As Black maternal mortality rates continue to reach alarming levels in the United States, advocates are turning to traditional practices and community-centered solutions to address the crisis. Star August Ali, director of the Black Midwifery Collective, is at the forefront of this movement, working to preserve the history of Black midwifery while training a new generation of birth workers.
Ali’s organization focuses on creating culturally grounded care that serves Black women within their own communities, challenging the hospital-centric model of birth that has dominated American healthcare. With recent data showing that over 90% of maternal deaths are preventable, Ali argues for a return to traditional midwifery practices that treat pregnancy and birth as natural processes rather than medical emergencies.
Speaking from Chicago, Ali discusses the importance of community-supported birth work, the historical role of midwives and how Black communities can reclaim agency over their reproductive health.
What inspired you to curate and protect the history of Black midwifery? And how is that legacy relevant to today’s maternal health crisis in Black communities?
Midwives have always been here. The hospital system is something that’s new. And we can’t expect that in this time of day that our oppressors are all of a sudden going to be our friends. It’s not [designed], the medical system, [for our benefit].
The recent data that’s coming out is saying that over 90% of the deaths would be preventable. Why would we continually, knowing this knowledge, walk into a hospital system [when] we can create our own options, empower ourselves, train ourselves back to our tradition? Because before we had hospitals, there were midwives; we had [knowledge] and [herbs], and [knew] how to properly feed ourselves to have these positive outcomes.
[Birth] work is not seen as a separate system; it’s a [holistic] model. And so, midwives, we know we can do this within our [community]. So, essentially, my organization, Black Midwifery Collective, was born out of the desire for us to have our own workforce, our own pillars within our own community serving ourselves, and so we’re not having to go out of [our community] seeking services from people that don’t have our best interests at [heart].
Let me rephrase this conversation for a second. Pregnancy and birth [are] not [diseases]. It’s not something that needs to take place within a hospital system. [I] think it’s something just as natural as us having our cycle, but they, once again, found a way to profit off of our bodies.
And so, right now, [going] to a hospital [for] a [birth] is the number one reason why people go into a hospital. So, they’re not looking at what’s best for us, because what’s best for us is somebody that is willing to take the time to provide [us] with individualized, culturally-[grounded] care that really serves [our] best interests at heart and that understands where you’re coming from, because they live in the same space and they understand the plight of being Black and a woman in 2025 in America.
What steps can communities take to support and expand access to culturally grounded birth work and midwifery care?
Support your local midwives. Support your local Black student midwives. [There are] not very [many], [maybe] one or two per state, but seek out the ones who [exist] and ask how you can get involved in [providing] support.
And educate yourself, because outside of the hospital, you have options. Educate yourself. What came before hospitals? We’ve always been a [supportive] community [throughout] time, and if you look at any of your scriptures, you’ll find that we’re a [supportive] community [throughout] time.
How can people find you and learn more about Black Midwifery Collective?
You can find me at blackmidwiferycollective.org. My name is Sister Star. You can also reach me at Star August at blackmidwiferycollective.org.
For more information about the Black Midwifery Collective, visit blackmidwiferycollective.org.
