Thirty-six million minority women in this country have more health
problems but access fewer health services than white women.  During no time is this difference more pronounced or more important than during pregnancy and childbirth.

The International Center for Traditional Childbearing (ICTC) is an African-centered infant mortality prevention, pregnancy support and midwifery training non-profit organization. Their mission is to promote the health of the family by preserving the traditional role of the community midwife. ICTC builds capacity within the African American community to support healthyfamilies, healthy birth outcomes, and the overall health of African American women through and beyond their childbearing years.  Specific programs include the Rites of Passage Midwifery Training Program (RPMT), Full Circle Birth Companion Doula Training, and the Annual Black Midwives and Healers Conference.  For more information, contact Shafia Monroe (sistahmidwife@msn.com) or visit the ICTC website at www.blackmidwives.org.

Shafia Monroe, an African-American midwife in Portland, Oregon (center in the
photo above), who founded ICTC, is CEO of SistaMidwife International, a consulting
company that designs networking strategies for midwives of color,
provides recruitment and outreach, and develops and implements
culturally specific curricula for midwifery schools and study circles.
She has developed a National Directory of Black Midwives
as a way for midwives and clients to find one another. She currently
has about 100 names, including CPMs, CNMs, licensed and direct-entry
midwives, student and aspiring midwives, a lactation consultant,and a
childbirth educator. If you want to be included in the directory, email
Shafia by clicking on the directory title above, or call her at
503.281.1688. The minimum information you need to include in order to
be listed is your name, title, address, city, state, and zip code. You
may also list work and home phone or FAX numbers. When the directory is
complete, Shafia will send participants a notice and a purchase order.
SistaMidwife will sell the book for $10.00 plus $2.50 shipping
and handling and make it available through as many venues as possible.
The directory will be updated and expanded to include international
entries next year.

There
are 36 million minority women in this country; they have more health
problems but access fewer health services than white women. These women
face social, economic, and cultural barriers to improving their health.
The National Women’s Health Information Center has created a website, “Health Information for Minority Women,” to help women and health professionals learn about the special health risks of a wide variety of racial groups.