Upcoming
Events
Kennedy-King College Midwifery Program Launch Celebration with Black Midwifery Collective
Doors open at 9am, Ceremony begins at 10:30am CT
740 W 63rd St., Chicago, IL 60621
Honoring the Legacy of Black Midwifery.
Building the next generation of birth leaders.
On August 25th, 2026, Black Midwifery Collective (BMC) and Kennedy-King College (KKC) will formally celebrate the launch of Chicago’s first direct-entry midwifery education program. Program graduates will be eligible for national CPM certification and Illinois State licensure as a Licensed Certified Professional Midwife (LCPM). This is a historic installment of a midwifery program of its kind within a community college system. It is also a declaration that another future is possible, and it is being built right here on the South Side of Chicago.
Midwifery Program Information Session
When: Friday, August 14, 2026 @ 4:00 – 5:30pm CT
Where: Virtual (Zoom)
The Chicago Maternity Center Story Screening & Panel Discussion
On July 14th, KTQ, Birthworkers of Color Collective, & Muffy Film Productions are hosting a screening of THE CHICAGO MATERNITY CENTER STORY.
Join us and other members of the birthworkers community for a screening of this still incredibly relevant film and a Q&A with local birth workers & organizers.
When: July 14th, 2026. Doors at 6pm (Film to begin @ 6:30pm) – Event Has Passed.
Location: Music Box Theatre, Chicago
STAR AUGUST ALI
Star August Ali is a Black midwife, mother of four, systems-change strategist, and nationally recognized leader in birth justice. She is the Founder and Executive Director of the Black Midwifery Collective, a Black-led nonprofit based on Chicago’s South Side.
CORRINE WESTING
Corrine is a queer midwife serving the Chicago area with evidence-based, trauma-informed, affirming care through two practices: Birth Roots Community Midwifery and Trillium Reproductive Health. Corinne is a home birth parent of a preteen and a decades-long advocate for reproductive justice and queer liberation.
MARY C. SOMMERS
Mary is the instructor of Birthways’ Celebrate Birth! classes. Mary has many years of experience and the wisdom that comes from witnessing more than 1800 deliveries over the past 35 years. Early in her career, Mary co-founded Chicago Community Midwives. Mary has since worked as a midwife, doula, and lactation consultant for various private practices in the Chicago area.
JEANINE VALRIE LOGAN
Jeanine Valrie Logan is a midwife, birth equity champion, and Founder of Chicago South Side Birth Center. She is currently the Leader in Residence at Chicago Beyond and is working on the development of the Chicago South Side Birth Center. Jeanine is a partner and is a mama of three, all born at home and at a birth center.
DESTINEE BATES (Moderator)
Destinee Bates is an impact producer, event curator, and full-spectrum doula working at the intersection of film, community engagement, and social change. She designs impact campaigns and public programs that bring documentary films to audiences across film festivals, higher education, nonprofit, and corporate sectors, using storytelling to spark dialogue and action.
NACPM Virtual Conference
Centering Midwives, Restoring Care
When: May 20–21, 2026
Where: Virtual
The Unseen: Law, Invisibility, and the Margins of Social Policy (JLSP)
When: Thursday, March 5, 2025 from 9am to 3:30pm
Where: Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, Chicago, IL
Illinois Community-Based Birth Justice Strategic Plan
A Four-Part Webinar Series
Every Friday in February 2026
The Black Midwifery Collective and Health & Medicine Policy Research Group invite you to the official launch of the Illinois Community-Based Birth Justice Strategic Plan.
Over the past year and a half, community-based birth justice workers across Illinois have shaped a new strategic plan focused on ensuring that every birthing person has access to the resources, settings, and support they need for a safe and positive birth experience.
This four-part webinar series will share key findings from statewide research and conclude with an overview of the strategic plan itself.
- Findings from multiple community-led studies
- Insights on needs, access, and equity related to community-based birth work
- A shared vision for strengthening community-based birth care in Illinois
All sessions are held via Zoom
10:00 – 11:30 a.m.
