1 00:00:11,800 --> 00:00:14,480 Speaker 1: Good morning, peeps, and welcome to Okay f Daily with 2 00:00:14,720 --> 00:00:19,040 Speaker 1: Meet your Girl Danielle Moody still in the Brooklyn Bunker, Folks, 3 00:00:19,120 --> 00:00:22,640 Speaker 1: I am really excited to bring to you this Friday 4 00:00:22,840 --> 00:00:27,720 Speaker 1: a really great conversation on as it happens to be 5 00:00:28,200 --> 00:00:33,519 Speaker 1: Black Maternal Health Week. What is Black Maternal Health Week? Well, folks, 6 00:00:33,640 --> 00:00:35,360 Speaker 1: I don't know if you remember, but a couple of 7 00:00:35,479 --> 00:00:41,599 Speaker 1: years ago, when tennis superstar Serena Williams gave birth to 8 00:00:41,640 --> 00:00:46,360 Speaker 1: her daughter, she had a harrowing, harrowing experience in the 9 00:00:46,440 --> 00:00:50,680 Speaker 1: hospital that almost cost her her life. And why was that? 10 00:00:50,760 --> 00:00:54,400 Speaker 1: It was because Serena, who very much knew her body 11 00:00:54,440 --> 00:00:59,040 Speaker 1: and knew that something was wrong as she was in 12 00:00:59,120 --> 00:01:02,680 Speaker 1: the birthing problem, says, asked the doctors and the nurses 13 00:01:02,760 --> 00:01:06,520 Speaker 1: present to give her the care and medicine that she 14 00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:11,360 Speaker 1: needed because she suffers from a condition where she has 15 00:01:11,400 --> 00:01:14,600 Speaker 1: a series of blood clots which are can be life threatening, 16 00:01:15,400 --> 00:01:23,080 Speaker 1: and she was ignored and it took multiple ass to 17 00:01:23,120 --> 00:01:25,840 Speaker 1: get her the care that she needed. Thank god, obviously 18 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:29,800 Speaker 1: she did. But too many, too many Black women who 19 00:01:29,840 --> 00:01:33,400 Speaker 1: don't have the wealth, don't have the fame, are ignored 20 00:01:33,840 --> 00:01:38,520 Speaker 1: and because of that, they die. Three hundred black babies 21 00:01:38,680 --> 00:01:43,320 Speaker 1: die every year in the wealthiest country, one of supposedly 22 00:01:43,400 --> 00:01:48,360 Speaker 1: the wealthiest countries in the industrialized world. How is that? 23 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:51,920 Speaker 1: How is that not a national alarm that is set 24 00:01:51,960 --> 00:01:58,480 Speaker 1: off to talk about this very preventable pandemic that is 25 00:01:59,120 --> 00:02:05,280 Speaker 1: experienced in the black community. And so today I'm really 26 00:02:05,440 --> 00:02:12,519 Speaker 1: excited to have a conversation on both ends, both a 27 00:02:13,639 --> 00:02:20,640 Speaker 1: woman who is creating a birthing center in eastern Massachusetts 28 00:02:20,680 --> 00:02:25,920 Speaker 1: that is dedicated to the health and well being of 29 00:02:26,040 --> 00:02:30,840 Speaker 1: black and brown women, and moving outside of upstetrics and 30 00:02:31,000 --> 00:02:36,600 Speaker 1: back into the tradition of midwiffery and dulas. We love 31 00:02:36,639 --> 00:02:41,520 Speaker 1: to believe nowadays that that is considered alternative medicine. Meanwhile, 32 00:02:41,720 --> 00:02:47,200 Speaker 1: you'll hear in the interview that I have with Nishira that, oh, well, 33 00:02:47,200 --> 00:02:50,520 Speaker 1: that is how my mother was born, my aunts, my 34 00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:56,360 Speaker 1: uncle's all at the hands of my great grandmother in Jamaica. 35 00:02:56,400 --> 00:02:59,880 Speaker 1: And many of us have that story right with our family, 36 00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:03,840 Speaker 1: with our grandmothers and our great grandmothers. And yet by 37 00:03:03,919 --> 00:03:08,760 Speaker 1: virtue of capitalism and white supremacy and the pharmaceutical industry 38 00:03:08,800 --> 00:03:11,720 Speaker 1: and all of these things, we've allowed them to move 39 00:03:11,840 --> 00:03:15,880 Speaker 1: us away from what was, as Nashira will say, a 40 00:03:16,040 --> 00:03:19,920 Speaker 1: very safe and sacred practice. And so what does it 41 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:25,880 Speaker 1: mean then to find a way to return to what 42 00:03:25,919 --> 00:03:30,239 Speaker 1: we know is time and test it right. Later then 43 00:03:30,280 --> 00:03:34,480 Speaker 1: I will have a conversation with doctor Mkiba McCreary, who 44 00:03:34,600 --> 00:03:38,960 Speaker 1: is the new president of a fund that was put 45 00:03:39,000 --> 00:03:45,000 Speaker 1: together by black executives in Massachusetts