The session that really resonated with me was Building the Black Home and Family. It made visible the invisible narrative of black women dying in America due to complications from pregnancy and childbirth. Essentially, the black home and family would not exist if it were not for black women, and this goes beyond the idea that black women are who mentally, emotionally, and physically support the family. Black women quite literally give birth to the black family and are the carriers of the trauma that accompanies such task. Consequently, they can pass on this trauma to their descendants. The session focused on how more attention should be paid to the idea that while we view giving birth at home as antiquated, unsafe, etc., giving birth in hospitals actually has proven to be quite dangerous for black women in America, as demonstrated in this collage.
The panelists discussed how our foremothers gave birth in the home, surrounded by midwives, family, doctors, etc. who got to know her and her body, could support the black woman in a way that was appropriate for her and not in a standardized/technical “medical” manner. We can mirror these processes today with doulas and midwives in instances suggested through this collage where more “modern” techniques, which are supposed to be advanced and safe, have failed us black women. The images at the bottom of my collage demonstrate instances where the black woman is surrounded by people who actually know her and care for her – instances that hopefully seek to diminish some of the trauma that comes with building the black home and family.
