Returning Power to Birth: Reclaiming our Culture

8th International
Black Midwives and Healers
Conference
Returning Power to Birth:
Reclaiming our Culture
October 19-21, 2012
Miami, Florida
Dear Beloved Sisters and Brothers,
Since I became state
representative for ICTC in
Florida almost three years
ago, I have been involved with
many conversations about
how we survive as mothers,
as midwives, as doulas, as
students, as human beings in a
system that does not appreciate us or support our struggle.
There is so much to do in our communities... How do
we encourage mothers to have healthy pregnancies and
births, in the face of the racism, misogyny and oppression
they deal with everyday? We need so many more of us to
answer the call to birthwork... but the road is tough.
I honor each one of you who has chosen to walk this
path in faith and in love. A special warm-hearted thank
you to the members and volunteers of Birthworkers of
Color United, who have shared the long, challenging
and powerful journey of organizing an international
conference in our state. I am deeply grateful to each
of you for your hard work and commitment to this
conference.
One of the reasons, I am so excited about bringing the
Black Midwives and Healers conference to Miami is that
it is always a time of healing and sisterhood for us on this
path. It is a time to honor the goddess within each of us.
Also because we have the opportunity to strategize and to
network with other birthworkers who go through similar
struggles on a daily basis in their own neighborhoods
around the country and the world.
In the context of rising rates of infant and maternal
mortality in Black communities and all the other health
disparities that plague our people here in the U.S. and
around the world, we need space for healing because
we carry so much of that weight as we do our work to
educate, and uplift and shift power dynamics. We need
space to learn from each other the various cultural
practices of midwifery and birthwork that are present in
our different communities. And we need space to just be.
This is not just about birth... it is about our planet
and it is about justice. I look forward to a weekend
of beautiful sharing of midwives/birthworkers that
highlights the power and responsibility that we hold
among our people and in this world.
Forward in community,
Jamarah Amani
2012 Conference Coordinator/ICTC Florida State Rep
Greetings
Dear Member, Guest and Friend,
It is with gratitude
and open arms that
I welcome you to the
8th International
Black Midwives and
Healers Conference:
Returning Power to Birth,
Reclaiming Our Cultural.
I am grateful that we are
able to be together again
to create synergy for
better birth outcomes and
healthy families.
It is significant that the ICTC conference follows Infant
Mortality Awareness month. By convening midwives,
doulas and healers in the USA, we can reach underserved
communities, increase the number of midwives and
doulas of color, and empower families—all of which will
ultimately help reduce infant and maternal mortality.
This weekend we will engage with our youth, listen to
the elders and learn from our sister midwives from other
lands. We have come together to connect, learn and
reclaim our cultural as midwives and healers. We have
come together to educate and serve pregnant women and
support new families so that babies live and thrive well
beyond one-year of age. And we are here to play on the
beach, celebrate and have real talk.
This is a life changing conference and its need is
paramount. Economic strain challenges everyday families
with stress. Food deserts create nutritional scarcity. Tribal
wars and racial profiling Travon Martin cases occur daily.
All of these factors contribute to prenatal stress, which is
a proven indicator for premature birth. As we all know,
premature birth is the leading cause of infant mortality in
the Black community.
Today we stand in solidarity to return power to birth so
that babies will live to see their first birthday. We return
power to birth through midwives who are once again
revered in their community. We uphold the legacy of the
Black midwife as a beckon of light, love and hope.
Thank you for coming and please enjoy yourself.
Respectfully,
Shafia M. Monroe
President/Midwife
2
The Black Grannies’ Midwife Prayer
From Southern Lay Midwives As Ritual Specialist • Molly C. Dougherty, 1900  • Graves 1060:125
Almighty God, Our heavenly Father, the author and finisher of our lives, we give Thee thanks for health and
strength and all the joys of life. We pray that Thou wouldst bless the mothers and fathers everywhere. Make
them more loving in hearts and more Christ-like in the things they say and do. Guide us in this meeting. And
may it be the means of preparing midwives to render service more pleasing to Thee, and more acceptable to
our fellow man. May Thy will be done and Thy kingdom come everywhere. And when our work on earth is
done, grant that we may enter the building of God the house not made with hands eternal in the heavens.
In the Lord’s name, Amen
The Negro National Anthem
Composed by James Weldon Johnson and J. Rosamond Johnson
Lift Every Voice and sing till earth and heaven ring
Ring with the harmonies of liberty
Let our rejoicing rise high as the listening skies
Let it resound loud as the rolling sea
Sing a song, full of the faith that the dark past has taught us
Sing a song, full of the hope that the present has brought us
Facing the rising sum of our new day begun
Let us march on till victory is won
Stony the road we trod, bitter the chastening rod
felt in the days when hope unborn had died
yet with a steady beat, have not our weary feet
come to the place for which our fathers sighed?
We have come, over a way that which tears has been watered
We have come, treading out path through the blood of the slaughtered
Out of the gloomy past, till now we stand at last,
Where the white gleam of our bright star is cast.
GOD of our weary years, GOD of our silent tears
Thou Who has brought us thus far on the way
Thou Who hast by Thy might, led us into the light
Keep us for-e-ver in the path we pray
Lest our feet, stray from the places our GOD where me met thee
Lest our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world we forget Thee
Shadowed beneath thy hand, may we forever stand
TRUE TO OUR GOD, TRUE TO OUR NATIVE LAND
3
Excerpt from
We Speak Your Name”
by Pearle Cleage
Because we are free women, born of free women, who are born of free women,
back as far as time begins, we celebrate your freedom.
Because we are wise women, born of wise women, who are born of wise women,
we celebrate your wisdom.