to lead on issues 46 00:03:45,120 --> 00:03:50,640 Speaker 1: such as black maternity health and to look at the 47 00:03:50,720 --> 00:03:54,440 Speaker 1: capital that they have built in their own careers and 48 00:03:54,480 --> 00:03:58,160 Speaker 1: come together as a collective to take on issues and 49 00:03:58,320 --> 00:04:05,240 Speaker 1: areas that white fillianthropy has failed right or neglected to address. So, folks, 50 00:04:05,280 --> 00:04:09,280 Speaker 1: I hope that you enjoy these two in depth interviews 51 00:04:09,880 --> 00:04:14,920 Speaker 1: on this feel good Friday after a long and arduous week, 52 00:04:15,040 --> 00:04:18,719 Speaker 1: I wanted to end with some hopefulness, some realness right 53 00:04:18,800 --> 00:04:21,479 Speaker 1: in terms of what black women and women of color 54 00:04:21,560 --> 00:04:26,719 Speaker 1: face in this country who are on a birthing journey 55 00:04:27,120 --> 00:04:30,000 Speaker 1: and what they are up against, but also what is 56 00:04:30,040 --> 00:04:37,320 Speaker 1: being done right solution oriented in thinking about here's the problem, 57 00:04:37,440 --> 00:04:40,880 Speaker 1: but here are people that are working to alleviate that issue. 58 00:04:40,960 --> 00:04:45,239 Speaker 1: So I hope that you enjoy the upcoming interviews. Drop 59 00:04:45,320 --> 00:04:47,640 Speaker 1: me a note and the comment section and let me 60 00:04:47,720 --> 00:04:50,480 Speaker 1: know how this landed for you. If you are a 61 00:04:50,520 --> 00:04:55,520 Speaker 1: person that has their own birthing story, have you shared 62 00:04:55,560 --> 00:04:58,280 Speaker 1: it right? Was it something that you felt like you 63 00:04:58,320 --> 00:05:01,000 Speaker 1: could share that there was safe space to do so? 64 00:05:01,640 --> 00:05:08,880 Speaker 1: Please do share with us in the comments section. Folks. 65 00:05:08,920 --> 00:05:11,920 Speaker 1: I'm very excited to welcome to wok a F for 66 00:05:12,520 --> 00:05:16,599 Speaker 1: the very first time, Nashira Barrell, who is a director 67 00:05:16,600 --> 00:05:22,120 Speaker 1: of Boston's Neighborhood Birth Center. And you know, I think 68 00:05:22,160 --> 00:05:29,120 Speaker 1: that during Black Women's Maternity Week, right, it's always an 69 00:05:29,160 --> 00:05:32,200 Speaker 1: opportunity to one, I think, talk about the healing side 70 00:05:32,200 --> 00:05:36,400 Speaker 1: and the transition that black women and women of color 71 00:05:36,520 --> 00:05:42,680 Speaker 1: have made from your traditional birthing inside hospitals and what 72 00:05:42,800 --> 00:05:46,640 Speaker 1: have you, but also to talk about the fact that 73 00:05:47,279 --> 00:05:51,800 Speaker 1: black women still die right in giving birth more so 74 00:05:51,839 --> 00:05:55,920 Speaker 1: than any other any other demographic. It doesn't matter that 75 00:05:56,240 --> 00:05:58,599 Speaker 1: you know, the United States is quote unquote one of 76 00:05:58,600 --> 00:06:02,839 Speaker 1: the wealthiest nations, that this is still a major issue. 77 00:06:03,320 --> 00:06:07,880 Speaker 1: And I remember, right as I'm certain you did, listening 78 00:06:07,920 --> 00:06:11,720 Speaker 1: to Serena Williams's story a couple of years ago. This 79 00:06:12,240 --> 00:06:17,160 Speaker 1: amazing world renowned athlete, wealthiest woman, all of these things, 80 00:06:17,839 --> 00:06:22,719 Speaker 1: and she's in pain during labor and being ignored tell 81 00:06:22,960 --> 00:06:26,359 Speaker 1: having being told that what she's feeling, she doesn't know 82 00:06:26,400 --> 00:06:31,800 Speaker 1: what she needs. It's normal. And I think to myself, 83 00:06:31,839 --> 00:06:34,560 Speaker 1: my God, if she hadn't been Serena Williams, she would 84 00:06:34,600 --> 00:06:37,760 Speaker 1: have ended up as a statistic. Can you talk to 85 00:06:37,839 --> 00:06:43,239 Speaker 1: us about why we still need to have these conversations 86 00:06:43,279 --> 00:06:47,039 Speaker 1: and then the work that you do to make birthing 87 00:06:47,839 --> 00:06:51,080 Speaker 1: safe and not only safe but like the miracle, and 88 00:06:51,120 --> 00:06:54,479 Speaker 1: then the enjoyment and the connection and the alignment that 89 00:06:54,560 --> 00:06:58,920 Speaker 1: it should really be m Thanks Daniel, thanks so much 90 00:06:58,960 --> 00:07:02,920 Speaker 1: for having me. Yeah, not only safe but sacred is 91 00:07:02,920 --> 00:07:06,920 Speaker 1: is our goal? Right, And one of the guiding questions 92 00:07:07,760 --> 00:07:10,000 Speaker 1: for us here at Neighborhood Birth Center is like, what's 93 