Arise Black Midwife, Baltimore, MD (2025)

12/17/2023

The Guiding Black Midwives Lead the Way! Thank you to every Black Midwife who graced the Ceremony with your presence both in-person (featured) and those who attended virtually including Our utmost thanks goes to Dr. Ebony Marcelle for hosting us and to for her generous gifts to each It was a night to remember!

12/16/2023

Presenting The 2023 Cohort!
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! featuring Taiwo I Adeloye-Ajao of ✨🙌🏾✨🙌🏾✨ ‼️

"Tia" Ajao is a DC-born, Baltimore-raised child of immigrant parents from Nigeria, West Africa. She obtained her Masters of Public Health degree in Maternal & Child Health in 2008 and later chose to pursue a career as a nurse & a doula in 2014, due to her own birth experiences, her encounter with physiologic birth & her desire to serve her community. She is now certified as a maternal-newborn nurse, a birth doula, a Lamaze childbirth educator, and an IBCLC lactation consultant.

Tia's RN birth assistant role began in 2019 at Special Beginnings Birth & Women's Center, and since then she has served other midwifery practices in the Baltimore & DMV areas. As a result of her commitment to midwives, Tia became a student of midwifery herself, and founder of Arise Black Midwife! She is Director of Advocacy at and is proud to partner with her spouse DrAjao in all their creative ventures. Tia enjoys making an impact for black maternal health, and guiding the next generation of maternal-child health professionals to do the same.

"Akoma is my tenant. It means love-the core, long suffering, faithfulness and patience. Another language translates Akoma to mean I can't wait to claim the long awaited goal of certified nurse midwife!"

12/16/2023

Presenting The 2023 Cohort!
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! featuring Shanté Ferguson ✨🙌🏾✨🙌🏾✨ ‼️

Hello my name is Shanté Ferguson, I am a Birth Doula, Breastfeeding Specialist, Placenta Specialist, Childbirth Educator, wife, mom (of 6 sons), grandmother (of 3), and Aspiring Black Midwife. As long as I can remember I’ve always been very caring and nurturing. I started on this particular path about 7 years ago and my only regret is not doing it sooner. When I am asked to join a family for support my heart smiles knowing that I will be there to guide, support, and witness one of life’s true miracles. Everyday I wake and get to do what I love, support families in all different ways. The birth world is where I belong…as long as my ancestors continue to bless me with this special gift I will continue to share it with the world. I absolutely love what I Doula..❤️

12/16/2023

Presenting The 2023 Cohort!
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! featuring Keyawna Scruggs Matthews of ✨🙌🏾✨🙌🏾✨ ‼️

"Is midwifery a career choice or a calling? Well for me, it was definitely a calling. I assisted with the first Arise Black Midwife Commitment Ceremony in 2020, and at the event, I felt something in my spirit and a soft voice in my head that said "Now". I thought I was imagining things and I responded back: "Ok God: what are you saying? I know You're not tell me to attend school to be a ???" I smiled to myself and the next day I called Southwest Wisconsin Technical College and 7 days later, I was accepted into with classes literally starting in 2 weeks!

This fall I finished up my final classes of midwifery school. I can't believe I made it this far. I have 2 test left and 3 clinical classes at the birth center. I'm proud to say that in 2021 I attended the Arise Black Midwife Cohort as a . That was the day I knew it was real and I made my commitment I have accepted My Calling." But since then my life has changed and I almost gave up dozens of times. But I vow to commit again and accept my calling and walk in my purpose. All praise belongs to God.

is my tenant and it truly describes my journey. I should have given up by now but I'm still pressing on despite the many obstacles I have faced. I have left my comfort zone and traveled from Baltimore to Texas to work with my Preceptor at Corpus Christi Birth Center. I'm still pressing on as the role of midwife gets more real."

12/16/2023

Presenting The 2023 Cohort!
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! featuring Shanae Bond ✨🙌🏾✨🙌🏾✨ ‼️

“Gigi” (shanae Bond), a native Washingtonian and mother of four, gained her love for maternal health working as an perinatal professional, and lactation specialist at Mamatoto Village.

She has been part of the DC Primary Care Association Maternal Health Equity Action Lab with other mothers and maternal health professionals. The Equity Action Lab created, explored and implemented methods to improve maternal health outcomes in the D.C. area using human-centered design.

