Help Mama Shafia Retain Our Legacy

My name is Shafia Monroe, and I was anointed Queen Mother of the Midwife Movement on July 29, 2016, by Erickka Sy Savané, of Madamenoire.com. Savané article was titled "How Shafia M. Monroe Became Queen Mother of a Midwifery Movement", and highlights my life work of elevating the legacy of the African American midwife.

I was trained as a home birth midwife at 15 years old, after learning about the high rate of Black infant mortality in my hometown of Boston, MA. I wanted to make a difference, and this was when I learned about the honorable work of the 20th-century African midwives that came before me. I wanted to emulate her work, both in spirit and in deed.

To honor their legacy, reduce infant mortality, and increase the number of Black midwives, I co-founded the Boston Traditional Childbearing Group , in 1978 and founded the International Center for Traditional Childbearing (ICTC), in 1991. Both non-profits, increased the number of Black midwives, held conferences to bring Black midwives together, did community outreach, and improved infant and maternal health.

I am experiencing my midwife peers becoming ancestors, and want to preserve their legacy and our fore midwives' work, lessons, and contribution, by building a National Black Midwives Museum. I believe it is important for people to have a National Black Midwives Museum, where they can learn the rich history of Black midwives and their contributions to US maternal and infant health.

In 2021, I was gifted with the Alabama Black Midwife Exhibit that was originally housed at the Smithsonian Institute years ago. This exhibit includes 15 black and white photographs and newspapers articles that chronicle the history and experiences of Black midwives of Alabama during the early 20th Century. This is an example of one of many exhibits I wish to make available to the public.

I want families to have a place to donate items from their deceased midwife member, that will be housed in the National Black Midwives Museum, for people to see and learn.

My goal is to raise upwards of $150,000 to pay for an architect to create a comprehensive floor plan, buy materials to build the house and surrounding garden, create climate control for delicate artifacts, furnish the museum, and create a system for obtaining and maintaning ongoing artifacts.

I am asking for the support of my community so that we can create a place where we can learn, honor our midwives, and preserve their legacy for future generations. Let's work together to create a more informed, healthy, and empowered community for Black Women, their families, and communities, that elevates the status of the midwife and creates healthy birth outcomes through education.