Black Midwifery Collective

A Midwife In Every Neighborhood

BMC emerges as a powerful catalyst in the field of reproductive health. Our aim is to empower communities and redirect the control over health maintenance, transcending the limitations imposed by state-run institutions.

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Creating Lasting Change

BMC emerges as a powerful catalyst in the field of reproductive health. Our aim is to empower communities and redirect the control over health maintenance, transcending the limitations imposed by state-run institutions.

More About BMC

Welcome To Black Midwifery Collective

Our mission is to improve health outcomes for Black birthing individuals, by actively addressing disparities in maternal and infant health that have disproportionately affected our community. We aim to revolutionize midwifery models of care, by increasing the racial diversity of Community Midwives to combat obstetric racism, and dismantle institutionalized birth practices.

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Deinstitutionalize Reproductive Health Practices

Invest in Community Midwifery

Invest/Support Black Midwives

Opportunities with BMC

Reproductive Justice is our bread and butter. If you’re also hungry to make changes to the reproductive health spaces of Illinois, please stick around! Whether it’s following along through joining our mailing list or reaching out via the Job/Volunteer Opportunities form HBC would love to stay connected with you!

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Only about 2% of all contemporary midwives in the United States are Black.

“The Giving Voice to Mothers study: inequity and mistreatment during pregnancy and childbirth…” (Vedam et al. 2019)

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1 out of 3 women of color who gave birth in an institutional setting reported experiencing maternal mistreatment during labor or delivery.

Goode, Keisha L. “Birthing, Blackness, and the Body: Black Midwives and Experiential Continuities of Institutional Racism.” PhD diss., CUNY, 2014

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How To Support Black Midwifery

Black mothers in the United States face a tragically disproportionate rate of maternal mortality compared to other mothers. Shockingly, the national rate is 3-4 times higher than that of white mothers, and it can be as high as TEN times higher in certain urban centers. It is imperative to implement multiple interventions to address this issue. One effective approach is the provision of culturally appropriate and community-based care by qualified Black midwives, right in the comfort of their homes. Astonishingly, only 2% of our nation’s midwives are Black, underscoring the urgent need to rally our resources and provide the necessary support for the training and empowerment of Black midwives.

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We Rely on Evidence Based Research

“Research shows that there are specific care models that can make a concrete difference in improving maternity care quality and producing better outcomes, including for birthing People of Color. One of these is the care provided in community birth settings… Almost exclusively, such care is led by midwives.”

– From Improving Our Maternity Care Now Through Community Birth Settings

Mapping integration of midwives across the United States: Impact on access, equity, and outcomes

Published: February 21, 2018

“Poor coordination of care across providers and birth settings has been associated with adverse maternal-newborn outcomes. Research suggests that integration of midwives into regional health systems is a key determinant of optimal maternal-newborn outcomes…”

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Improving Our Maternity Care Now Through Community Birth Settings

Published: April 1, 2018

“Enabling more birthing people to receive care in community birth settings and increasing access to community birth care provided by and for People of Color should be a top priority for decisionmakers at the local, state, and federal levels.”

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