-sense care. Let’s make it the norm! 🖤🩸👶🏽 #BirthJustice #MidwiferyForThePeople

In case you missed it: Our staff member Shariah Sanders was featured in Ms. Magazine exposing how the “Big Beautiful Bill” harms Black & Indigenous maternal health. We’re proud to have fierce advocates like her pushing for real solutions. 🖤✊🏽 #BirthJustice #MidwivesRising #ProtectBlackMamas

🎉🎉🎉 We are celebrating a victory: Certified Professional Midwives in IL will now earn the same as CNMs. Pay parity means respect, equity, & midwives who can care for their families. It means more culturally-congruent care. Thank you to all who fought alongside us! #BirthJustice #Midwifery

The Illinois Community-Based Birth Justice Plan centers community voices to drive real, ground-up change. We’re building just, culturally rooted maternal health systems led by those most impacted. 🌱 Click here to learn more: blackmidwiferycollective.org/illinois-bir...

Want to learn how the new One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) will cause changes in healthcare and food assistance in your community? Join the online info session on Jul 25 at 10:00AM and help fight for equitable policy! Register here:

The Community Birth Study in SE Cook County uncovered gaps in perinatal care, assessed interest in midwifery-led services, & elevated Black & Brown birthing voices. It affirmed the need for culturally-rooted, community-led birth options. Read here: blackmidwiferycollective.org/community-bi...

We’re thrilled that actress/singer/writer/producer/activist Tatyana Ali has featured our ED Sister Star August on her blog! Click here to read: baby-yams.com/blogs/yam-ho...

This Independence Day, we celebrate a different kind of freedom— ✨ The freedom to birth safely ✨ The right to bodily autonomy ✨ Liberation from the birth-industrial complex True independence means reclaiming birth on our terms. Because birth justice is freedom.

BMC staff member Shariah Sanders explains in @msmagazine.com how the “Big Beautiful Bill” harms Black & Indigenous maternal health. We stand for birth justice & community care! #BirthJustice

Read this amazing work by ARCC Seed Grantee @blackmidwifery.bsky.social

Meet Kristen Mantell, our strategic designer! She is a graphic designer & birth advocate with 18+ years’ experience. Combining visual storytelling & strategic design, Kristen supports birth workers & justice initiatives, creating impactful materials to advance safer, more equitable maternity care.

Today, on National PTSD Awareness Day, we honor Black birthing people’s trauma—from medical violence, neglect, & generational harm. Your pain is real. Your story matters. Healing is possible—you’re not alone. We’re building spaces of safety and care, because birth should never hurt this way.

The Community Birth Study of SE Cook County—including Chicago’s South Side—set out to: 🌀 Identify unmet perinatal needs 🌀 Assess the demand for midwifery-led care 🌀 Amplify the voices of local Black and Brown childbearing people Click this link to read: blackmidwiferycollective.org/community-bi...

These aren’t just statistics—they are lives lost to systemic neglect and medical racism. Culturally-congruent care isn’t a luxury—it’s a life-saving necessity. This is why we fight. This is why we build. Birth justice can’t wait.

On this day in 1851, Sojourner Truth gave her powerful "Ain’t I a Woman?" speech. We celebrate Sojourner, Black women’s rights champion and birth justice ancestor, and her courage in the face of injustice.

The Illinois Community-Based Birth Justice Strategic Plan centers community voices to guide policy changes and create equitable, culturally responsive maternal health solutions throughout the state. Click the link to sign up for Black Midwifery Collective's newsletter for updates! eepurl.com/iSc7y-/

Meet Nicollette Moore, BMC's researcher! She holds a master's in public health, with a concentration in maternal & child health & program evaluation. Nicollette has over six years of experience in maternal & reproductive health equity projects in the private, public, & academic sectors.

A new University at Albany study found a link between oral health issues & complications during pregnancy. Hormonal changes and morning sickness can alter the pH balance of saliva and affect oral health, putting pregnant people at higher risk for oral diseases. Read more here:

The new administration's move to end USAID has had widespread catastrophic impact on health systems around the world. The U.S. once provided more than 40% of Afghanistan's aid, and without it, there has been a sharp increase in maternal and infant mortalities.

The Illinois Community-Based Birth Justice Strategic Plan is a community-driven strategy to shape evidence-based programs and policy for birth equity. Click this link to learn more: blackmidwiferycollective.org/illinois-bir...

Village of Care: Doula & Maternal Wellness Event, from Family Focus 📅 When: Tuesday, May 20 ⏰ Time: 11AM–2PM 🗺️ Where: 3517 W. Arthington, Chicago Learn from experts & people with lived experience about the impact doulas can have on pregnancy & birth! RSVP here: forms.office.com/pages/respon...

Meet Shariah, our Community Coordinator! She's a National Black Doulas Association-certified birth/postpartum doula & breastfeeding counselor. Shariah supports all birth types, offers newborn care & herbal therapy, & empowers families with holistic & emotional support through pregnancy & postpartum.