Birthmark Doula Collective
Founded in New Orleans, the Birthmark Doula Collective is a birth justice cooperative dedicated to supporting, educating, and advocating for pregnant and parenting people and their families. Grounded in the principles of reproductive justice, Birthmark works to increase access to respectful, culturally competent services for communities facing barriers to quality care. Through direct support, community education, and advocacy, Birthmark strives to ensure that all birthing people experience care that honors their dignity, autonomy, and lived experiences, including birth doula support, postpartum doula care, and childbirth education. The collective envisions a world where birth and parenting are transformative, empowering, and rooted in self-determination and collective care. By centering the experiences of those most impacted by inequities in reproductive health, Birthmark continues to build community power and advance equitable birth outcomes across Louisiana and beyond.
About Black Birth Matters
Founded in October 2016 by Jamilla Webb and Ashley Hill Hamilton, the Black Birth Matters Summit has emerged as a vital initiative to address critical issues faced by Black birthing families in Louisiana and beyond. The summit was created to tackle pervasive challenges such as medical trauma, rising rates of maternal and infant mortality and morbidity, inadequate breastfeeding support, and the criminalization of birthing practices by fostering dialogue through discussions, panels, and networking sessions.
As a project of Birthmark Doula Collective, the summit serves as a platform for collaborative strategy development—bringing together Black birth workers and allies to advocate for systemic change and improve birth outcomes.
Impact
Click to learn more about our impact!
Victoria Williams, in collaboration with the SHER lab, produces impact reports and develops tools for ongoing organizational assessment for the Birthmark Doula Collective’s Black Birth Matters Summit.
