Sacred Births Conference
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The need for doulas in Black maternal health exists within a much larger structural and spiritual crisis, not as a substitute for systems transformation, but as a sacred response to the openings, absences, and fractures already present within those systems.
Across the United States, Black women and birthing people continue to experience profoundly disproportionate rates of maternal morbidity and mortality compared to their white counterparts, even when accounting for income and education. These disparities are not accidental; they are the cumulative imprint of generations of inequity, unequal access to quality care, medical racism and bias, fragmented continuity of care, and chronically under-resourced community health systems. What we are witnessing is not a series of isolated failures, but a patterned imbalance within the very architecture of care.
Within this reality, doulas emerge as steady witnesses and relational anchors. They offer continuous emotional, informational, physical, and spiritual support through pregnancy, birth, and postpartum, often holding space where clinical environments are rushed, fragmented, or impersonal. In doing so, they help restore dignity in moments where people are too often unseen, unheard, or dismissed. Their presence can soften harm, improve communication, and strengthen a birthing person’s sense of agency as they move through complex medical systems.
And still, doulas are not clinicians, nor are they meant to carry the weight of structural repair. Their role is not to resolve the conditions that produce inequity, but to tend to the human experience within it—while those systems themselves must be transformed at their root.
To frame doulas as the solution alone is to risk obscuring the deeper truth: that what is required is a full reimagining of maternal health. Doulas belong within a broader ecosystem of care that includes midwives, nurses, physicians, community-based organizations, and policy leaders working in concert toward justice. Lasting change demands sustained investment in equitable healthcare infrastructure, anti-racist and culturally grounded medical training, expanded midwifery models of care, and accountability systems that actively interrupt preventable harm.
In this framing, doulas are not the answer to Black maternal health inequities, they are one essential thread in a wider sacred weaving toward safety, dignity, and liberation in birth care.
Sacred Births Conference
Date: June 11, 2026
Time: 11:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Location: Medgar Evers College – Nursing Department
Host: NYC Her Future (NHF) in partnership with Sanctuary Medicine & Restore Forward
Register Now
Sacred Births: The Role of Doulas in Black Maternal Health is a powerful convening rooted in education, truth-telling, and systems transformation. It brings together the general public alongside corporate, nonprofit, and policy leaders to deepen understanding of Black maternal health disparities and advance actionable, system-level change.
At its core, the gathering elevates the essential role of doulas, centers lived experience, and highlights community-driven solutions that improve birth outcomes for Black families. A key feature of the program is the Community-Based Doula Training, first piloted in 2020 at Medgar Evers College with support from the Mayor’s Office, demonstrating a model of community-rooted innovation in maternal care.
The convening intentionally separates community education from institutional influence, while still fostering alignment, shared language, and collective impact—bridging grassroots wisdom with policy-level engagement to reimagine maternal health systems with dignity, equity, and care at the center.
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Our Partners
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Sanctuary Medicine
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Medgar Evers College - Nursing Department
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Restore Forward
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The Bridge Community Foundation
Join us for Sacred Births: The Role of Doulas in Black Maternal Health, a powerful convening designed to educate, empower, and inspire action around Black maternal health and birth equity.
This free conference brings together expecting mothers, new parents, families, students, doulas, alumni of the doula programs (2021–2025), community members, and leaders across corporate, nonprofit, and policy sectors for meaningful dialogue, education, and advocacy.
The convening highlights the critical role doulas play in improving maternal health outcomes while centering lived experience, culturally grounded care, and community-informed solutions. A featured component of the program is the Community-Based Doula Training launched at MEC in 2020 with support and funding from the Mayor’s Office.
Participants will gain:
Comprehensive education on pregnancy, postpartum care, and maternal wellness
Increased awareness of doula services and non-clinical support systems
Direct access to trained doulas and trusted community resources
Insight into equity-driven approaches that advance dignity, advocacy, and holistic maternal care
The event structure intentionally creates space for both community education and systems-level engagement, ensuring shared learning, collective impact, and sustainable change.
Register Now
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Nathifa Forde
Founding Executive Director · NYC Her Future, Philanthropist, Maternal Health Advocate
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Sevonna Brown
Doula, Founder and CEO of Sanctuary Medicine, Maternal Health Justice Advocate
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Yaya DaCosta
As an actor, doula, producer, and advocate, Yaya DaCosta’s voice and presence continue to inspire powerful conversations around healing, motherhood, wellness, and community care.
