From pain, comes power
Reeling from recent ICE shootings and honoring Birth Trauma Awareness Week with stories of the care that can overcome cruelty
There are no shortage of stories to share for Birth Trauma Awareness Week that could move us to tears—my own birthing story isn’t the rosy one I’d hoped for. But we also want people to be moved to action. So as we demand that pain and neglect in our healthcare system be recognized, we should also share stories that demand our power be recognized.
I talked to Nakia Stephens, our new ChangeWire fellow, about her story highlighting those who are working to prevent birth trauma in the first place. She attended Community Change’s Powering Health Justice Convening, where birth workers led a session that left her and everyone in the room not just informed—but empowered.
Beyond the Byline with Nakia Stephens
Nakia got to hear from women who took their own birth trauma stories and those of their loved ones and turned them into careers that ensure thousands of others get better care than they did. One who co-wrote the bill that legalized midwifery in Alabama. And one who is bringing birth justice to incarcerated women. Another who is the only practicing Black midwife in West Virginia.
“This is one of the first times I walked away from hearing about Black women and our health in an empowering way in which people were saying there are actually solutions to the problems we’ve been seeing,” Nakia said. “Seeing that there was hope is not something I’m used to.”
She said the conversation left her thinking about how people can show up for their communities in various ways, maybe even considering doing the certifications to become a doula herself.
A sentiment that was present throughout the health justice convening, she said, was “I’m not an extraordinary person that can do 5,000 things, everyone has the power to make one decision that helps meet the need in their community.”
Read Nakia’s piece in English and Spanish here.
Editor’s Picks
While more shootings by ICE devastate families and communities from Houston to Maine, our fellows have been lifting up stories of the organizing communities that are built from that pain.
My Neighbor’s Plants Are Dying: Sharisse Smith shares a moving story about how important it is to build community with your neighbors, after she learned hers was deported.
Purposeful Paint: Immigrant Artists Confront Injustice: We interview the organizers of the Immi’Art exhibit, a showcase that transforms personal stories of migration, struggle, and resilience into public acts of creative resistance.
Community Spaces Offer Refuge As Rights Erode: Community Cafecito members share the importance of this third space, especially in the wake of the SCOTUS decision ending temporary protections for migrants.
Making Noise: Music Community in Orlando Comes Together After ICE Comes for One of Their Own: Ivelisse Rodriguez talks to the music community that came together to protest a deportation, but has built something that will last beyond one call to action.
The Room Where It Happened: How Immigrants Invited America In—and Got Their Food Traditions Erased: Antoinette Johnson, an award-winning chef and food journalist, talks about how immigrant cuisine has influenced how she looks at food—and what we lose when we force people to hide their culture
ICYMI
At the end of this month, Community Change Action will be hosting the first ever National Childcare Convention. In the lead up, we’ll share stories of some of the providers and parents who are meeting us to strategize a national campaign to win universal child care. In the meantime, check out Tara Panah’s piece lifting up the fathers and male caregivers in the movement.
On the horizon
It’s been one year since Trump and the GOP passed HR1, a bill that devastated workers and families by gutting food and healthcare benefits. We surveyed real people to find out how they’ve been impacted. Stay tuned as we share the results with you soon.
And, personal narratives are in the hopper. You’ll find out why this year’s fellows are connected to the issues they’re reporting on. The stories begin in childhood for some, and the not-so-distant past for others.