All results
Virginia Union University (VUU) students can become certified doulas on campus, making it the first historically Black university in the state to offer such a class. On Tuesday, March 18, 2025, the private, Richmond, VA-based HBCU announced a partnership with the birth center Birth In Color and the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) to launch a six-month doula training certification program, according to WRIC Channel 8. VUU’s announcement came just ahead of World Doula Week, which runs from March 22 to March 28, 2025. In an interview with AFROTECH™ , Mama Glow Foundation founder Latham Thomas described a doula as a birth “producer” who provides emotional and physical support, education, and advocacy tools during childbirth. While some people view doulas as less educated or non-compliant, Thomas noted that they are just as important as other healthcare professionals, especially in a society where women, particularly Black women, are expected to advocate for themselves. “Black women...
World Doula Week, from March 22 to March 28, 2025, highlights the vital role of doulas in improving maternal and infant health outcomes. Latham Thomas , founder of Mama Glow and the Mama Glow Foundation , is doing her part to raise awareness. Thomas, also known as Glow Maven , has been involved in women’s health for over two decades. While many doulas enter the field due to their personal and oftentimes negative or traumatic experiences, her journey began positively with the birth of her son, who is now 21 years old. “I would say that having had that experience where I felt very supported, there was safety, I felt dignified, I had a sense of autonomy with the care providers who were present that inspired me, I think, to sort of start this journey, but also I knew that I needed to protect the experience for other people,” Thomas told AFROTECH™. “I [not only] wanted to help reframe [negative perspectives], but also address what was obviously a challenge in our community.” Thomas...
MacKenzie Scott’s latest Yield Giving Open Call exceeded its initial expectations. In March 2023, Yield Giving, founded by the billionaire and philanthropist, launched the initiative to back community-led, community-focused organizations that actively support people “in places experiencing the greatest need in the United States,” per the organization’s website. On Mar 19, 2024, CNN reported that Scott donated $640 million to 361 non-profits. Initially, 250 organizations were to be awarded $1 million each. However, with over 6,000 applicants, the donation plan expanded. “We are excited that our partnership with Yield Giving has resonated with so many organizations,” said Cecilia Conrad, CEO of Lever for Change — which managed the Yield Giving Open Call — per the release. “In a world teeming with potential and talent, the Open Call has given us an opportunity to identify, uplift, and empower transformative organizations that often remain unseen.” According to the release, Birthing...
Just in time for Black Maternal Health week, Carol’s Daughter will partner with the Mama Glow Foundation for the second year of its Love Delivered – an initiative launched by the renowned hair care company to provide more Black women with access to doula services. Per PR Newswire, the program is designed to serve as support to Black birthing people and babies before, during, and after birth. “As we celebrate Black Maternal Health Week, we center joy in the Black birthing experience,” said Mama Glow founder and CEO, Latham Thomas in an official press release. “We celebrate the triumphs, our collective solutions, and our self-determination. Birth is meant to be transcendent, and we all deserve to experience empowerment through birth. The doula grants made possible through the three-year $225,000 commitment from Carol’s Daughter, further the mission to support safe, healthy and joyful birth outcomes for Black families in need.”
Because men need to prepare when it comes to the birth of a baby too! According to Spectrum News1, Carson native Dustin Young has always had questions about the birthing process. Now, as a certified doula, he is helping others through the birth process and encouraging men to join him in making Black moms have safer births. “As I got older, I just kind of like look at women as gods essentially, which you guys are,” said Young. He credits his baby sister as the reason he became a doula after he says her medical team wasn’t supportive, leaving her to face a difficult pregnancy alone. “Her fifth month, she went to the doctor and had some bad news,” continued Young. “She found out the heartbeat stopped, and she had a stillbirth.” When a second chance for his sister came around, Young would not allow her to do it alone. He located a doula and became an assistant. He then helped his sister while she was in labor at home for hours before escorting her to the hospital to help with his...
