Writer: Michael Sykes

The Labor of Love Exhibit: Celebrating the History of Black Midwives took place on February 5th, from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM in the cafeteria lobby of Bldg. 2300. This event was sponsored by the Black Education Association and hosted by Sienna Dalton. The exhibit highlights the stories and contributions of African American midwives, who specialized in pregnancy, childbirth, and newborn care. Many of these professionals were not certified nurses or doctors, and their important contributions and narratives have often been overlooked in America.

This event stands apart from others commemorating Black History Month, as it shines a much-deserved spotlight on the invaluable contributions of African American midwives. Dalton states, “there’s various events going on this month, and I wanted to really highlight stories of Black midwives. They made a tremendous, contribution that is really under looked in history, so I wanted to highlight them. there were midwives who were also known as granny midwives in the South, and these women attended to women in the rural South, both black and white, as often under-looked, and some of these women helped give births to entire towns, and I just don’t know if they, I don’t believe that they are given their right place in history with the history of midwifery Today.”

During slavery, enslaved women became essential birth caretakers, serving both their communities and the wives of their enslaves. They passed down vital midwifery knowledge through generations. In the segregated South, where access to hospitals and white doctors was limited, these courageous women emerged as the primary sources of birthing care, providing invaluable support to their communities in the face of significant challenges. “until the mid-19th century, so midwives have a history that is rooted in African history, and so they began, unfortunately, when they were brought here, they brought with them their ancestral knowledge, and the women who were enslaved were not only assisting with birth with their own people that they came with, but unfortunately, sometimes even with an en slaver’s wife, so there was this huge part of history, and they would pass down their knowledge to their peers, their daughters, and that knowledge went down generation to generation, and then post-slavery, then you also have to remember doing this these times, a lot of hospitals was turning away African-Americans. Where else were they going to go? That, and not only that, but if you did find one, you know, that’s suited for African Americans, it costs a lot of money,” said Dalton.

Dalton aspires for all who attend this exhibit to discover the rich tapestry of African American history—a vibrant narrative that once held a prominent place in the American story but has regrettably faded from collective memory. She stated, “I would like people to just leave with new information and a new respect for these women who are not written in our history books but are a huge part of the story of birthing in this country.”

One of the attendees, Darren Montez, a curious student, found himself captivated by the video at the exhibit. Driven by a desire to understand the vital role of midwives in America, he sought to uncover the fascinating aspects of their profession stated, “I was kind of curious about what it was about, and I was glad I got to look at it very information-ally. Midwives back then we were very undervalued, underappreciated and we’re a vital important part of the time and how things you know evolved into nurses and health care and how we take care of each other.”

One of the attendees, Justin Vedanus, is a student who watched the video and found it extremely engaging and stated, “Anything you take away from it that you gain by watching that, you know the fact that She’s a midwife. It didn’t matter rain or shine if there were bears outside, she would go to help people and she would Do pharmaceutical care back when we barely had science yet love that she helped Black and white.”

For More information about the history of Midwifes go to…

There are more events celebrating the month of African American Month