Black Midwifery: Reclamation of Traditional Birth Practices

timely topic Breakout

DATE: Saturday, October 14th
TIME: 11:00 am - 12:00 pm
FACULTY: Jazzmine Brooks, CD, MPA

Early research on Black midwifery and their traditional knowledge systems introduces the white supremacist codification of Black midwives' expertise as illegitimate. Dominant discourse within public health labeled Black midwives' knowledge and practice inferior to Western medicine. Black midwives incorporate ancestral practices, technical knowledge, herbal medicine, and spiritual practices to serve poor white and Black rural communities (Jones, 2004; Creed et al., 2021; Suarez, 2020; Schaffer, 1991). This research builds on Schaffer's (1991) study on the health and social functions of Black Midwives in Texas Brazos Bottom between 1920 and 1985. The study found how Black midwives, through ways of knowing, enacted their knowledge to improve health outcomes and productivity for the rural Black community to lessen the severity of segregation and racist healthcare systems (Schaffer, 1991). This presentation will highlight research on the contemporary practice of Black certified professional midwives and how they enact their knowledge of birth practices in their community.

Faculty

Jazzmine Brooks, CD, MPA
Jazzmine ‘Rural Black Doula’ Brooks is a scholar, certified full spectrum doula, and RYT 200 Hatha Yoga of the Himalayan Tradition and SomaYoga Therapy Instructor in Central Iowa. Jazzmine believes in empowering Black, Indigenous, and folks of color through community, support, and resource sharing. Powered by the desire to address Black women and infant maternal health, she encourages space for people to control their narratives and share their own stories. Jazzmine is the founder and Executive Director of Jai Olive Wellness. Jai Olive Wellness, a 501(c)3, provides a cooperative space to mobilize communities and coalition-build to improve health outcomes and center the culture and needs of diverse families in rural communities through education, services, and partnership. Jazzmine is currently a Ph.D. student in Human Development and Family Studies at Iowa State University. Her research focus is on the reclamation of traditional medicine and Black midwifery.