“Midwives hold one of the main keys to social, political, and economic development. We have political courage, which should be well known and witnessed.” — Makeda Kamara
International Black Women Healers and Midwives Conference Ancient Traditions, Sustainable Futures PORTLAND, OR—OCTOBER 14-16 They arrived brightly adorned in traditional attire of mudcloth and cowrie shells, kaftas, headwraps, bangles, beads, and colorful fabrics, resilient as every place they had come from: Africa, South America, the Caribbean, and the U.S. They came, beckoned by Shafia Monroe, President of the International Center for Traditional Childbearing, to share traditional healing wisdom and to weave together visions of sustainable futures for humanity. The vibrant gathering was marked with resounding calls for increased governmental and community support for the life-giving work of midwives. “Midwives hold one of the main keys to social, political, and economic development. In many communities, villages, and countries, midwives are often the main or ”soul” source of health care and social work for the family. We have political courage, which should be well known and witnessed,” emphasized Kamara, a Certified Nurse Midwife from Panama. Breastmilk was heralded again and again as one of the most fundamental natural resources for life. “Imagine the decrease in illness, low birth weight, and premature babies if more mothers were allowed and encouraged to breastfeed!” asserted a woman from the African American Breastfeeding Alliance. Denaa’ Mojab, a 7 year-old of Iranian and American descent and a self-described midwife, awed the room with a melody she had created uniquely for the event. ““What is the gold standard for infant feeding?” she sang. “Breastmilk is the answer—it’s nutritional, immunological, cognitively speaking, protection from disease . . . Nourish, nurture us if you please, nothing artificial can do the same . . . lifelong health for mom and baby is our worthy aim.” Yvette Freeman, an actress from the television series ER and a national advocate for diabetes preventiion, encouraged all to “dig deep into this wellspring of life and remember, if we do not get in touch with our own health and well being, we cannot lead our children, ourselves, our families, or our communities.” But it was the wisdom of the 99-year-old Margaret Smith, who has delivered 3,500 babies and never lost a mother, that will linger on. “You must always treat with love, honor, and respect those women and children you usher into this world for nobody cares how much you know ‘til they know how much you care.”
Antoinette Barbour www.blackmidwives.org
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WINTER 2004