Because we are strong women, born of strong women,
who are born of strong women, we celebrate your strength.
Because we are magical women, born of magical women,
who are born of magical women, we celebrate your magic.
My sisters, we are gathered here to speak your names.
We are here because we are your daughters as surely as if you had conceived us,
nurtured us, carried us in your wombs, and then sent us out into the world
to make our mark and see what we see, and be what we be,
but better, truer, deeper because of the shining example of your own incandescent lives.
We are here to speak your names because we have enough sense to
know that we did not spring full blown from the forehead of Zeus, or arrive
on the scene like Topsy, our sister once removed, who somehow just growed.
We know that we are walking in footprints made deep by the confident strides of women
who parted the air before them like the forces of nature that you are.
We are here to speak your names because you taught us that the search is always
for the truth and that when people show us who they are, we should believe them.
We are here because you taught us that sister speak can continue to be our native tongue,
no matter how many languages we learn as we move about
as citizens of the world and of the ever-evolving universe.
We are here to speak your names because of the way you made for us.
Because of the prayers you prayed for us.
We are the ones you conjured up, hoping we would have strength enough,
and discipline enough, and talent enough, and nerve enough to step into the light
when it turned in our direction, and just smile awhile.
We are the ones you hoped would make you proud
because all of our hard work makes all of yours part of something better, truer, deeper.
Something that lights the way ahead like a lamp unto our feet,
steady as the unforgettable beat of our collective heart.
We speak your names
We speak your names.
4
Leadership
2012 National
Conference
Board of Directors
Conference Coordinator
Board Members
Shafia M. Monroe, President
Alexis Asihene, Board Chair
Di Sanders, Secretary
Latif Bossma
Kim Heller, MD
Christina Yu
Jamarah Amani
Sponsors
Office of Women’s Health, Region IV
Midwives of North America
Sistah Midwife International
American College of Nurse Midwives
Time 2 Act Now
Advisory Members
Mikal H. Shabazz
Director, Oregon Islamic Chaplains Organization
Dineo Coleman Gary, Arbitrator
Makeda Kamara
Sarahn Hendersen
Vendors
Birth Workers of Color United
Dean Insurance Agency, Inc.
International Center for Traditional Childbearing
Lansinoh Lab
Sista Midwife Productions, LLC
Union Institute & University
International Spokesperson
Erykah Badu
State Representatives
Nadiyah Seraaj, Alabama
Asatu Hall, CPM, California
Jamarah Amani, Florida
Rayna Brown, Illinois
Tashina Bowman, Massachusetts
LaVonne Moore, Minnesota
Nandi Andrea Hill, New Mexico
Walidah Muhammad, North Carolina
Folami Irvine, Pennsylvania
Aremisa May-Hailey, Texas
Basmah Karriem, Virginia
Therese Robinson, CD, Washington D.C.
.
In-Kind Donations
Baby Birth Beyond
Black Women’s Health Imperative
Educate Before You Vaccinate
Floradix
Healthy Start Coalition of Miaimi-Dade
Jade Pearl
Office of Women’s Health, Region IV
Helena Wolfe of Lightwolf Design
for conference graphics
Exhibitors
Birth Workers of Color United (BOCU)
Dean Insurance Agency, Inc.
Lansinoh Laboratory
Union Institute & University
Regional Representatives
Nicole Deggins, Southeast Region
International
Representatives
Thanks To Volunteers
Shafia M. Monroe, International
Denise Desil, Haiti
Agatha Ashun, Ghana
Your tireless efforts have made it all possible!
5
2012 Awards
Every year, ICTC does a national search
to identify midwives and healers who
are making extraordinary contributions
to improving birth outcomes
and community health.
Unsung Shero Award
Sheila Simms Watson - Miami, FL
Outstanding Leadership Award
Asatu Hall - Oakland, CA
Lifetime Achievement Award
Ruth Paige - Century, FL
- - - -- - - - - - - - - - - Unsung Shero Award
Lifetime Achievement Award
2010 Mzee Lola Coleman • Los Angeles/Ghana
2008Makeda Kamara • Boston, MA
2006Sarahn Henderson • Atlanta, GA
2005Sandra Umsallamah Abdullah Zaimah
• Nashville, TN
2004Mariah Taylor • Portland, OR
2003Nonkueleko Tyemba • New York, NY
2002Elisa E. Clay • Portland, OR
2010 Kathryn Hall-Trujillo • Albuquerque, NM
2010 Shekinah Paradise Shakur • Los Angeles, CA
2008Stacey Allen-John • Brooklyn, NY
2006Sybil Mitchell • Brooklyn, NY
2005Arilla Smiley • Camilla, GA
2004Margaret Charles Smith • Eutaw, AL
Youth Leadership Award
2010 Ayana Taylor • Los Angeles, CA
2008Shapel LaBorde • Brooklyn,NY
2006Ashley Hale • Phoenix, AZ
2005Kenya Jordana James • Atlanta, GA
Outstanding Leadership
Award
2010 Claudia Booker • Washington, DC
2010 Ma’at Grant • Pasadena, CA
2008Yawo Nasrah • Atlanta, GA
2006Barbara Douglas • Oakland, CA
2005Dazon Dixon Diallo • Atlanta, GA
2004Jennie Joseph• Orlando, FL
2003Rhonda Haynes• New York, NY
2002Ayanna Ade • Houston, TX
Pillar Award
2006Al-Hajj Imam Mikal H. Shabazz
• Portland, OR
6
2012 Awardees
Unsung Shero Award - Sheila Simms Watson
In 1990, Sheila Simms Watson was led to rural Virginia to apprentice with a midwife. The apprenticeship provided her
with what she needed and wanted at that time—Traditional Midwifery training. Shortly thereafter she was presented with
the opportunity to start a midwifery practice in Virginia. She practiced as a Traditional
Midwife in an independent homebirth practice in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia
from 1991 to 1996.