00:07:10,040 --> 00:07:14,480 Speaker 1: possible for us collectively, not just like the family, the community, 94 00:07:14,560 --> 00:07:18,480 Speaker 1: but but the big we, all of us, our planet 95 00:07:18,560 --> 00:07:23,120 Speaker 1: when we get birthright, when we really invest in UM, 96 00:07:24,480 --> 00:07:27,480 Speaker 1: in all systems, in particular in the healthcare and maternal 97 00:07:27,600 --> 00:07:30,440 Speaker 1: healthcare system UM and get birthright. And I'm one to 98 00:07:30,480 --> 00:07:33,920 Speaker 1: say I think that we can correct for public health outcomes, 99 00:07:33,920 --> 00:07:37,040 Speaker 1: the economy and climate change, So I just like I 100 00:07:37,160 --> 00:07:39,000 Speaker 1: want to start there. I think we want to work 101 00:07:39,040 --> 00:07:43,400 Speaker 1: birth to be safe and sacred. Um. Yeah, and thanks 102 00:07:43,400 --> 00:07:46,760 Speaker 1: for you know, I mean, I think that the the 103 00:07:46,760 --> 00:07:50,320 Speaker 1: there's this tension, right that we want to both like um, 104 00:07:50,640 --> 00:07:55,160 Speaker 1: explicitly name the way that the the crisis of maternal 105 00:07:55,160 --> 00:07:58,560 Speaker 1: health in this country is not working well for anyone 106 00:07:58,880 --> 00:08:01,440 Speaker 1: and is in bar is down the worst on black 107 00:08:01,480 --> 00:08:05,680 Speaker 1: birthing folks and black women in particular, and that has, 108 00:08:05,720 --> 00:08:09,000 Speaker 1: you know, so much to do with the healthcare system 109 00:08:09,240 --> 00:08:12,040 Speaker 1: and the ways that you know, healthcare system is rooted 110 00:08:12,160 --> 00:08:17,720 Speaker 1: in inequity and white supremacy culture and racism, and also 111 00:08:17,800 --> 00:08:20,280 Speaker 1: the intersection of all the other systems, right, so the 112 00:08:20,320 --> 00:08:24,800 Speaker 1: ways that it is inherently kind of like unhealthy to 113 00:08:24,920 --> 00:08:27,920 Speaker 1: be black and female in this country, and that that 114 00:08:28,160 --> 00:08:32,160 Speaker 1: bears on our reproductive systems and ways that result in 115 00:08:32,240 --> 00:08:36,000 Speaker 1: bad outcomes. And but I want to go back to 116 00:08:36,000 --> 00:08:37,920 Speaker 1: one thing you said though at the beginning, which is 117 00:08:37,960 --> 00:08:40,040 Speaker 1: like kind of the traditional I think you said about 118 00:08:40,080 --> 00:08:42,400 Speaker 1: the traditional ways of birthing, and I actually just call 119 00:08:42,520 --> 00:08:48,000 Speaker 1: us into like what is traditional traditional birthing particular Black 120 00:08:48,280 --> 00:08:52,280 Speaker 1: traditions is midwifery and humber right, right, And so in 121 00:08:52,320 --> 00:08:55,320 Speaker 1: some ways, as somebody who identify as a black woman, 122 00:08:55,360 --> 00:08:58,600 Speaker 1: I've given birth at home twice with midwives, and I 123 00:08:58,720 --> 00:09:02,520 Speaker 1: hear all the time, oh, you have the most you know, alternative, 124 00:09:02,640 --> 00:09:06,760 Speaker 1: the most non traditional birth, and you know, like, actually, 125 00:09:06,960 --> 00:09:10,160 Speaker 1: let's pause there and think about what is maybe the 126 00:09:10,280 --> 00:09:12,640 Speaker 1: most traditional way to give birth. And so, in a 127 00:09:12,720 --> 00:09:16,199 Speaker 1: lot of ways, what we're doing to bring community based 128 00:09:16,280 --> 00:09:21,600 Speaker 1: Midwiffree back into our neighborhood and into our community is 129 00:09:21,600 --> 00:09:24,840 Speaker 1: a reclaiming of Midwiffree and a remembering of what it 130 00:09:24,920 --> 00:09:29,480 Speaker 1: is that our ancestors knew so well before Midwiffree became 131 00:09:29,559 --> 00:09:33,680 Speaker 1: racially redlined and the growth of obstetrics and that became 132 00:09:34,160 --> 00:09:37,560 Speaker 1: you know, dominated by white supremacy culture and white men 133 00:09:37,840 --> 00:09:42,280 Speaker 1: and big institutions and payers like, we have known how 134 00:09:42,320 --> 00:09:46,240 Speaker 1: to how to catch babies and how to birth babies forever, 135 00:09:46,840 --> 00:09:49,880 Speaker 1: and so I think just kind of them. A big 136 00:09:49,920 --> 00:09:52,040 Speaker 1: part of our work is around that narrative shift and 137 00:09:52,120 --> 00:09:54,439 Speaker 1: that remembering, because as we work to open the first 138 00:09:54,480 --> 00:09:57,960 Speaker 1: birth center here in Boston, and to do so, you know, 139 00:09:58,080 --> 00:10:01,360 Speaker 1: led by black folks and in a in a in 140 00:10:01,400 --> 00:10:04,040 Speaker 1: a black neighborhood in Boston, we want to make sure 141 00:10:04,120 --> 00:10:05,959 Speaker 1: that you know, in part of what we're doing is 142 00:10:05,960 --> 00:10:08,199 Speaker 1: like bringing folks along to say this is not white 143 00:10:08,240 --> 00:10:11,360 Speaker 1: women's stuff, and we're trying to you know, do an 144 00:10:11,360 --> 00:10:14,280 Speaker 1: autom hospital birth and a crunchy birth center like this 145 00:10:14,400 --> 00:10:17,520 Speaker 1: is you know, this belongs to all of our ancestors, 146 00:10:17,559 --> 00:10:20,000 Speaker 1: and so that remembering is an important piece of our work, 147 00:10:20,160 --> 00:10:23,199 Speaker 1: is to reframe. You know. I love that you call 148 00:10:23,320 --> 00:10:26,560 Speaker 1: it a remembering because as you're as you were speaking, 149 00:10:26,600 --> 00:10:31,960 Speaker 1: I was reminded of the fact that my great grandmother, 150 00:10:32,240 --> 00:10:36,480 Speaker 1: my family is from Jamaica, my great grandmother birth all 151 00:10:36,800 --> 00:10:42,600 Speaker 1: of my aunts and uncles and my mother. Um uh. 152 00:10:43,160 --> 00:10:46,200 Speaker 1: And what I learned as I as I got, as 153 00:10:46,240 --> 00:10:48,400 Speaker 1: I was older and you know, able to ask a 154 00:10:48,440 --> 00:10:53,079 Speaker 1: lot more questions, was she was the midwife for her town. Yes, 155 00:10:53,280 --> 00:10:58,600 Speaker 1: and knew how to turn babies, um and you know, 156 00:10:58,679 --> 00:11:04,199 Speaker 1: an aid women who were in need, and that that 157 00:11:04,360 --> 00:11:08,400 Speaker 1: was just a part of life. And I think that, 158 00:11:08,440 --> 00:11:10,559 Speaker 1: you know, as I was listening to you, that a part, 159 00:11:10,600 --> 00:11:13,160 Speaker 1: you know, not one, not a small part, but one 160 00:11:13,200 --> 00:11:16,280 Speaker 1: of the major parts of white supremacy is a detaching 161 00:11:16,360 --> 00:11:20,600 Speaker 1: from your story and a detaching from your lineage in 162 00:11:20,640 --> 00:11:25,960 Speaker 1: a way that juxtaposes it against whiteness and Eurocentric values 163 00:11:26,280 --> 00:11:29,439 Speaker 1: and anything that is that falls outside of that framework. 164 00:11:30,120 --> 00:11:33,520 Speaker 1: Then somehow is less then, so we move from this 165 00:11:33,679 --> 00:11:37,040 Speaker 1: space as you're as you're saying from you know what, Oh, 166 00:11:37,200 --> 00:11:41,040 Speaker 1: it's so alternative. No, the actual Actually, to your point, 167 00:11:41,080 --> 00:11:47,079 Speaker 1: the alternative was obstetrics. The alternative was hospitals. The alternative 168 00:11:47,280 --> 00:11:53,520 Speaker 1: was presenting a capitalist industry around something that should be sacred. 169 00:11:54,040 --> 00:11:59,640 Speaker 1: That's right, that's right. How do you go about your 170 00:12:00,280 --> 00:12:07,280 Speaker 1: work in trying to reattach our original narrative? How do 171 00:12:07,400 --> 00:12:12,880 Speaker 1: you bring this story of our ancestry and our history 172 00:12:13,720 --> 00:12:18,040 Speaker 1: two people who have been robbed of it? Thank you 173 00:12:18,120 --> 00:12:21,040 Speaker 1: for that question. It is central to our work. We're 174 00:12:21,080 --> 00:12:23,080 Speaker 1: working to open a birth center, and I often say 175 00:12:23,120 --> 00:12:25,840 Speaker 1: that as much as we are working on a business 176 00:12:25,880 --> 00:12:31,040 Speaker 1: plan and a nonprofit structure and real estate acquisition, the 177 00:12:31,040 --> 00:12:34,599 Speaker 1: third leg of our school is narrative and community engagement 178 00:12:34,600 --> 00:12:37,959 Speaker 1: and really community organizing around this. And I think one 179 00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:40,240 Speaker 1: of the things that has been really key for us 180 00:12:41,800 --> 00:12:50,200 Speaker 1: is a commitment to intergenerational healing, right that like, because 181 00:12:51,440 --> 00:12:53,480 Speaker 1: so it's the remembering, as you said, like we like 182 00:12:53,520 --> 00:12:55,040 Speaker 1: I said a thing and then you're like, oh, yeah, 183 00:12:55,040 --> 00:12:57,600 Speaker 1: my grandmother in Jamaica, Right, So there's that, and it 184 00:12:57,640 --> 00:13:00,000 Speaker 1: happens like that, and we're just like, you know, everybody 185 00:13:00,280 --> 00:13:02,920 Speaker 1: great grandmother was born at home, and everyone's like, oh, yeah, 186 00:13:02,960 --> 00:13:05,720 Speaker 1: you're right. But then the other thing is like, I 187 