Unearthing Black Midwifery Stories and Traditions
Document Type
Video
Publication Date
3-6-2024
Abstract
Linda Janet Holmes presents key findings from her interviews with Black midwives in Africa and in the American South. The African roots of Black birthing traditions are also highlighted. This talk also provides reasons for continuing Black midwifery traditions today. Linda Janet Holmes, former director of the New Jersey Health Department Office of Minority and Multicultural Health, began recording interviews with traditional African American midwives decades ago. Her most recent book, Safe in a Midwife’s Hands: Birthing Traditions from Africa to the American South, focuses on the practices of Black midwives whose holistic approaches are essential counterbalances to a medical system that routinely fails Black mothers and babies. Her award-winning book, Listen To Me Good: The Life Story of an Alabama Midwife, was co-authored with Margaret Charles Smith, a legendary Greene County Alabama midwife, and documents the contributions of a singular Black midwife. A past faculty member of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey Nurse Midwife Program, Holmes now lives in Hampton, Va. Her previously published books also include A Joyous Revolt: Toni Cade Bambara, Writer and Activist and Savoring the Salt: The Legacy of Toni Cade Bambara, co-authored with Cheryl Wall.
Relational Format
video recording
Recommended Citation
Holmes, Linda J., "Unearthing Black Midwifery Stories and Traditions" (2024). SouthTalks. 55.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/southtalks/55