In 1996 her family relocated to Northern California and she completed her educational
process by attaining national recognition as a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM). She
continued to do homebirths.
In 1999 she relocated to the “midwife friendly” state of Florida and in 2001 completed
the Midwifery program at Miami Dade College. She received an Associate of Science
degree in Midwifery and a license to practice midwifery. In June 2001 she established
Spirit of Life Traditional Midwifery, an independent homebirth practice.
Sheila graciously serves as a mentor to the young midwives in her community. “I am so honored to be a part of the
wonderful tradition of midwifery, supporting and caring for and being ‘with woman’. Pregnancy and giving birth are some
of the most magical and powerful times in a woman’s life. It is a time of great transformation and change. I know that
midwives make a difference.”
Outstanding Leadership Award - Asatu Hall
Asatu Musunama Hall-Allah is a visionary, midwife, holistic health educator and founder and director of Sacred Grove
Traditions Women of Color Wholistic Health Exchange formerly Sacred called Grove Women of Color Wholistic Health
Collective. Stemming from a family deeply rooted in the healing professions of Midwifery,
traditional African medicine and Nursing in Liberia and the United States, Asatu is a 4th
generation midwife( great grandmother, grandmother, and her father).
Asatu is passionate about serving, educating and reintroducing the African American
community to Midwifery, this extraordinarily safe, traditional, holistic way of birthing
and family care. She has 15 years experience and training in community health education,
social services and reproductive health advocacy most notably as a case manager, client
advocate and crises center coordinator with Glide Memorial Foundation in San Francisco’s
Tenderloin neighborhood, Planned Parenthood of the Golden Gate and La Clinica de
la Raza. For the past 12 years Asatu been able to fulfill her calling working as a Certified
Professional Midwife in her own San Francisco Bay Area based midwifery practice and as
a staff of The Birth Place Birth Center in Oakland(SF Center for Traditional Midwifery)
and support staff for Sista Girl Midwifery and The Sacred Birth Place. Asatu has served as
the California State Representative for ICTC for 7 years. She is honored to have this platform to serve as a role model for
aspiring , midwives and doulas of African descent.
Most sessions are worth 1.5-2.0 CEUs.
Codes and sign off sheets for CEUs will be available at
the Registration desk for those who have paid for CEUs.
7
2012 Awardees
Lifetime Achievement Award - Ruth Paige
Ruth Roberts Paige was born January 5th 1922 in Century, Fla., a small town located
on the borderline of Alabama and Florida. She started her medical career as a License
Practical Nurse at Turberville Hospital. Mrs. Paige worked mostly in the operating room
assisting the physician with various surgeries. The doctor suggested that she also learn
how to deliver babies and she began her training by watching this doctor. She began
her homebirth training by working as a birth assistant with Midwives Ethel Gamble,
Rosa Streety, and Ms. Hale. Midwife Ruth delivered her first baby on her own in 1943,
charging 5 dollars per birth.
Mrs. Paige said, “Everyone had their babies at home; white, black poor, and well to
do. The first baby I delivered was white.” She delivered babies in all the surrounding
towns in both Florida and Alabama. Midwife Ruth used a trailer on her property for
women who didn’t have adequate living facilities for giving birth. Midwife Ruth has
delivered over 2000 babies and that only include the towns in Florida. She still resides
in Century where she stays very active in her church and community.
A Special Thank You
To Our Presenters
Kimberly Seals Allers, MS
Francis K Morean, BS
Jamarah Amani, LM, CLC
LaKeesha Morris, COO
Anayah Sangodele Ayoka, MSEd
Fatima Muhammad, ND
Jewel Crawford, MD
Cara Page, BA
Nicole Deggins, CNM, MSN, MPH
Patti Rose, PhD
Sister Denise Desil, Midwife
Anjali Sardeshmukh, LM
Keisha Goode, MD
Juanita Seon, CTO
Asatu Hall, Midwife
Mikal H. Shabazz, CDT
Julius Harrington, DSW
LaVern Calvin-Stevenson, AA
Nicole Crowden Ph.D.
Tamara Taitt, MS
Tom Brinthaupt Ph.D.
Asiyah Muhsin-Thomas, MS
Marva L. Lewis Ph.D.
Jeanine Valerie, MPH, CLC
Sarahn Henderson,
Midwife, BA, EC Ed. C.Ed
Sheila Simms Watson, LM, MPH
Angel Lightfoot, EMT, PhD
Maria Valentine-Welsh,
BSN, CNM, MPH
Jeretha McKinley, BA, CLC
Jarene Fleming Williams, CLC
Venus Mark, MS, Midwife
Myra J. Miller, PhD,
Christ-Ann Magliore, MD
Dr Agla Sanfort
Tamika Middleton, BS
Deborah Warren
Myra J. Miller, PhD
8
LUNCHEON Keynote Speaker - Venus Mark
Venus Mark was introduced to the art of midwifery through her Venezuelan grandmother, who was a Traditional
Midwife. At ten years of age Venus was allowed to participate in the birthing process with Grandmother Pia. Early in her
life the fire for midwifery was ignited and has burnt brilliantly ever since.
Venus first studied nursing and midwifery in her native Trinidad and Tobago. In 1958,
she migrated to the United Kingdom where she completed her midwifery studies. It was
there that she married Anthony. They have been married for more than 50 years.