00:13:05,840 --> 00:13:07,840 Speaker 1: have friends who are you know, my age, who have 188 00:13:07,920 --> 00:13:10,280 Speaker 1: come to me interested in out of hospital birth. We 189 00:13:10,320 --> 00:13:13,360 Speaker 1: have no birth centers in eastern Massachusetts, so they're often 190 00:13:13,400 --> 00:13:16,840 Speaker 1: asked for asking about home birth, and um, I'll talk 191 00:13:16,880 --> 00:13:18,840 Speaker 1: to him about home birth and they say, you know, Nash, 192 00:13:18,880 --> 00:13:23,040 Speaker 1: I'm down. It's just that she's not she's scared, she's 193 00:13:23,080 --> 00:13:25,240 Speaker 1: not going to support me, she's you know. And so 194 00:13:25,280 --> 00:13:28,080 Speaker 1: I think that the conversations that need to happen where 195 00:13:28,120 --> 00:13:32,360 Speaker 1: the grandmother is done childbearing but is the matriarch of 196 00:13:32,400 --> 00:13:37,560 Speaker 1: the family and has experienced her own trauma and lost 197 00:13:38,200 --> 00:13:41,200 Speaker 1: right that the data that you started the conversation with 198 00:13:41,240 --> 00:13:44,360 Speaker 1: like that is that's not our people. So when we 199 00:13:44,400 --> 00:13:47,440 Speaker 1: talk about the health outcomes, we can't do it in 200 00:13:47,480 --> 00:13:50,840 Speaker 1: a way that's detached from saying everybody knows somebody who 201 00:13:50,880 --> 00:13:53,040 Speaker 1: has had, you know, a bad outcome, which is how 202 00:13:53,080 --> 00:13:55,839 Speaker 1: we talk about in public health, right, and so an 203 00:13:55,840 --> 00:13:59,280 Speaker 1: infant who has you know, diet, been born prematurely, or 204 00:13:59,720 --> 00:14:03,680 Speaker 1: you know, or or any other outcome an emergency C section, 205 00:14:04,040 --> 00:14:07,120 Speaker 1: you know, some blood loss like something that so that 206 00:14:07,240 --> 00:14:09,719 Speaker 1: so the trauma is very real. And so I think 207 00:14:09,760 --> 00:14:12,840 Speaker 1: in our work to bring people along, and I you know, 208 00:14:12,880 --> 00:14:16,319 Speaker 1: I don't always like try to try to correct everyone 209 00:14:16,360 --> 00:14:18,240 Speaker 1: when they say it's alternative, but they're like, oh, that's 210 00:14:18,240 --> 00:14:21,080 Speaker 1: really alternative. Yeah, So let's talk about one how it 211 00:14:21,120 --> 00:14:23,600 Speaker 1: got that way. Ye talk about the history of how 212 00:14:23,680 --> 00:14:26,640 Speaker 1: midwood Free got so white. It wasn't right, and it 213 00:14:26,680 --> 00:14:28,520 Speaker 1: was it was legislated that way, it was made that 214 00:14:28,560 --> 00:14:33,040 Speaker 1: way through policy. And too, let's have an intergenerational conversation 215 00:14:33,600 --> 00:14:36,800 Speaker 1: because again, the childbearing age folks might be like knocking 216 00:14:36,800 --> 00:14:39,120 Speaker 1: at our door when the birth center opens next year, 217 00:14:39,640 --> 00:14:41,960 Speaker 1: but it's their mother and their grandmother and the other 218 00:14:42,080 --> 00:14:44,240 Speaker 1: elders in their lives or their do you know their 219 00:14:44,320 --> 00:14:46,960 Speaker 1: peers who have had bad outcomes or known somebody who 220 00:14:47,040 --> 00:14:50,440 Speaker 1: has who says I don't know, right, And so I 221 00:14:50,480 --> 00:14:53,440 Speaker 1: think it's like, um, part of our work is not 222 00:14:53,520 --> 00:14:56,440 Speaker 1: just about the people who will you know, be o 223 00:14:56,800 --> 00:14:59,640 Speaker 1: our clients at the birth center who will give birth there, 224 00:14:59,640 --> 00:15:01,960 Speaker 1: but it's our whole community has to heal. We are 225 00:15:02,040 --> 00:15:05,960 Speaker 1: carrying the trauma of generations of bad outcomes and so 226 00:15:06,120 --> 00:15:10,000 Speaker 1: having a space to talk about that, and like I 227 00:15:10,040 --> 00:15:12,680 Speaker 1: did when we were doing some early kind of needs 228 00:15:12,680 --> 00:15:16,880 Speaker 1: assessment around the birth center. We did some key informant 229 00:15:16,880 --> 00:15:21,960 Speaker 1: interviews and stakeholder circles, and I remember asking these questions 230 00:15:21,960 --> 00:15:24,920 Speaker 1: about people's birth story and this several I mean, they 231 00:15:25,000 --> 00:15:27,720 Speaker 1: were very emotionally charged. And somebody who said, you know, 232 00:15:28,360 --> 00:15:31,600 Speaker 1: my kid is seventeen years old, and nobody has ever 233 00:15:31,680 --> 00:15:34,280 Speaker 1: asked me about my birth experience. She said, this is 234 00:15:34,280 --> 