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CO-SPONSORED EVENT | Birthing Justice: Black Women, Pregnancy, and Childbirth

February 9, 2024 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
2239 Lane Hall + zoom (hybrid)

*THIS IS A HYBRID EVENT. AUDIENCE MAY ATTEND IN PERSON IN 2239 LANE HALL OR VIA ZOOM*

Panelists:

  • TaNefer L. Camara, IBCLC, maternal health & equity strategist and healer
  • Linda Jones, Executive Director and co-founder of Black Women Birthing Justice (BWBJ)
  • Dr. Sayida Peprah-Wilson, licensed clinical psychologist and birth doula, Founder and Executive Director of Diversity Uplifts, Inc.
  • Alexus Roane, MPH, Graduate Fellow for Research at IRWG; PhD candidate in Sociology at the University of Michigan

birthing justice flyer and book coverJoin us for the launch of the second edition of Birthing Justice: Black Women, Pregnancy, and Childbirth (Routledge, 2023). Authored by stakeholders in the field of maternal and infant health for Black birthing communities, this edition offers six new chapters on breastfeeding/chestfeeding and Black infant health; Black birthing during COVID; Black doulas rethinking birthing practices; the recent buildup of a US national movement; childbirth in Zanzibar; and expanding the global movement for sexual and reproductive well-being.

First published in 2016, Birthing Justice is a seminal text for those interested in maternal healthcare, reproductive justice, health equity, and intersectional racial justice, especially in courses on gender studies, Black studies, public health, and training programs for midwives and OB/GYNs.

The book panel will feature new contributors, including TaNefer Camara, Linda Jones, Dr. Sayida Peprah-Wilson, and Alexus Roane (moderator). Our panelists will articulate how their contributions propel the ongoing movements for birthing and reproductive justice.

About the Panelists:

TaNefer L. Camara is an IBCLC, maternal health & equity strategist and healer with over 15 years of experience in supporting women through birth, breastfeeding and postpartum.  She provides  lactation and postpartum care through her Oakland based practice, T.L.C Consulting & Maternal Healing. Tanefer is a Co-founder of The  B.L.A.C.K Course (Birth, Lactation, accommodation, culture and Kinship) she provides  comprehensive clinical lactation education with a Black cultural and equitable lens to aspiring and practicing lactation providers and birth workers.

Linda Jones is a Birth and Postpartum Doula, Photographer and mother of two, grandmother of four and great- grandmother of four, who lives in Oakland, CA. She is the Executive Director and one of the co-founders of Black Women Birthing Justice (BWBJ) (2011- present) and is co-author of Battling Over Birth; Black Women and the Maternal Health Care Crisis in California. Linda is the Doula Coordinator for the BWBJ Doula Collective and a facilitator/trainer for the BWBJ Black Doula Training Program.

Dr. Sayida Peprah-Wilson is a licensed clinical psychologist and birth doula.  An advocate for human rights in childbirth, Dr. Sayida is a member of the Black Women Birthing Justice Collective and a Collaborator with the Black Mamas Matter Alliance, promoting research, education and community-based services to positively transform the birthing experiences of Black families. Dr. Sayida is the Founder and Executive Director of the non-profit organization Diversity Uplifts, Inc., focusing on supporting diverse communities and the providers who serve them.

Alexus Roane, MPH is a PhD candidate in Sociology at the University of Michigan and IRWG’s graduate fellow for research. Her current research interests center using a reproductive justice theoretical framework to address reproductive health disparities for Black birthing people at the nexus of their experiences with violence and/or criminalization. Alexus is also a pregnancy loss doula studying to become full-spectrum alongside serving as a collective member of Black Women Birthing Justice.

This event is made possible with support from the CEW+ Frances and Sydney Lewis Visiting Leaders Fund.

Event Accessibility: 
Ramp and elevator access at the E. Washington Street entrance (by the loading dock). There are accessible restrooms on the south end of Lane Hall, on each floor of the building. A gender neutral restroom is available on the first floor.