Founded in Sept. 2022, The Black Birth Collective (TBBC) came together organically in the preceding months. TBBC’s founders were drawn together by their shared vision of sustainably uplifting the work and quality of life of Black birth workers. TBBC is dedicated to delivering compassionate and intentional support to Black birth workers who provide evidence based practices that improve the maternal and infant vitality across Northeast Ohio’s Black Community. Through strategic, multi-layered education and training,TBBC improves healthy birth and maternal outcomes. Since its inception, TBBC has hosted: a community open-house showcasing the volume, quality, and depth of Black birth services available to Northeast Ohio’s Black families; community care meet-ups including yoga sessions and group dinners; and workshops on various aspects of the birth experience including lactation.

One of TBBC’s current projects is Sistah-Djiguene, inspired by TBBC’s co-founder and president, Marlene Morris’s June 2023 trip to Senegal. Through conversation with birth workers at the Centre de Santé Camberene in Dakar, Marlene saw an opportunity for cross-cultural exchange and professional development by bringing Black birth workers from Northeast Ohio together with Senegalese birth workers. The small cohort travelling from Cleveland will include four Black birth workers, and a Black mother who specializes in postpartum care and African traditions. In addition to transporting requested medical supplies, the team will join cross-cultural roundtables about community needs & birth practices and will shadow/assist birth workers at two hospital wards. To support individual and group wellness, the team will have daily briefings & debriefings. By fostering community and exchange between Cleveland & Dakar, Sistah-Djiguene will create a ripple effect that impacts each birth worker, their colleagues, their Northeast Ohio community, and — most importantly — the Black families they serve.