As I woke up this morning at 3:33 am CST, I could hear my children doing their traditional shuffles. They were preparing to come and creep into the bed, with my husband and I. So as I prepared to tell them, “Go back to sleep”… I am wide-eyed checking my Facebook timeline. I scroll down, I see a friend had posted something about a domestic violence video, of a woman beating her boyfriend up for cheating.
Another post of a birth worker that just witnessed a new baby into the fold of humanity.
Lastly I came to the post of one of my good friends Nicole Deggins of Sista Midwife Productions.
She is celebrating (5 years) of service to training women in the community as Birth Sista’s/Doulas in her signature program this month. I am so proud of her.
Today being the 3rd Day of Kwanzaa which is Ujima, means collective responsibility. I am proud to be in relationship and position, to be working with such spirited women. There is a legacy to be told and a powerful level of commitment to birth such projects. Along with deep focus on collective responsibility, this day follows a key principal:
The third principle of the Nguzo Saba is a commitment to active and informed togetherness on a subject of common interest.
So my question is: How can we not identify with the princiles of the Nguzo Saba to begin building programs worth a collective commitment?
In this quote below, I took from the article that Nicole shared, sparked my whole reason for writing this “first wake” post.
Despite spending two and half times more per person on health than the OECD average, the maternal mortality rate in the U.S. – the number of women who die during or as a result of childbirth and pregnancy – increased from 12 to 14 deaths per 100,000 live births from 1990 to 2015, putting the United States at 46th in the world.
To me this is an long realized going off. A siren sounding. A gong… That we need to get to adhere to and get to work. As a social entrepreneur, birth woker, and future community developer, I have learned more about how the world works, being a mother than anything else.
Motherhood has made me extremely passionate about creating synergistic balances, within the advancement community culture, reproductive health, and child wellness. This article spoke to me this morning and I hope that it speaks to you. That you may feel inclined to be a part of the solution for multigenerational health outcomes. Thus knowing that it all begins with how we are born.
Til next time… I’m about to snuggle back into bed, with my husband and our youngest boy. Nothing like taking advantage of the power of a “second sleep.”
Happy Kwanzaa!!!
P.S. Check out the rest of the article below. There is a live feed from the event too. I’m gonna check it later. Leave a comment about what you think and how it relates to the 3rd Principle Of Kwanzaa Ujima.
Habari gani!!!
Community-Based Workforce Innovation Program 