Gigi is a Founding Member of Moms’ Collective Wisdom. A focus group that helped define Mommy&Me a current maternal health study aimed at advancing perinatal mental health and well-being. Within her current role as co-chair of the Stakeholder Engagement Core for the study she is ensuring the patient voice is heard and needs met in the design and implementation of the study. She also co-created & facilitates peer support sessions as an intervention in part of the Mommy&Me study.

My tenant is Kinship: a feeling of being connected to other people, a sharing of characteristics or origins. When it comes to maternal health my professional & personal experiences have always been community and culturally centered, allowing me to see just how impactful kinships are. The power and potential they hold to shape and create a community, a movement an effort, or even something as small as a thought. Kinship is the pulse of my midwifery journey it's constant and giving and deeply rooted in traditional midwifery.

12/15/2023

Presenting The 2023 Cohort!
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! featuring Manuela Tingbo-Betwa ✨🙌🏾✨🙌🏾✨ ‼️

"When I first embarked on this path, I was filled with doubt about my abilities and what I could offer to the world of childbirth. But with every birth and every chance to learn, I am reminded of the immense value and glory that comes with this profession. Although the journey has come at great personal cost, I remain steadfast in my desire to study, learn and ultimately prove myself worthy in the end. This is why the Hebrew word Yaqar holds great significance to me. It means valuable, brightness, clarity, reputation, or honor of women."

12/15/2023

Presenting The 2023 Cohort!
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! featuring Jennifer Silvera ✨🙌🏾✨🙌🏾✨ ‼️

"Hi, my name is Jen. I'm a mother of 6, a birth doula, placenta specialist, former pediatric homecare nurse, student herbalist, and most importantly: a student midwife, CPM to be exact. I became a doula in early 2016 and hit the ground running from there, connecting and networking with the birth community in South Jersey (where I was raised and began my family) and Philly plus the surrounding areas. I moved to Northern Delaware where I currently reside with my family in late 2017. I noticed how vastly different the birth culture was and became involved in a grassroots organization called Black Mothers In Power. BMIP is now a 501c3 and I have served on the Executive Board since 2020. I am currently the Acting President.

My tenant for Arise Black Midwife is Resilient. This correlates to my midwifery journey because I began school at Midwives College of Utah in Fall 2019, and then the pandemic hit which made finding community and completing certain requirements such as CPR certification, NRP certification, attending births, and practicing IV placements for classes incredibly difficult. In the midst of all the uncertainty and fear the world as whole faced, I had the added stress of losing several family members, losing friends both relationship-wise and physically, having difficulty paying for tuition and school related costs, and dealing with family issues to correspond to as well. Through all of these problems, I kept going because by hell or high water I AM GOING TO BE THE MIDWIFE I WAS LITERALLY BORN TO BE. IT IS MY BIRTHRIGHT AND MY DESTINY!!!! I refuse to let anything stop me, and I will finish. Tell me that ain't the very definition of resilience 😏"

12/15/2023

Presenting The 2023 Cohort!
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! featuring Tanisha Johnson of ✨🙌🏾✨🙌🏾✨ ‼️

"The essence of God is so mesmerizing, especially pertaining to His thoughts and plans towards us. It is barely scratching the surface when I say that He knows everything about us. In fact, He is a father who has taken His precious time to weave us together piece by piece with SPECIAL thoughts and SPECIFIC intentions. Jeremiah 1:4-5

This is the revelation I get when looking back at my life. I realize that every step that I took, the Lord has had a hand in watering the seed within me to becoming a midwife, even in my moments of mistakes and detours they served a purpose!

My interest in birth began when I saw my youngest brother being born. I was about 6 years old in the hospital room standing in front of my mom as she pushed my brother into this world. I remember being sooo mesmerized and slightly afraid because I wasn't too sure of what I was watching in its full entirety but from that point on birth became a huge interest for me to watch and learn about.

Along the years I became a trained birth doula and childbirth educator and have been serving women ever since and it has truly been my honor.

In this new season, I am pleased to announce that this winter I will be starting my journey to becoming a Certified Professional Midwife and will be moving to Boise Idaho to apprentice with three wonderful midwives.

My mission as an educator & future Christian Midwife is to support women and their families in bridging together both their faith and birth experience. I can testify that when we decide to welcome the Lord into everything we do, His plan & promises for us is always a yes and amen! 2 Corinthians 1:20"

12/13/2023

Presenting The 2023 Cohort
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Arise Black Midwife! featuring Shyah Dickerson ✨🙌🏾✨🙌🏾✨ ‼️

Shyah Dickerson is an intuitive and empathetic soul born into a lineage of priests and seers. Her work centers on the cyclic nature of birth, life, and death. She is a midwife for the soul and embodies her gifts as a doula, writer, and social impact strategist.