She migrated to the United States where she practiced as an OB/GYN Clinician at
Elmhurst/Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City. While in New York, she gave birth to her
two daughters, Lisa and Laurie, completed a Baccalaureate degree, and started working
towards her Masters degree. In 1970, she returned to Trinidad and Tobago and established
Amicus Maternity Centre. Thirty seven years later, it is still the only midwife-owned centre
and the only private institution in Trinidad and Tobago that offers midwifery care.
Venus is the fonder of the Trinidad and Tobago Association of Midwives and is a
founding member of the Midwifery & Nursing Research Society of Trinidad and Tobago.
She is an international speaker and has won many prestigious awards as a midwife and
advocate of mothers and babies. In 2005, Venus decided to complete what she had started 35 years earlier. At 73 years
of age, she graduated from Boston’s Springfield College in May 2006 with a Master of Science degree. Although she is a
very busy woman, she finds the time and energy to enjoy her family and friends. Being from the land of calypso and the
steelpan drum, Venus loves dancing and a good party.
Gala Award Ceremony Speaker - Byllye Avery
Byllye Y. Avery, founder of the Black Women’s Health Imperative, the new name of the National Black Women’s Health
Project, and the Avery Institute for Social Change has been a health care activist for over 35 years focusing on women’s
needs. She is also a co-founder of Raising Women’s Voices for the Health Care We Need.
She co-founded both Gainesville Women’s Health Center and Birthplace, an
alternative birthing center, in Gainesville, Fla. The Black Women’s Health Imperative
has served as a non-profit organization committed to defining, promoting and
maintaining the physical, mental and emotional wellbeing of Black women. The Avery
Institute for Social Change has focused its work on health care reform.
A dreamer, visionary and grassroots realist, Avery has combined activism and social
responsibility to develop a national forum for the exploration of the health issues of
Black women. She continues to gather, document and speak on Black women’s health
experiences in America, rallying support for Black women.
Avery has been the recipient of many honors and awards. In 1989, she received the
MacArthur Foundation Fellowship for Social Contribution and the Essence Award
for Community Service. In 1994, she received the Academy of Science Institute of
Medicine’s Gustav O. Lienhard Award for the Advancement of Health Care, and the Grassroots Realist Award by the
Georgia Legislative Black Caucus. In 1995, she received the Dorothy I. Height Lifetime Achievement Award and the
President’s Citation of the American Public Health Association. In 1998, Business and Professional Women presented her
with the New Horizons Award and she accepted a Leadership Award from the University of Florida’s School of Medicine.
She recently received the Ruth Bader Ginsberg Impact Award from the Chicago Foundation for Women.
Avery has served on the Charter Advisory Committee for the Office of Research on Women’s Health of the National
Institutes of Health. In addition, she has served two years as a visiting fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health.
She has received honorary degrees from Thomas Jefferson University, State University of New York at Binghamton,
Gettysburg College, Bowdoin College, Bates College and Russell Sage College. She and her partner Ngina Lythcott live in
Provincetown, MA.
9
Agenda
Friday, October 19
Time
7:00-8:00am
8:00am-5:00pm
8:00am-5:00pm
8:00-8:30am
8:30-9:00am
9:00-10:00am
Room
Atlantis
Ballroom
Mezzanine
Mezzanine
Atlantis
Ballroom
Atlantis
Ballroom
Atlantis
Ballroom
Session/Activity Name
Continental Breakfast
Registration
Exhibit and Vendor Village
Opening Ceremony
Special Remarks
Presidential Address
Instructor
Chief Styles, Rev. Saquile Lazenby, Imam
Mikal H. Shabazz, Shelemyah Guerra
Erykah Badu, four time GRAMMY® award
winner, doula, healer, and National
Spokesperson for ICTC
Shafia Monroe, CM, Founder/President with
State and Regional Representatives
Session 1
10:15-11:45am
10:15-11:45am
Atlantis
Ballroom
Tifffany I
10:15-11:45am
TiffanyII
10:15am-1:15pm
12:15-1:45pm
Neptune
Atlantis
Ballroom
Mezzanine
1:45-2:00pm
Vaginal Birth After Cesarean
(VBAC)
Southern Black Midwives: Legacies
of Resistance
The Disappearance of Traditional
Midwifery Practices Among AfroCaribbean Women
Clinical CPR: Infants
Keynote Luncheon
Dr. Christ-Ann Magliore, MD
Tamika Middleton, BS & Cara Page, BA
Francis Morean, BS
Angel Lightfoot, EMT, PhD
Venus Mark, MS, Midwife
Break/Quilting
Session 2
2:00-3:30pm
Atlantis
Ballroom
2:00-3:30pm
Tiffany I
2:00-3:30pm
TiffanyII
2:00-3:30pm
Neptune
3:45-5:15pm
Atlantis
Ballroom
5:15-6:45pm
From Promotion to Adoption: The
Varied Experiences of Black
Women & Breastfeeding
Environmental hazards and
Reproductive Health
Raising Awareness Through Social
Media-Social Savvy Divas
Experiences and Perceptions of
Contemporary Black Midwives in
the United States
Village Session: Identifying
Injustice in Midwifery and Birth:
Shackling, Access to Breastfeeding
Support, Black Midwives as
Activists, Asses to Midwifery Care.
How do these issues affect health
disparities.