00:15:36,960 Speaker 1: the first place where I am because you get home 235 00:15:37,240 --> 00:15:40,000 Speaker 1: and you have a healthy baby, and all the focuses 236 00:15:40,040 --> 00:15:42,560 Speaker 1: at least you know, like that's like the bars, like 237 00:15:42,600 --> 00:15:46,320 Speaker 1: you survived right, the lower right, and that's why you 238 00:15:46,480 --> 00:15:48,240 Speaker 1: can't You don't get to complain about anything. And whether 239 00:15:48,280 --> 00:15:50,560 Speaker 1: you had you know, a hard time the postpartum period 240 00:15:50,720 --> 00:15:55,240 Speaker 1: or any or lactation breastfeeding was hard, but she said 241 00:15:55,320 --> 00:15:57,720 Speaker 1: she wept. She said, to gosh, nobody's ever asked me 242 00:15:57,760 --> 00:16:00,160 Speaker 1: about that. And so we're holding and then asked we 243 00:16:00,240 --> 00:16:03,040 Speaker 1: talked about it? She said, oh, I can remember not 244 00:16:03,080 --> 00:16:05,800 Speaker 1: feeling listened too. I can remember telling them I head pain. 245 00:16:05,840 --> 00:16:09,520 Speaker 1: I can remember asking if it was normal to be 246 00:16:09,600 --> 00:16:12,720 Speaker 1: bleeding night. This I can remember, right, And so I 247 00:16:12,840 --> 00:16:16,960 Speaker 1: think that part of it is, I think the remembering 248 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:19,440 Speaker 1: of that but in a container that is held. You know, 249 00:16:19,480 --> 00:16:22,440 Speaker 1: we are not trying to like take anybody out by 250 00:16:22,560 --> 00:16:25,400 Speaker 1: having them relive their trauma, but to tend to those 251 00:16:25,440 --> 00:16:27,840 Speaker 1: wounds because they're with us, and they can be the 252 00:16:27,880 --> 00:16:30,120 Speaker 1: thing where that auntie who has a seventy year old 253 00:16:30,200 --> 00:16:34,200 Speaker 1: now is going to say to the they're nibbling their 254 00:16:34,280 --> 00:16:36,040 Speaker 1: you know, whoever's pregnant in their life. Oh, I don't 255 00:16:36,040 --> 00:16:38,640 Speaker 1: know about that midwifferything. Because so if we can like 256 00:16:39,520 --> 00:16:43,480 Speaker 1: bring them into a loving container to kind of heal 257 00:16:44,720 --> 00:16:47,640 Speaker 1: from the stuff that we hold collectively and the stuff 258 00:16:47,640 --> 00:16:52,080 Speaker 1: that we've taken from media, all the stuff we've downloaded. 259 00:16:52,160 --> 00:16:54,640 Speaker 1: I mean, have you ever seen a rom com with 260 00:16:54,680 --> 00:16:57,960 Speaker 1: an orgasmic birth or a home birth? No, we see 261 00:16:58,040 --> 00:17:01,800 Speaker 1: all these like harrowing, you know, screaming images. And so 262 00:17:01,840 --> 00:17:04,000 Speaker 1: I think we've got collectively, like a lot of healing 263 00:17:04,000 --> 00:17:07,080 Speaker 1: and reconciling to do. And I think that that happens 264 00:17:07,080 --> 00:17:11,240 Speaker 1: through you know, kitchen table conversations and story story circles 265 00:17:11,280 --> 00:17:14,480 Speaker 1: and when we can gather safely again. We cannot wait 266 00:17:14,520 --> 00:17:18,680 Speaker 1: to do some open mic nights and just invite people 267 00:17:18,760 --> 00:17:24,119 Speaker 1: to heal kind of collectively through storytelling. You know, part 268 00:17:24,119 --> 00:17:29,280 Speaker 1: of this too outside of and not as if we 269 00:17:29,320 --> 00:17:32,120 Speaker 1: can actually move outside of the white supremacis lens. But 270 00:17:33,160 --> 00:17:37,200 Speaker 1: part of this too is the fact that birthing people 271 00:17:38,600 --> 00:17:42,560 Speaker 1: keep their cold, their trauma to themselves. I have so 272 00:17:42,600 --> 00:17:47,919 Speaker 1: many friends who have given birth, probably in the last 273 00:17:48,160 --> 00:17:55,200 Speaker 1: five years, and their stories vary, but not in their 274 00:17:55,320 --> 00:18:02,080 Speaker 1: degree of trauma. Right so, and and they have expressed 275 00:18:02,119 --> 00:18:04,159 Speaker 1: to me as a as a person who does not 276 00:18:04,280 --> 00:18:08,360 Speaker 1: have children, because they feel like they can share and 277 00:18:08,440 --> 00:18:13,120 Speaker 1: not be judged and and and not feel like a failure, 278 00:18:14,000 --> 00:18:16,959 Speaker 1: feel like their bodies didn't do something right. I had 279 00:18:16,960 --> 00:18:23,280 Speaker 1: a friend who was um struggling with breastfeeding and of course, uh, 280 00:18:23,320 --> 00:18:26,879 Speaker 1: you know is feeling like my body is letting me down, 281 00:18:27,119 --> 00:18:29,639 Speaker 1: you