The Detroit Black Birth Archive Is About More Than the Past
The Detroit Black birth Archive is a Finalist for The Hustle!
When people hear the word archive, they usually think about old boxes, dusty photographs, and forgotten documents.
That's not what this is.
The Detroit Black Birth Archive is a living archive. It's a place where our history is preserved, our stories are honored, and our community can finally see itself reflected in the history of birth in Detroit.
For generations, Black midwives, nurses, physicians, doulas, childbirth educators, mothers, fathers, and families have shaped birth in this city. They delivered babies in homes. They cared for neighbors when hospitals turned them away. They advocated for better healthcare, trained future generations, and built systems of care rooted in community.
Yet so many of their stories have never been collected.
If we don't preserve them, we risk losing them forever.
Why This Matters
Birth is one of the most universal human experiences, but the people who have protected and advanced Black maternal health in Detroit have often been left out of the historical record.
The Detroit Black Birth Archive exists to help change that.
This project is documenting the people, places, organizations, and movements that have shaped Black birth in Detroit. From Black midwives and physicians to hospitals, community clinics, advocacy organizations, oral histories, family photographs, and personal birth stories, every piece helps tell a larger story about who we are.
History isn't just something we read.
It's something we inherit.
Building Something That Will Outlive Me
I often say that I don't want to simply build a website.
I'm building something that can still matter 100 years from now.
My vision is for the Detroit Black Birth Archive to grow into a permanent community resource that includes oral history interviews, educational exhibits, research collections, community storytelling events, historical preservation projects, and, one day, a dedicated museum and education center focused on Black birth history in Detroit.
Future generations should be able to walk into a space and see themselves reflected in the people who came before them.
They should know that Black birth history didn't begin with statistics.
It began with people.
This Is Community Work
An archive can't be built by one person.
It takes an entire community.
That's why I'm inviting Detroiters to help preserve our history.
I'm looking for:
- Birth stories from Detroit families
- Oral history interviews with Black birth workers
- Photographs, documents, and memorabilia
- Information about Black physicians, nurses, midwives, doulas, childbirth educators, and community health advocates
- Connections to churches, organizations, and neighborhoods that played a role in birth and maternal health
Every story matters.
Even if you don't think your experience is "historic," it may be exactly the piece that helps complete a much larger picture.
Help Build Detroit's Black Birth History
This archive belongs to the community.
Whether you have a story to share, historical materials to preserve, or simply believe this work is important, I invite you to be part of it.
Together, we can make sure Detroit's Black birth history is not forgotten.
We can leave something behind for the next generation.
Because preserving our history is also a form of birth work.
If you'd like to share a story, schedule an interview, partner with the archive, or support this work through a donation, I'd love to hear from you.
The history is already here.
Now it's time to preserve it.