Dinner on Your Own
Jeanine Valerie, MPH, CLC & Asiyah
Muhsin-Thomas, MS
Jewel Crawford, MD
Social Savvy Divas: LaKeesha Morris, COO;
& Juanita Seon, CTO
Keisha Goode, MA
Panelists: Anjali Sardeshmukh, LM, Deborah
Warren, Tamika Middleton, BS, Moderator:
Sheila Simms Watson, LM, MPH
Evening Events
7:00-8:00pm
8:00-9:00pm
9:00-11:00pm
Atlantis
Ballroom
Atlantis
Ballroom
Atlantis
Ballroom
Presidents Reception with
Dignitaries and Sponsors/Dessert
Open Mic: Share your talents/
Sacred Circle: Choose your Mentor
Film: "Catching Babies" by Barni
Qasim and Jennifer Lucero
10
Shafia Monroe, CM, Founder/President with
State and Regional Representatives
Agenda
Saturday, October 20
Time
7:00-8:00am
8:00am-5:00pm
8:00-9:30am
Room
Atlantis
Ballroom
Mezzanine
Atlantis
Ballroom
Session/Activity Name
Continental Breakfast
Registration
Village Session: Soul Sistah
Instructor
Film: Bringin' in da Spirit
by Rhonda L. Haynes
Panelists: Shafia Monroe, CM; Sarahn
Henderson Midwife, BA; Sheila Simms
Watson, LM, MPH;
Moderator: Keisha Goode, MA
Session 1
9:45-11:15am
Atlantis
Ballroom
Building the Bridge: Making the
Cultural Birth Movement Relevant
to All Black Women
Perspectives on Community Based
Doula Models
9:45-11:15am
Tiffany I
9:45-11:15am
9:45am- 1:00pm
Tiffany II
Neptune
Cultural Competency for Midwives
Clinical-Breech Presentation
11:30am-1:00pm
11:30am-1:00pm
Atlantis
Ballroom
Tiffany I
11:30am-1:00pm
Tiffany II
Forget "The Plan"- New Appraches
to an Empowered Birth
ICTC Full Circle Doula Birth
Companion Model, Improving
Birth Outcomes Using the
Midwifery Model of Care
Are you positive you are negative:
GBS in Newborns
Lunch on your own
Kimberly Seals-Allers, MS
Fatima Muhammad, ND; LaVern CalvinStevenson, AA; Marianne Bullock, CD; Vicki
Elson, MA, CCE, CD; Jeretha McKinley, BA,
CLC
Patti Rose, PhD
Sister Denise, Midwife
Session 2
1:00-2:00pm
Nicole Deggins, CNM, MSN, MPH
Shafia Monroe,
ICTC Founder/President, CM
Sarahn Henderson, Midwife,
BA, EC Ed. C. Ed
Session 3
2:15-3:45pm
Atlantis
Ballroom
2:15-3:45pm
Tiffany I
2:15-3:45pm
Tiffany II
2:15-3:45pm
4:00-5:30pm
Neptune
Atlantis
Ballroom
6:30-9:00pm
Atlantis
Ballroom
Atlantis
Ballroom
Low Birth Weight and Racism
Based Stress Among African
American Women: What we know
Returning Power to Birth: Dad's
Perspective
Pregnancy Complications
Requiring Medical Interventions:
Understanding Normal vs.
Abnormal Pregnancy Signs and
High Risk Condtions
Ayurveda for Pregnancy
Village Session: Addressing
Solutions to Institutional Racism
in Midwifery: Defining our agenda
and shattering racial dispartites in
midwifery
Julius Harrington, DSW
Mikal H. Shabazz, CDT
Maria Valentin Welch, BSN, CNM, MPH
Myra J. Miller, PhD; Dr Agla Sanfort
Panelists: Tamara Taitt, MS; Maria
Valentine-Welsh, BSN,CNM,MPH; Asatu
Hall, Midwife; Moderator: Jarene Fleming
Williams, CLC
Evening Events
9:00-11:00pm
Gala Awards Banquet, Silent
Auction
Dance Party
11
Keynote Speaker Byllye Avery, MA
Performers: DJ Skywalker, Camille Kaye,
Zynzelay
Agenda
Time
8:00am-2:00pm
Room
Mezzanine
7:00-8:30am
8:30-10:00am
Atlantis Ballroon
10:30-11am
11:00am-1:00pm
Atlantis Ballroon
Sunday, October 21
Session/Activity Name
Registration Closed/Exhibit and Vendor
Village
Breakfast on your own
Village Session: Plan of Action Towards Rights
and Justice: The purpose of this interactive
panel is to this unify solutions identified over
the weekend and plan how to move forward
Check-out Break
Members Meetings/Brunch
1:00-1:30pm
Atlantis Ballroon
Closing Ceremony
Instructor
Facilitators: Jamarah Amani,
LM, CLC
& Nicole Deggins, MPH
ICTC State and Regional
Representatives
Entertainment
Time
Event
Performer
What
Location
Prince Emmanuele Aderele
Abiodune, Osun's Village
Miami, International Artist in
Residence Miami, Florida
Zenzi “ZYNZELAY” Whitsett
Sadaria Hughes
Libation/Chanting
Drumming
Atlantis Ballroom
Voice & Drum
Interpretive Dance
Atlantis Ballroom
Atlantis Ballroom
VARIOUS
Film/Q & A
VARIOUS
Film
Atlantis Ballroom
Atlantis Ballroom
FRIDAY
8:00-9:00am
Opening Ceremony
9:00-10:00am
7:00-8:00pm
Presidential Address
Presidents Reception w/
Dignitaries & Sponsors
Open Mic Night
Film Screening-“Catching
Babies” by Barni Qaasim
8:00-9:00pm
9:00-11:00pm
SATURDAY
7:00-8:00am
6:30-9:30pm
Film: Bringin’ in da Spirit
by Rhonda Haynes
Gala Awards Banquet,
Midwife Student
Fellowship Live Auction
9:30-11:00pm
Dance Party
12:30-1:00pm
Closing Ceremony
Atlantis Ballroom
Zenzi “ZYNZELAY” Whitsett
Empress Addie
Sis. Sheila & The Sasa African
Dance Theater
Camille Kaye
DJ SkyWalker
Vocals
Vocals
Dance
Dancehall Artist
Dancehall Selectah
Atlantis Ballroom
Atlantis Ballroom
SUNDAY
Prince Emmanuele Aderele
Abiodune, Osun's Village
Miami, International Artist in
Residence Miami, Florida
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Libation/Chanting/
Drumming
Atlantis Ballroom
Workshop Descriptions
Friday, October 19
Session II• 2:00pm-3:30pm
Collaborative Workshop
From Promotion to Adoption: The Varied Experiences of Black
Women & Breastfeeding
Session I•10:15am-11:45am
Dr. Christ-Ann Magliore, MD
VBAC: Vaginal Birth After Cesarean - Myths vs. Facts- an
obstetrician’s perspective