Black Mamas Matter Alliance (BMMA) is mobilizing support for Black maternal health. Black Maternal Health Week April 11–17 is Black Maternal Health Week (BMHW), an initiative created by the Black women-led, cross-sectoral consortium Black Mamas Matter Alliance (BMMA), with the intent of raising awareness and fostering community around the experiences of Black mothers and birthing people, according to information shared with AFROTECH™. Atlanta-GA-based BMMA traces its origins to 2013 when the Center for Reproductive Rights (CRR) and SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective (SisterSong) began constructive research on the obstacles Black mothers face in accessing health care. Once it had become its own independent entity in 2018, BMMA established Black Maternal Health Week and began working with up to 18 community-based organizations. That number has since grown to nearly 50. Black Maternal Health Week also intentionally coincides with National Minority Health Month,...
After spending significant dollars in DEI efforts, the University of Michigan has closed two offices tied to equity and inclusion. The Detroit Free Press reports that the public research university has spent nearly $250 million on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts in recent years. However, the university has now decided to dismantle its Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (ODEI) and the Office for Health Equity and Inclusion (OHEI).” “Student-facing services in ODEI will shift to other offices focused on student access and opportunity,” the school said in a statement on its website, according to the outlet. The statement also read: “The DEI 2.0 Strategic Plan, the umbrella strategy for schools, colleges and units, will be discontinued, along with DEI 2.0 unit plans, related programming, progress reporting, training and funding. Individual leads, who have supported DEI efforts in schools, colleges and units, will refocus their full effort on their core...
The AFROTECH™ 2024 Conference took Houston, TX, by storm from Nov. 15 to Nov. 17, uniting Black innovators worldwide to connect, discuss trends, and network with industry leaders and recruiters. A highlight of the conference was the Women in Tech Luncheon, presented by Yahoo. This event brought together an inspiring group of pioneering Black women in technology for an empowering and supportive celebration. Celebrity wellness and lifestyle expert and birth doula Latham Thomas, known as Glow Maven, opened the luncheon with welcoming remarks. She has been recognized as one of Oprah Winfrey’s Super Soul 100 and named one of Mindbodygreen’s “Top 100 Women to Watch in Wellness,” according to her Instagram profile. Notable speakers included Giselle Battley, head of global emerging careers and learning & development at Yahoo. According to her LinkedIn profile, Battley was recognized as one of Women We Admire’s Top 50 Women in Business for 2024. The luncheon opened the door for Black women...
CocoLife has been awarded a $100,000 grant from CVS Health to improve Black maternal health outcomes. CocoLife — a nonprofit founded by Alexia Omega Doumbouya in July 2019 — offers support through maternal health groups, one-on-one doula visits, and 24/7 doula assistance for mothers until they are 12 weeks postpartum, according to information shared with AFROTECH™. The need to support women in maternal health was inspired by a lived experience. According to The Philadelphia Citizen, Doumbouya had difficulties following the birth of her daughter in 2011, leading her to experience severe postpartum depression, psychosis, and anxiety. “I had this baby, and six weeks later I was expected to go back to work. And I just kept thinking How am I supposed to do this,” she explained, per the outlet. As time went on, she recognized other women had also faced challenges in their pregnancy journeys. This prompted her to become a trained certified doula prior to kickstarting CocoLife, which began...
A birthing center has opened in North Omaha, NE’s historic Black business district. A ribbon-cutting celebration will kick off around 4 p.m. on Thursday, June 13, 2024, at 2306 N. 24th St. I Be Black Girl, a collective for Black women, femmes, and girls focused on Black-led investments, policy and power building, economic, and birth justice, will host the celebration, according to its website. The celebration will continue throughout the weekend with a Juneteenth Parade on Saturday, June 14, and the I Be Black Girl’s Heart, Soul, & Roll Community Stroll held the following day at 1 p.m. “We want it to be a celebration because it’s such a big milestone for addressing and creating solutions around our experiences as Black women, femmes, and girls,” Ashlei Spivey, the organization’s founder and executive director, said per Omaha World-Herald. Spivey is also running to represent District 13 in the Nebraska Legislature. The facility is called the Anarcha Center in honor of Anarcha...
