Jennie Joseph-Midwife

03/02/2026

BLACK HISTORY MONTH: What persistence makes possible.
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From 1998 to today, Commonsense Childbirth, Inc. grew into four mission-aligned branches: clinical care, training, education, and national community organizing. Built to protect dignity, expand access, and strengthen the perinatal workforce our organization has never wavered from its mission.

This is what Black-led innovation looks like: care that holds people, trains providers, and builds community power so the mission reaches every person, every time across the perinatal ecosystem.

02/02/2026

PODCAST IS OUT NOW

Mothering the Mother is more than a book. It is a reclaiming.
A love letter to our community.
An ancestral truth passed forward for generations.

Rooted in centuries of postpartum wisdom, Mama Shafia Monroe reminds us that care is culture and it has always been ours.

YouTube
https://youtu.be/auPm7M2AKpU?si=uFo3CwABqI484ylF

Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4jGkIzXPanHOdW3QF0DuDz?si=2jnBOYtoQiSUIlUYghbTHg

Apple Podcasts
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-hands-that-caught-us/id1835252661?i=1000745013656

Amazon Music
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/aaeb2915-c1cd-4ca8-93ba-35a806c26f5a/episodes/d2b53b46-4bdb-4937-a2a1-273781ee8794/the-perinatal-pause-the-hands-that-caught-us

Mothering the Mother
Book out now

02/02/2026

BLACK HISTORY MONTH: What Persistence Makes Possible - Commonsense Childbirth School of Midwifery 16 years old this year.

This month is about legacy. Sometimes it’s determination. Often, exhaustion. Sometimes, it’s staying in the room until the door opens.

In the mid-1990s, I first tried to teach midwifery here. I partnered with a Florida massage and acupuncture school. We failed at accreditation. But we graduated midwives and we were only just beginning.

I was inspired by HBCUs and public health institutes that once trained Black midwives- though long gone. Undaunted, in 2010, Commonsense Childbirth School of Midwifery was licensed under Florida’s Department of Education.

In July 2020, we achieved national accreditation. The first privately owned U.S. midwifery school for community midwives, owned and led by a Black woman.

I don’t share this as a headline. I share it as context.

Before this, I was a British-trained midwife, certified in London, 1981. Decades of births and students. Decades striving to restore trusted providers to communities.
I stand as an elder, not for a title, but for endurance. And I thank all who helped along the way.

This school matters. It wasn’t built for applause. It was built because Black families deserve well-trained midwives. Our communities deserve safety, dignity and trust.

Black History Month is about protecting what we’ve built. Commonsense Childbirth School of Midwifery stands. Still training. If you feel called -apply, enroll, prepare, serve. www.commonsensemidwifery.org #.



TheJJWay®

29/01/2026

PODCAST IS OUT NOW.

Mothering the Mother by Shafia Monroe is a powerful reminder that postpartum care is sacred, communal, and deeply rooted in ancestral wisdom. This book centers the mother her rest, her healing, and her well being because when mothers are supported, families and communities thrive.

YouTube
https://youtu.be/auPm7M2AKpU?si=uFo3CwABqI484ylF

Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4jGkIzXPanHOdW3QF0DuDz?si=2jnBOYtoQiSUIlUYghbTHg

Apple Podcasts
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-hands-that-caught-us/id1835252661?i=1000745013656

Amazon Music
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/aaeb2915-c1cd-4ca8-93ba-35a806c26f5a/episodes/d2b53b46-4bdb-4937-a2a1-273781ee8794/the-perinatal-pause-the-hands-that-caught-us

27/01/2026

Mothering the Mother by Shafia Monroe is a love letter and a living archive. Rooted in ancestral wisdom, community care, and cultural memory, this book reminds us that when mothers are honored, rested, nourished, and loved, generations are sustained. These are the stories that built us, and the practices that will carry us forward.

21/01/2026

Another powerful voice in The Hands That Caught Us.
Episode 11 features Shiela Simms sharing wisdom shaped by years of community centered birth work and lived experience.

Watch and listen to the full episode

YouTube
https://youtu.be/auPm7M2AKpU?si=uFo3CwABqI484ylF

Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/episode/4jGkIzXPanHOdW3QF0DuDz?si=2jnBOYtoQiSUIlUYghbTHg

Apple Podcasts
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-hands-that-caught-us/id1835252661?i=1000745013656

Amazon Music
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/aaeb2915-c1cd-4ca8-93ba-35a806c26f5a/episodes/d2b53b46-4bdb-4937-a2a1-273781ee8794/the-perinatal-pause-the-hands-that-caught-us

The Hands That Caught Us
Perinatal Pause Podcast with Jennie Joseph

19/01/2026

"Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health is the most shocking and inhuman."

This quote from Martin Luther King Jr., made during a 1966 press conference in connection with the annual meeting of the Medical Committee for Human Rights, still rings today.

19/01/2026

MLK Day 2026

Dr. King called us to build a beloved community where dignity is non-negotiable. In maternity care, that means no one should fear being dismissed, ignored, or harmed while bringing life into the world. We insist on safety for parents and babies, especially where the system has failed for generations. Today, I’m recommitting to human rights in practice: culturally safe care, real access, and outcomes that match our values. Anything less is literally INHUMAN! We don’t commemorate Dr. King with words alone. We honor him by changing conditions.

CommunityCare BelovedCommunity HealthEquity EquityInAction TheJJWay ItsTimeToTellTheTruth

Photo credit: Unseen Histories

17/01/2026

15/01/2026

Throwing it back to one of the many moments that remind me why this work matters so deeply. Every baby deserves to be welcomed with love, respect, and skilled care.

12/01/2026

Another sneak preview of Episode 10 of The Hands That Caught Us with Shafia Monroe. This episode offers a powerful reflection on legacy, leadership, and the responsibility of protecting community centered birth work.

These words carry history and guidance for the generations to come.

Listen to the full episode

Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/episode/0soIsJks5BZW6YMaFuTSLW?si=8639d47440424efe

Apple Podcasts
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-hands-that-caught-us/id1835252661?i=1000743055981

Amazon Music
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/aaeb2915-c1cd-4ca8-93ba-35a806c26f5a/episodes/ebedeceb-c822-4e7e-9174-5c675c7da19a/the-perinatal-pause-the-hands-that-caught-us

09/01/2026

Here is another sneak preview of Episode 10 of The Hands That Caught Us featuring Shafia Monroe Consulting. This conversation reflects decades of leadership, advocacy, and commitment to birth justice and community centered care.

Watch a glimpse now and join us for the full episode honoring the wisdom of our midwife elders.

Linktr.ee in Bio for more info

Listen on

Spotify
https://open.spotify.com/episode/0soIsJks5BZW6YMaFuTSLW?si=8639d47440424efe

Apple Podcasts
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-hands-that-caught-us/id1835252661?i=1000743055981

Amazon Music
https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/aaeb2915-c1cd-4ca8-93ba-35a806c26f5a/episodes/ebedeceb-c822-4e7e-9174-5c675c7da19a/the-perinatal-pause-the-hands-that-caught-us