Sessions are recorded and shared with registrants
Session 1 • February 6, 2026
The Current and Future Landscape of Doulas, CPMs, and Community Birth Options in Illinois
Session 2 • February 13, 2026
Barriers, Needs, and Opportunities for the Broader Birth Justice Workforce in Illinois
Session 3 • February 20, 2026
Racism, Discrimination, and Their Impact on Black Birthing People
Session 4 • February 27, 2026
Introducing the Illinois Community-Based Birth Justice Strategic Plan
- Community-based birth workers
- Maternal health professionals
- Advocates
- Funders
- Policymakers
- Researchers
- Students
- Community members invested in birth justice and equity
2026 AAAC Symposium
We Got Us: Our Health, Our Rights, Our Future
When: Saturday, February 21, 2026 – 8:30 AM to 2:00 PM CT
Where: Edith Abbott Hall, 969 East 60th Street, Chicago, IL 60637
State Strategic Plan Summit
Illinois Birth Justice State Strategic Plan Summit
When: September 25-26, 2025 – Event Has Passed.
Where: Chicago, Illinois
Join us as we gather to “Connect, Learn, Organize, and Ignite” toward sustainable birth justice and reproductive justice care workforces in Illinois!
As part of an 18-month state strategic planning project, Black Midwifery Collective and Health and Medicine Policy Research Group are convening community-based birth and reproductive health justice workforces and stakeholders to create a shared vision and joint action plan for improving perinatal health outcomes and birth justice in Illinois.
Join our email list for all BMC updates!
Fireside Chat with Tatyana Ali
When: Monday, September 22, 2025 – Event Has Passed.
Where: Chicago, Illinois
We’re hosting something special this Monday. Join us for an intimate Maternal-Health Monday fireside with our founder Star August and actress + advocate Tatyana Ali.
It’s an evening of conversation, culture, and community — with curated bites, signature sips, music, and complimentary parking in Hyde Park.
Join our email list for all BMC updates!
Milk & Melanin Festival
When: Saturday, August 23, 2025, 10am-3pm -Event Has Passed.
Where: Southside Sanctuary, Chicago’s South Side
Join our email list for all BMC updates!
Funder’s Briefing
When: Thursday, July 10, 2025 from 10am-12pm CT – Event Has Passed.
Where: University Co-Work, 6127 S University Ave, Chicago, IL 60637.
BMC is proud to report that we are busy and growing! Much of this is thanks to our donors who believe in us and support our work. Team BMC would like to provide this touchpoint to showcase the impact of our work to date, discuss upcoming initiatives, and foster meaningful dialogue. We’ll provide an insight into our work, challenges, achievements, and future plans followed by an interactive setting for funders to ask questions, offer feedback, and share ideas.
Our partners on the midwifery education program from City Colleges of Chicago will also be in attendance.
Please register with the “register now” link below & save the date! Feel free to invite funder colleagues who may be interested.
*We hope to meet as many people in person as possible and will share a Zoom link for folks who live outside of the Chicago area.
Join our email list for all BMC updates!
Past Event
Join us in conversation on:
Henrietta Lacks
“The Mother of Modern Science”
When: Saturday, May 31, 2025 from 11:30-2pm CT
Where: Hatch 41 – Bronzeville 4131, S. State St., Chicago
Special Guest Speaker: Star August Ali
Join our email list for all BMC updates!
Let us know you're coming!
Past Event
Celebrating Day of the Midwife: Join Us for “Meet the Midwife” on May 4th!
When: May 4th, 2025 @ 2-5 PM
Where: The Silver Room in Hyde Park (1506 East 53rd Street, Chicago, IL 60615)
FREE and open to the public! Refreshments (food & drinks) & raffle giveaways to the first 20 guests.
Panel Discussion By:
Star August
BMC’s founder & CPM
Mekazin Alexander
Traditional Midwife
Dr. Reneau Diallo
Elder Midwife & CNM
Lotus Love
Moderator, Iyanifa Priestess, Doula, Reki Master
Shariah Sanders
Doula & Birth Assistant
Join our email list for all BMC updates!
Healing Circle
At the Healing Circle we come together to actively shift our mindsets. With open hearts and ears we share our experiences, commiserate injustices, and consider what we can do moving forward to make the world of birthing and parenting a safe, holistic space for us and our children.
Currently we have no set time for our next gathering.
Please email us if you’re interested in a meeting on the southside of Chicago or hosting an event in an intimate, public space.
Join our email list for all BMC updates!
Healing Circle
At the Healing Circle we come together to actively shift our mindsets. With open hearts and ears we share our experiences, commiserate injustices, and consider what we can do moving forward to make the world of birthing and parenting a safe, holistic space for us and our children.
Currently we have no set time for our next gathering.
Please email us if you’re interested in a meeting on the southside of Chicago or hosting an event in an intimate, public space.
Join our email list for all BMC updates!
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