know type of thing, and again feeling that you 282 00:18:29,680 --> 00:18:32,960 Speaker 1: can confide in me because I'm not going to then 283 00:18:33,119 --> 00:18:36,000 Speaker 1: offer my you know, like a whole weighted opinion. I'm 284 00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:39,639 Speaker 1: just there, like you said, as a container to to 285 00:18:39,920 --> 00:18:43,280 Speaker 1: hold to hold her feelings. And so how do you 286 00:18:43,359 --> 00:18:51,040 Speaker 1: speak to that about breaking down this kind of the silence, 287 00:18:51,200 --> 00:18:56,720 Speaker 1: the silence on part of the struggle, right that everyone 288 00:18:56,800 --> 00:19:02,359 Speaker 1: doesn't get the lush, glowing, growing hair and fingernails. That 289 00:19:02,680 --> 00:19:06,080 Speaker 1: people lose their hair and you know, and and have 290 00:19:06,359 --> 00:19:10,359 Speaker 1: terrible acne and are in excruciating pain, and it isn't 291 00:19:10,400 --> 00:19:13,400 Speaker 1: this glorious thing. So that does that mean that they 292 00:19:13,400 --> 00:19:16,800 Speaker 1: are less, you know, less then for that? Or should 293 00:19:16,800 --> 00:19:19,959 Speaker 1: they be made to feel alone? So how do you 294 00:19:20,480 --> 00:19:23,320 Speaker 1: how do you go about, you know, in the creation 295 00:19:23,400 --> 00:19:28,359 Speaker 1: of this of this sacred space, breaking down that silence 296 00:19:29,240 --> 00:19:33,399 Speaker 1: and that j and that judgment. Yeah, well, one, I 297 00:19:33,480 --> 00:19:35,639 Speaker 1: thank you for being that friend. We all need to 298 00:19:35,680 --> 00:19:37,480 Speaker 1: have that friend that we can go to. And I 299 00:19:37,520 --> 00:19:40,000 Speaker 1: think I want to add another place where the silence 300 00:19:40,040 --> 00:19:43,240 Speaker 1: comes into, which is around loss. There's a cultural thing 301 00:19:43,280 --> 00:19:46,000 Speaker 1: where we don't tell anyone we're pregnant until we pass 302 00:19:46,080 --> 00:19:50,480 Speaker 1: the first trimester because because if we're more likely to 303 00:19:50,520 --> 00:19:52,720 Speaker 1: lose the pregnancy in the first trimester, and then it's 304 00:19:52,720 --> 00:19:54,520 Speaker 1: as if it didn't happen. I'm like, oh no, I'm 305 00:19:54,560 --> 00:19:56,399 Speaker 1: telling you the minute I find out, so that if 306 00:19:56,440 --> 00:19:58,320 Speaker 1: I have a loss, you can hold that with me. 307 00:19:59,080 --> 00:20:02,160 Speaker 1: That is Yeah, it's not a deeply rooted practice of 308 00:20:02,200 --> 00:20:06,080 Speaker 1: like silencing our trauma and our loss. Right then it's 309 00:20:06,119 --> 00:20:09,000 Speaker 1: totally normal. I've had a couple of miscarriages. We don't 310 00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:11,080 Speaker 1: talk about it. I might talk about all the time 311 00:20:11,080 --> 00:20:13,760 Speaker 1: because it's part of saying like, you know, this whole 312 00:20:13,800 --> 00:20:16,280 Speaker 1: idea that we wait to tell is it? Just like 313 00:20:16,320 --> 00:20:18,280 Speaker 1: I wanted to bring that in as another way that 314 00:20:18,320 --> 00:20:20,680 Speaker 1: we kind of like silence it a abortion, Like God, 315 00:20:20,680 --> 00:20:22,119 Speaker 1: we don't want to talk about that, right, We've had 316 00:20:22,119 --> 00:20:24,360 Speaker 1: a couple of those two like, we just don't talk 317 00:20:24,359 --> 00:20:28,119 Speaker 1: about that. And so I think that um to the 318 00:20:28,280 --> 00:20:31,960 Speaker 1: to the how we break that I think is is 319 00:20:31,960 --> 00:20:37,320 Speaker 1: is the vulnerability you know is and doing so um, 320 00:20:37,400 --> 00:20:40,160 Speaker 1: you know, in small experiments with people, I think it's 321 00:20:40,280 --> 00:20:42,800 Speaker 1: one thing to like, you know, be out on Instagram 322 00:20:42,800 --> 00:20:45,080 Speaker 1: talking about it. And blessed are those who are like 323 00:20:45,160 --> 00:20:48,280 Speaker 1: kind of telling the deal story out there, um and 324 00:20:48,359 --> 00:20:51,159 Speaker 1: also just experimenting because the minute we say it to 325 00:20:51,280 --> 00:20:53,920 Speaker 1: somebody else, they're like, oh, I had a miscarriage too, 326 00:20:54,000 --> 00:20:56,600 Speaker 1: Oh I had you know, a hard time breasting too. 327 00:20:56,600 --> 00:20:59,960 Speaker 1: And so I think that, um, it is a cold 328 00:21:00,000 --> 00:21:04,080 Speaker 1: clatural thing, the silence thing and the kind of perfectionism 329 00:21:04,119 --> 00:21:08,119 Speaker 1: around it and