Midwifery Then and Now: A Living Legacy Shaping the Future of Birth

Midwifery has never disappeared. In Black communities, it endured across generations despite exclusion from formal medical systems. Enslaved and free Black midwives once attended the majority of births in the United States, serving not only as birth attendants but as healers, educators, and trusted community leaders. Their knowledge sustained families long before modern maternity care and that legacy remains active today.

Through policy change, community leadership, and evolving care models, midwifery continues to center dignity, continuity, and informed choices.