Baby Dove is working to create a safe space for Black mothers. According to a press release sent to AfroTech, Baby Dove has announced several new commitments that will improve maternal health outcomes. The company is doubling down on its investment in the Black Birth Equity Fund, bringing the total to $500,000. The aim is for doula services to become more accessible for expectant Black mothers as they will have a chance to receive up to $1,300 through a one-time grant.
In an op-ed for Elle Magazine, Serena Williams opens up about her medical struggles while giving birth to her now four-year-old daughter Alexis Olympia Ohanian Jr. As a world-class athlete, Williams has experienced a fair share of trials and tribulations, but giving birth would prove to be one of her most challenging. “Giving birth to my baby, it turned out, was a test for how loud and how often I would have to call out before I was finally heard,” Williams wrote. Initially, Serena Williams’ pregnancy journey was “wonderful” and she enjoyed the time for the most part, but then it became time to welcome Alexis into the world. Williams was not yet on epidural and she relied on her breath and the techniques she had acquired through birth training. With each contraction, the baby’s heart rate would swiftly decrease and Williams would have to turn on her side to restore it to normalcy. As contractions increased Williams was notified by doctors that she would be having a C-Section because...
According to a study, Black women are four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women. In response, the Love Delivered Initiative will pledge $225,000 over the next three years to provide doula services for Black families and doula education grants for aspiring birth coaches. On a mission to save lives, the Love Delivered Initiative — an initiative created by Carol’s Daughter founder, Lisa Price, and Mama Glow Foundation founder and world-renowned doula, Latham Thomas — will pledge $225,000 over the next three years to provide doula services for Black families and doula education grants for aspiring birth coaches. “Birth is meant to be a joyful, transcendent and empowering event. Everyone deserves to have access to safe, affordable, respectful and dignified care throughout the perinatal continuum. Mama Glow doulas approach care from a trauma informed framework and can help to support families impacted by injustice and inequity, grounding them with tools...
She’s a Harlem, N.Y. -based philanthropist, model, and musician, but on Tuesday, Marz Lovejoy’s purpose became even bigger. According to the Los Angeles Times , about 1,500 people tuned in after Lovejoy decided to livestream her birthing session to raise money for mothers of color to be able to afford a doula and midwife. Lovejoy’s concern grew for women of color having no choice but to give birth in crowded hospitals and medical centers as COVID-19 continues to spread across the nation. “[I’ve been] thinking about all my sisters who are pregnant and are not in a position to have a home birth or have a birthing center and have to be in a hospital,” Lovejoy told the LA Times. Lovejoy gained popularity as a Fenty model where she posed pregnant in a Fenty X Savage campaign . She continued her inspirational efforts by sharing her story with women of color who may be first-time moms. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Black women are three to four times more...
This piece originally published on April 5, 2019. From doctors who don’t believe Black women’s pain to higher rates of maternal mortality to the infamous Tuskegee experiment , anti-Blackness within the medical industry is well-documented. This history can make it difficult for Black people to receive — or even want to seek — healthcare. Seeing Black doctors is one way many patients feel both comfortable and heard, but finding them can be incredibly difficult. Kimberly Wilson founded HUED to make that process easier. HUED is a healthcare technology startup that Wilson describes as the “for us, by us” version of ZocDoc. Through Hued’s website or mobile app, patients can find and book appointments with Black and Latinx healthcare providers. Whether you’re looking for a doula, therapist, or doctor, Hued plans to be people’s one-stop shop. HUED matches patient’s needs based on insurance provider, region, and specialty. In addition, patients can also access reviews about specific...