She was inspired to pursue her calling as a birth worker after assisting a friend during childbirth. That memorable experience tapped Shyah's innate gifts and ancestral wisdom. Her birth work is trauma-informed, evidence-based, and rooted in traditional and indigenous practices.

Possessing an unwavering commitment to holding and creating sacred space to welcome new life transitions, physically and spiritually, her work includes spiritual guidance and end-of-life support. Shyah is a Reiki Master and utilizes many forms of energetic and soul healing with evidence-based practices to support those historically marginalized and separated from their traditional holistic practices.

Shyah is launching Welcome Ohm, a womb care space that exists to nurture the Divine Feminine Mind, Body, and Spirit.

Shyah was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, and resides in Atlanta, GA. She is an alumnus of Howard University. She is the author of The Lineage of Love, a manifesto for those taking the journey of the soul.

"I chose the tenant Ifalomo because it was the name I ascended to when I was initiated into the priesthood of Ifa. The name translates to the Child is Ifa (Yoruba god of Wisdom), and many Yoruba traditionalists name their children on the sixth day; this tradition is called Ifalomo. My ascension to Ifalomo was both my confirmation and guiding light toward the path of midwifery, and it continues to light my way."

12/13/2023

Presenting The 2023 Cohort
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Arise Black Midwife! featuring Kymberly Sharpe ✨🙌🏾✨🙌🏾✨ ‼️

I am an alumnus of Howard University's College of Nursing Class of 2001, a Registered Nurse with over 22 years of experience with a background that includes birthwork and reproductive health.

I am a military wife, proud mom of four, and member of Chi Eta Phi and Delta Sigma Theta, Sorority, Incorporated. I hold certifications in Inpatient Obstetrics, Electronic Fetal Monitoring, and Maternal Newborn Nursing as well as an Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant and Lamaze Childbirth Educator.

I'm an active member of the DC and MD Breastfeeding Coalitions and Creative Content Consultant for the DC Breastfeeding Coalition. I have a passion for increasing the rates of breastfeeding initiation and continuance in the African-American community in particular, and wish to use that passion to develop lactation-specific education curricula in medical, nursing, and allied health programs particularly within Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

I am currently a student nurse midwife at Frontier Nursing University and hope in future to support families in a birth center setting and eventually establish additional centers in the District of Columbia and Prince George's County, Maryland.

12/13/2023

Presenting The 2023 Cohort!

Arise Black Midwife! featuring Za'Kiesha Blanks ✨🙌🏾✨🙌🏾✨ ‼️

"Birth has been calling as far back as I can remember. I fell in love with the human body when I went to 'Take Your Child to Work' Day with my aunt. She worked at a local health department in the pediatric department as a medical assistant. I watched her check the children's iron and advised them of what their diet needed to be. After becoming a teen mother of 2 boys, I learned there was a big difference in OB GYN care and Midwifery care as the birth of my sons were very different. With my oldest son, the doctor didn't even remember my name or that he had ever seen me. And when I walked in with my mother and her then partner who were in their corrections officer’s uniforms, the staff thought I was an inmate and treated me that way. With my next son, I had a midwife who made me feel valued and advocated for me. She was my midwife from 17 years old until she retired 4 years ago. From the day I had my 2nd son, I knew I wanted to be a midwife but I never wanted to work in a hospital. Then one day I took an advanced doula class with Sekesa Berry , a Traditional Community Midwife. She educated me on the different types of midwives and advised me to read her book “ When Birth Calls: Developing Your Inner Birth Worker”. After reading that book I then knew I wanted to be a . I was lucky to find a predecessor, Shoshanah Blasis CNM. She has taken me under her wing and I have been able to learn so much with her.

I chose the tenant of because it's one of the most important things to me. I watch my mother work so hard because she loves me. For the love of my children I left a very abusive relationship because I didn’t want them to think that abuse was love. I am also a huge ally for the LGBTQIA+ community. I am truly in love and that it can change so much. I have seen birthing people push past all the boundaries to bring life into the world. One of my favorite parts of birth is watching true love at first sight. There is nothing like seeing a family seeing a baby for the first time."

Arise Black Midwife

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