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Dr. Rhon Manigualt-Bryant
Filmmaker, Director, Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Research in Black Culture and History, UNC Chapel Hill
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Shawnee Benton Gibson
Advocate, author, and maternal health educator, storyteller Aftershock Documentary
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Sakina O'Uhuru
Founder and CEO of A Wombman’s Way Warrior Midwife Training, RN CNM MS has been practicing the art of Midwifery for over 25 years and has provided maternal child health care in underserved areas for 30 years.
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Dr. Uche Blackstock
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Ariane Samuels
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Jasmine Vega Pegram
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Dr. Carla Williams
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Dr. Kiarra King
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Noemie Gaines
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Trinisha Williams
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DJ Selecta
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Ericka Hart
Sacred Births
Sacred Births
DJ Selecta Kris
DJ Selecta Kris
Sacred Births Conference
Sacred Births Conference
Program
Sacred Birth Conference
Thursday, June 11
Medgar Evers College
1638 Bedford Avenue, Brooklyn, NY
10:30 AM – 11:00 AM
Registration
Check in, connect with community partners, and explore resource tables.
11:00 AM – 11:15 AM
Opening Ceremony & Welcome
A special opening featuring libations, remembrance, and community grounding, followed by welcome remarks from conference hosts and distinguished leaders.
11:15 AM – 11:30 AM
Opening Fireside Chat
Centering Community Voices
Moderator:
Nathifa Forde
Featuring:
Sevonna Brown, Founder, Sanctuary Medicine
Program graduates and student participants from the NYC Her Future Doula Training Program
A conversation highlighting participant experiences and the impact of community-based doula education.
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Shaping the Future Together: Community & Stakeholder Dialogue
Moderator:
Shawnee Benton Gibson, Co-Founder, The ARIAH Foundation
Panelists:
Ericka Hart, Reproductive Justice Educator & Author
Dr. Carla M. Williams, OB/GYN, Doula, Co-Founder & Medical Director, Maryam Reproductive Health + Wellness
Midwife Sakina O’Uhuru, Traditional Midwife & Birth Justice Leader
Audience Q&A included.
12:30 PM – 1:15 PM
Living Room Conversation
Leading Change at the Crossroads of Perinatal Health Equity
Moderator:
Dr. LeRhonda Manigault-Bryant, Founder, Conjure Girl Blue
Featured Speakers:
Dr. Uché Blackstock, Founder, Advancing Health Equity
Dr. Kiarra King, MD, FACOG
Sevonna Brown, Founder, Sanctuary Medicine
Noémie Gaines, Wellness Advocate & Community Leader
An intimate discussion on maternal health equity, healing, advocacy, and systems transformation.
1:15 PM – 2:00 PM
Lunch & Community Connection
Lunch service, networking, and engagement with community organizations, vendors, and resource partners.
2:10 PM – 2:25 PM
Featured Presentation
Fadu McKinsey
Leading the policy conversation on maternal health and community-centered solutions.
2:25 PM – 2:50 PM
Interactive Fireside Chat
The Role of Policy in Birthing
Featured Speakers:
Trinisha Williams, Founder & President, Midwifery Collective and American Association of Birth Centers Leader
Jasmine Vega-Prema, Executive Director, New York Alliance for Careers in Healthcare (NYACH)
Gabby Gonzalez, Program Graduate & Birth Justice Advocate
A conversation exploring workforce development, policy innovation, and the future of equitable maternal healthcare.
2:50 PM – 3:15 PM
Keynote Conversation
Yaya DaCosta
Actor, producer, and advocate for Black maternal health, wellness, and culturally grounded healing practices.
3:15 PM – 3:25 PM
Simulation Lab Experience
Prof. Monika Dixon
A guided walkthrough of the Medgar Evers College Simulation Lab and innovative maternal health training technologies.
3:25 PM – 3:30 PM
Closing Ceremony & Call to Action
Closing Remarks by Sevonna Brown
A collective call to advance birth justice, doula workforce development, and maternal health equity.
3:30 PM
Optional Simulation Lab Tour
Hosted by Prof. Monika Dixon
Exclusive tour for stakeholders, partners, and invited guests.
Throughout the Day
✨ Live DJ & Music
✨ Community Resource Tables
✨ Networking Opportunities
✨ Photo Booth
✨ Opportunities to Connect with Speakers and Community Leaders
Dress Code: Bright Spring & Summer Colors, and/or Rep your culture!
Village Perinatal Closet Donation Drive: Optional donations of unopened diapers, wipes, formula, pacifiers, bibs, and other infant essentials are welcome.