The session will review the criteria for a VBAC, the
latest evidence on safety according to ACOG/NIH, the
position on VBAC's at home, how to prepare a mother
if at all, warning signs, the success rates, some limited
information on two or more previous C-sections, impact
on reducing maternal mortality and touch open health
care disparities/access to VBAC. As the host city, Miami
has a Caesarean rate of over 51 percent. Securing a
vaginal birth requires lots of education and maybe a bit
of luck. There is no question that C-sections save lives. It
is an important necessity when complications arise and
surgery becomes medically necessary. This workshop is
designed to provide women with the tools necessary to
have an optimal chance to have a vaginal birth in the city
with the highest c-section rate in the United States and
nation wide.
Asiyah Muhsin-Thomas, BSN, LPN, CD, TM
Birth By Adoption: The African American Mother's Adoptive &
Breastfeeding Experience
“Birth by Adoption: The African American Mother's
Adoptive & Breastfeeding Experience” will explore
motherhood through adoption. Topics will include,
private and foster care adoption, preparing for adoptive
“birthing”, adoptive breastfeeding and attachment/
bonding with the adopted child. In addition, the
midwife/doula role in families built through adoption.
Jeanine K. Valrie, MPH, CLS
& Anayah Sangodele- Ayoka, MSEd
Free to Breastfeed: Voices from Black Mothers: Re-establishing
Legacy, Re-claiming Voices: Using Black Breastfeeding
Narratives as Promotion
The editors of Free to Breastfeed: Voices from Black
Mothers will discuss their experience using narratives
as tools for breastfeeding promotion specific to Black
parenting or expectant mothers. Using the breastfeeding
narratives and experiences of Black women gives attention
to a subset of women not regarded in mainstream
breastfeeding-promotion campaigns
Tamika Middleton, BS & Cara Page, BA
Southern Black Midwives: Legacies of Resistance
Black Women Birthing Resistance’ is a multimedia
installation and popular educational curriculum on
the role of Black midwives and Black birth workers as
resistance and resiliency for our southern communities.
We believe the livelihood, safety and survival of our
communities are sacred, and political acts that rely on
birth worker traditions.
Jewel Crawford, MD
Environmental hazards and Reproductive Health
Social Savvy Divas: LaKeesha Morris, COO
& Juanita Seon, CTO
Raising Awareness Through Social Media
Social Savvy Divas is a social media management and
training company that helps entrepreneurs promote their
companies using social media networking. During this
interactive workshop, attendees will identify tools and
strategies to engage and attract new clients. Topics include
creating an effective awareness campaign and protecting
your clients’ privacy.
Francis Morean, BS
The disappearance of traditional midwifery practices among
Afro-Caribbean women in seven villages in Northeastern Tobago
During the post emancipation period in Tobago, and
until circa 1960, African traditional healers, unschooled
in Western orthodox medical practices, provided
midwifery services until they were displaced by western
medical systems. This 13-year study reconstructed the role
and traditional healing practices of these women in seven
villages of north-eastern Tobago
Keisha L. Goode, MA
Experiences and Perceptions of Contemporary Black Midwives in
the United States: Preliminary Results from a National Study
This study explores black midwives’ entry into and
experiences in midwifery, perceptions of black women’s
underutilization of midwifery services, interpretation of
the relatively high black maternal and infant morality rate
and understanding of their role in addressing the issues of
the current health care crisis, and implication for policy.
Angel LightFoot, EMT, PhD
CPR for Healthcare providers (infant)
CPR demonstrations for infants including choking
and AED usage. Certification available with payment of
$50.
13
Workshop Descriptions
Village Session:
Identifying Injustice in Midwifery and Birth
This panel will examine rights and justice issues as
it relates to pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding. Panelists
will address the following: Campaigns to end shackling in
prisons and to promote access to breastfeeding support,
the legacy of Black midwives as agents of social change
and access to midwifery care. How do these issues affect
maternal and infant health disparities? How can a social
justice approach help to create conditions that improve
survival rates of mothers and babies?
Panelists: Anjali Sardeshmukh, LM, Deborah Warren,
Tamika Middleton, BS, Moderator: Sheila Simms
Watson, LM, MPH
Collaborative Workshop
Perspectives on Community Based Doula Models
Fatima Muhammad, ND; LaVern Calvin-Stevenson, AA
How midwives and doulas fit within community based
organizations
How midwives and doula fit within community based
organizations. This is an interactive workshop identifying
the benefits of midwives and doula presence in maternal
and child health community based organizations.
