I am the owner of Back to the Root: Services for Birthing Families. I have been a Birth Worker since the late 70's, when I worked with a cadre of women who were all part of an African-centered religious and cultural organization, based in New York City. I counseled pregnant families and helped to prepare them for their births. I studied Midwifery with Nana Aba Nson Osunyomi Afalabi Sarpong who was a Midwife in the Yoruba village of Oyotunji in South Carolina. I also studied with Nonkululeko Tyehemba, Nakowe and Urayoana Trinidad of Nubirth in Harlem. I have since attended births in a variety of settings, including homes, hospitals and birthing centers. I have a Bachelor's degree in Health Sciences and a Master's degree in Education.
When I retired from my job as a Department of Education Teacher/Librarian, I became certified as a Childbirth Educator with CAPPA (Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association). I was certified by ICTC (International Center for Traditional Childbearing) as a Full Spectrum Doula /Birth Companion. I became a Certified Lactation Counselor and worked as a Breastfeeding Peer Counselor with WIC for 9 years. I later became certified by DONA International as a Birth Doula. I teach a weekly "Preparation for Childbirth" class through Healthy Start Brooklyn. I have facilitated Birth Doula Trainings for Community Based programs, including the Brooklyn Breastfeeding Empowerment Zone (BFEZ), Healthy Women Healthy Futures(New York City), and Earth's Natural Touch (Bridgeport, Connecticut). I have trained close to 300 doulas. In 2018 I went to Tanzania, East Africa to train several Birth Companions. I supported two of the women there to become Certified Birth Doulas. In 2023 I trained a group of doulas to work in two hospitals in Kenya, East Africa. For four years I served on the New York City Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee. I am a contributing faculty member of a Wombman's Way Warrior Midwife Training program. I have made a commitment to help improve maternal, infant and child health in New York City and beyond.