Hey, my name is AJ, and I am seeking your support as I enter the final stretch of my student midwifery journey. For the last 3.5 years, life has stretched me in every direction imaginable. While pursuing this calling, I went through a divorce, moved to a new city to join a midwifery community that could support my goals, and navigated periods of homelessness and unsafe living environments, all while caring for my children and showing up every single day for my education and apprenticeship requirements. Because midwifery school requires full-time commitment, unpredictable hours, and the flexibility to attend births whenever they happen, maintaining stable employment has been nearly impossible. Financial distress became a constant companion, but even in the hardest moments, I kept going.

The truth is: my children have sacrificed more than anyone. They’ve had to share their mom with the world during some of the most tender years of their life. They have watched me break down, rebuild, and hold on when I was close to quitting. And they have been my foundation... the reason I kept moving forward when the road felt impossible.

My personal experiences as a Black mother, along with the countless stories from our community, have fueled my determination to become a midwife. What we are witnessing right now - Black women being ignored, dismissed, or actively harmed in hospital settings - is not new, but it is finally undeniable. The stories of Karrie Jones and Mercedes Wells are heartbreaking reminders that Black bodies are still treated as afterthoughts, even in life-or-death moments. Our pain is too often minimized. Our needs are too often ignored. And our lives are too often endangered.

This is why I refuse to quit.

I came into midwifery to help create the safe spaces our community deserves... spaces where Black birthing people are heard, centered, protected, and cared for with cultural understanding and respect. We need birthworkers who reflect us, who know our culture and history, who understand our trauma, and who don’t shy away from calling out the disparities that continue to cost us our lives. I want to be part of that solution. I want to be part of the future where Black families are supported, educated, and embraced without fear or dismissal.

Your contribution to this fundraiser helps me take the final steps: paying for my NARM exam, securing my California midwifery license, purchasing the tools and equipment I need to begin serving families in their homes, starting my website, and covering essential household expenses that have been pushed aside due to my inability to work these last two months. I have endured more than I expected on this path, but I also know I am walking in the footsteps of the Black midwives who came before me. Their legacy guides me. Their strength surrounds me.

There is so much work to be done, and it begins with us. I am asking for your support in helping launch another Black midwife into this world... because we are desperately needed. This is more than a career; it is a rite of passage. It is ancestral. It is community care. I have answered the call, and with your help, I can enter this next chapter equipped, grounded, and ready to serve.

Thank you for seeing me. Thank you for seeing us. The healing begins here. Let’s do the work together!!!