Jeretha McKinley, BA, CLC
Community-Based Doula Programs: Mirror Images
This session will describe HealthConnect One’s
Community-based Doula program model. The
Community-Based Doula Model (CBDM) was developed
provide services through community-based organizations
to underserved pregnant women who are at greater risk of
negative birth outcomes.
Saturday, October 20
Village Session: Soul Sistah
The Soul Sister Midwives, the Bridge between
Yesterday and Today, is a panel of Black midwives
who began their midwifery practice in the early 70’80’s. The Soul Sister Midwives are the daughters and
granddaughters of the grand midwives; and they served as
the bridged to hold the legacy and traditions of the 19th
century African American Grand midwife for the future
generations. This panel will provide historical analysis of
the contributions of the Soul Sister Midwives in the 20th
century American midwifery movement. They will discuss
their calling to midwifery, navigating through systemic
racism within the profession, and creating national
and local organizations, such as Childbirth Providers
of African Descent (CPAD), Traditional Childbearing
Center (TCB) and Dua Afe, Inc , and the Midwives of
Color Association (MOCA), to organize Black midwives
to reduce infant mortality.
Panelists: Shafia Monroe ICTC Founder/President;
Sarahn Henderson Midwife, BA; Sheila Simms Watson,
LM, MPH, Moderator: Keisha Goode, MA
Patti Rose, PhD
Cultural Competency for Midwives
Reviews the importance and process of applying
and implementing cultural competency into healthcare
practiceHealth professions students and practitioners will
learn key cultural competency information and practical
insights into how to apply this knowledge in their dayto-day work environments as they deal with patients on a
clinical basis.
Sister Denise Desil, Midwife
Clinical-Breech Presentation
Session II• 11:30am-1:00pm
Nicole Deggins, CNM, MSN, MPH
Forget “The Plan” - New Approaches to an Empowered Birth
Traditionally, birth plans were used to help
women communicate her wishes with her birth team.
Unfortunately, they have lost their impact and birth
plans are no longer seen as the communication tool of an
empowered woman. It’s time to develop new techniques
for helping women achieve an empowered birth.
Session I • 9:45am-11:15am
Kimberly Seals Allers, MS
Building the Bridge: Making the Cultural Birth Movement
Relevant to All Black Women
How can we engage professional, “mainstream” black
women in the cultural birth conversation? This session
will build the bridge between the “hemp vs. Hermes”
lifestyles of black women, expose the role of media in
cultural stereotyping and dispel common myths and
misconceptions to help all black women reclaim their
power. It will cover breaking down myths about fertility,
birth after 40, poor birth outcomes and low breastfeeding
rates across socio-economic and “lifestyle” lines.
Shafia Monroe, CM, ICTC Founder and Director
ICTC Full Circle Doula Birth Companion Model, Improving
Birth Outcomes Using the Midwifery Model of Care
The abstract will share a model for creating
community leadership to improve birth outcomes
through the ICTC Full Circle Doula Birth Companions®
(FCDBC) training model. The FCDBC® model improves
birth outcomes and increases the number of midwives
by incorporating the legacy of the African American
14
Workshop Descriptions
legalized, and often manifests as inherited disadvantage.
It is structural, having been codified in our institutions
of custom, practice, and law, so there need not be an
identifiable perpetrator. Indeed, institutionalized racism
is often evident as inaction in the face of need.”
- Camara Phyllis Jones
Panelists represent national midwifery organizations
that are engaged in agendas to address institutional
racism in midwifery. They will address the work of
their organizations and potential solutions to this social
injustice.
Panelists: Tamara Taitt, MS; Maria Valentine-Welsh,
BSN,CNM,MPH; Asatu Hall, Midwife
Moderator: Jarene Fleming Williams, CLC
midwife. The Full Circle Doula Birth Companion ®
(FCDBC) popularizing the midwifery model of care, to
empower families and directs women towards midwifery.
The ICTC has trained over 400 hundred women and
men as FCDBC® will teach why this model works in
reducing poor birth outcomes.
Sarahn Henderson, Midwife
Are You Positive You Are Negative? GBS in Newborns
The presenter will define Early and Late Onset of
GBS, when and how it is screened in pregnant mothers,
how GBS is transmitted, medical and natural methods
for preventing GBS in newborns, symptoms in newborns
who have been infected and the importance of Informed
Consent in homebirth practices.
Sunday, October 21
Session III • 2:15-3:45
Village Session: Plan of Action Towards Rights and
Justice
The purpose of this interactive panel is to this unify
solutions identified over the weekend and plan how to
move forward. Facilitators will guide participants through
a process of critical thinking and group dialogue to
determine action for next steps in their respective states
and region.
Facilitators: Jamarah Amani, LM, CLC & Nicole
Deggins, MPH
Julius Harrington D.S.W, Nicole Crowden Ph.D., Tom
Brinthaupt Ph.D., Marva L. Lewis Ph.D.
Low Birth Weight and African American Mothers’ RacismBased Stress
This presentation will focus on the high rate of LBW
infants born to African American women in the U.S. The
panel members will review the LBW/Racism literature,
discuss a research project currently under development,
and describe a new instrument designed to measure the
self-talk women direct toward their unborn infant.
Mikal H. Shabazz, CDT
Returning Power to Birth: Dad's Perspective
I love being a Midwife ®
Maria Valentin-Welch, CNM, MPH
Pregnancy Complications Requiring Medical Interventions:
Understanding Normal vs. Abnormal Pregnancy Signs and High
Risk Conditions Such As Preterm Labor, Pre-Eclampsia, and
Gestational Diabetes
Geared towards Doulas in order to teach normal
pregnancy discomforts vs. danger signs. Introduction of
high risk pregnancy conditions such as preterm labor, preeclampsia, and gestational diabetes and the role Doulas
play in reducing these risk factors.
I love being a Midwife
Deep down in my soul.
I love being a Midwife
Deep down in my soul.
I said deep, deep.
I said down, down.
Deep down in my soul.
Myra J. Miller, PhD, Dr Agla Sanfort
Ayurveda for Pregnancy
Village Session: Addressing Solutions to Institutional
Racism in Midwifery: Defining our agenda and
shattering racial disparities in midwifery
“Institutionalized racism is defined as the structures,
policies, practices, and norms resulting in differential
access to the goods, services, and opportunities of society
by ‘race.’ Institutionalized racism is normative, sometimes
Repeat last verse 3 times.
This song was gifted to ICTC by Byllye Avery, keynote
speaker at the 1st Black Midwives and Healers Conference, October 2002, Portland, OR. Since then, the
ICTC Connecting Song has been sung
by midwives, doulas and healers
from all over the world.
15
16
Nurture • your • CalliNg
set the foundation
“Bastyr
to harvest my passion
for natural medicine and
community public health.
Sabine Thomas, ND (2007)
”
Create a Healthier World
Degrees Include: Naturopathic Medicine • Nutrition • Herbal Sciences • Midwifery
Also offering doula, lactation educator and childbirth educator training
Learn more: Childbirth.Bastyr.edu • 855-4-BASTYR • Seattle
17
We are a complete one stop medical spa for women
by women. We provide the following services:

Prenatal Care for Low-risk and selected high-risk
women

VBAC offered to those who qualify

Twin Vaginal Delivery


Concierge home visits upon request including
prenatal classes
Abnormal pap smear management in pregnant and
gynecological cases including colposcopy

Family Planning Services

Annual Well Woman with comprehensive labs

STD Management

Endometrial Biopsy
Christ-Ann Magloire, MD FACOG
Daymarys DelCastillo, Midwife
HOURS ARE BY APPOINTMENT:
MONDAY – FRIDAY
9:00am - 5:00pm
1880 NE 163rd St/Ste 102, NMB 33162
T: 305.705.3377
F: 305.749.6586
INSURANCE
We accept the following insurances:
COMMERCIAL
Aetna
Avmed
Blue Cross/Blue Shield
Cigna
Humana
United Health Care
MEDICAID
Coventry Health
Freedom Health
Medicaid
Medicare
Simply
18
Dean Insurance Agency, Inc.
230 N. Westmonte Drive, Suite 2100
Altamonte,FL 32714
Providing
Insurance
for
Midwives
Main: (407) 865-7477
Fax: (407) 865-7557
Toll Free: (800) 721-3326
Ann Geisler•Extension 202
[email protected]
Global Birthing Care
DellaReece Bastian, LM
Contact @ (786) 431-8121
or [email protected]
Providing nurturing essentials
from pregnancy through postpartum
while nursing the mother
back to a healthy start.
This could be
your business
card ad for the
NEXT Conference
or Summit
Graphic Design
Helena Wolfe
[email protected]
971.322.4511 Pacific time
We can work together to
promote your business
regardless of distance.
19
JOIN ICTC IN
MARAVEL, TRINIDAD
FOR A COMBO DOULA
TRAINING
MAY 1ST-6th, 2013
ICTC is hosting a combo training for persons who seek to become
an ICTC doula-Full Circle Birth Companions or an ICTC trainer.
Learn to be an ICTC doula with the Full Circle Birth Companion Model based
on the legacy of the African American midwife and the public health model.
Train with Internationally recognized experts Shafia M. Monroe, Certified
Midwife; Stacey Allen John, CNM; and Deborah Horne, Rieki Master
Come train at a beautiful home in the heart of the West Indies. Learn the traditional
and spiritual ways of caring for women and their families, with hands on activities, a
public health perspective, and a focus on returning power to birth while reclaiming our
culture as doula birth companions. Learn the elements of the ICTC Doula Full Circle
care to improve birth outcomes and to improve breastfeeding rates and duration. Learn
to reduce social determinants that lead to premature births. Interact with traditional
midwives of Trinidad and learn about their herbs, herb making and entrepreneur skills.
Special training events
Participate in Borrow Saturday, a one-day Carnival in southern Trinidad.
Enjoy a trip to the coral reef of Tobago. Visit a birth center.
Eat home cooked Trinidad food.
Early registration required • Space is limited
Registration closes March 30, 2013
Food and accommodations included in registration fee
Contact ICTC National Doula Training Coordinator
Office: 503-460-9324 • Fax: 503-4457760
Email: [email protected]
ICTC is an infant mortality prevention, breastfeeding promotion, and midwife and doula training non profit.
20
Black Babies are Dying.
Since 2002 ICTC has trained over 200 Full
Be the Solution.
color. ICTC is renowned for its culturally
Be a Birth Companion.
of the African American midwife, the effects
Stop Infant Mortality.
health, and traditional and current comfort
Circle Doulas with 90% being women of
diverse curriculum that includes the legacy
of health inequities on birth outcomes, public
Train as a Full Circle Doula.
ents are
What stud
measures for labor, birth and the postpartum
period, and for supporting the father.
saying…
rmative,
ing, its info
in
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th
“I loved
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today.”
in hospitals 2010 Oregon Training
g
in
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e
p
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powered meTraining
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ed to help wennsylvania Training
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Make a profound difference
in your community and in your own life.
To find out when and where we are holding
our next training and to register for it,
visit www.ictcmidwives.org
or call ICTC at 503-460-9324
21
Networking
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Notes
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