the shaming that we do, you know, 330 00:21:08,280 --> 00:21:11,560 Speaker 1: in the community of people who birth to others about 331 00:21:11,600 --> 00:21:14,400 Speaker 1: you know, did you have a c section, like there 332 00:21:14,520 --> 00:21:17,720 Speaker 1: is no right or wrong way to birth a baby, 333 00:21:18,320 --> 00:21:21,920 Speaker 1: and reproductive justice is choosing when and if and where 334 00:21:21,960 --> 00:21:25,520 Speaker 1: and how you to if you do. And so I think, um, 335 00:21:25,800 --> 00:21:28,120 Speaker 1: I would just say, it's kind of like experimenting with 336 00:21:28,280 --> 00:21:30,439 Speaker 1: you know, small tribes of folks that we feel like 337 00:21:30,440 --> 00:21:32,560 Speaker 1: we can get get real and get raw with, and 338 00:21:32,600 --> 00:21:35,359 Speaker 1: then having you know, the small is all right, and 339 00:21:35,400 --> 00:21:38,919 Speaker 1: then letting those those little cultural patterns between you and 340 00:21:39,000 --> 00:21:42,360 Speaker 1: two friends reverberate out. And I think the other thing 341 00:21:42,440 --> 00:21:44,160 Speaker 1: and one of the things that I think about a lot. 342 00:21:45,000 --> 00:21:46,919 Speaker 1: I was just saying this to a local artist who 343 00:21:46,960 --> 00:21:49,600 Speaker 1: I'm hoping to work with on like a series of 344 00:21:49,600 --> 00:21:53,159 Speaker 1: like you know, I'll call them greeting cards because I 345 00:21:53,200 --> 00:21:56,479 Speaker 1: cannot stand going to the pharmacy to buy a card 346 00:21:57,080 --> 00:22:00,440 Speaker 1: for a baby shower, but they are because I don't 347 00:22:00,440 --> 00:22:03,159 Speaker 1: like those cards either. But there's certainly no cards for loss. 348 00:22:03,160 --> 00:22:06,480 Speaker 1: There's certainly no cards. Yeah, you know, if you're an abortion, 349 00:22:06,520 --> 00:22:08,359 Speaker 1: whether it was one you chose or one you had 350 00:22:08,400 --> 00:22:11,439 Speaker 1: to have, what, there's certain there's no cards for you know, 351 00:22:11,960 --> 00:22:18,200 Speaker 1: like the realness all of the pregnant. Yeah, Like like 352 00:22:18,240 --> 00:22:21,080 Speaker 1: when you go into labor, may you feel you know 353 00:22:21,560 --> 00:22:23,639 Speaker 1: the power and so I just like I I have 354 00:22:23,680 --> 00:22:25,879 Speaker 1: a dream of, like, you know, creating a line of 355 00:22:25,920 --> 00:22:27,879 Speaker 1: cards like that because I love that. We also have 356 00:22:27,920 --> 00:22:30,600 Speaker 1: to do culturally is like be saying to you, like, 357 00:22:31,359 --> 00:22:33,679 Speaker 1: you know, you got this right and we got you 358 00:22:34,200 --> 00:22:36,520 Speaker 1: and I think that you know all of that. In 359 00:22:36,560 --> 00:22:39,760 Speaker 1: some ways the silence is replicated by by the greeting 360 00:22:39,760 --> 00:22:41,959 Speaker 1: card aisle because the things that we're supposed to applaud 361 00:22:42,000 --> 00:22:44,399 Speaker 1: you for and cheers it's boy, are there and the 362 00:22:44,440 --> 00:22:46,960 Speaker 1: other things are not there. So even if you wanted 363 00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:49,919 Speaker 1: to send a card when somebody had a loss a 364 00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:53,200 Speaker 1: culturally they're not even out there. No, And I think 365 00:22:53,200 --> 00:22:56,320 Speaker 1: that that's so right, and I you know, again it 366 00:22:56,520 --> 00:23:00,840 Speaker 1: is really around the silence around it all that then 367 00:23:00,880 --> 00:23:04,600 Speaker 1: produces the shame which has us, you know, passing on 368 00:23:05,680 --> 00:23:09,119 Speaker 1: generations of trauma as opposed to being able to be 369 00:23:09,280 --> 00:23:11,399 Speaker 1: in a place you know, we we you know, in 370 00:23:11,720 --> 00:23:15,080 Speaker 1: our lexicon now we say normalize this and normalize that, 371 00:23:15,359 --> 00:23:18,600 Speaker 1: But I don't actually think that we put the activity 372 00:23:18,840 --> 00:23:23,440 Speaker 1: behind the normalize that we are saying, right, because part 373 00:23:23,440 --> 00:23:27,840 Speaker 1: of normalization means continued discussion. It isn't just something that 374 00:23:27,960 --> 00:23:30,440 Speaker 1: is one and done and you know, to your point 375 00:23:30,480 --> 00:23:33,479 Speaker 1: about folks on social media, I will say, you know, 376 00:23:33,800 --> 00:23:37,600 Speaker 1: celebrity is can be a great thing and a bad thing. 377 00:23:38,119 --> 00:23:45,520 Speaker 1: Chrissy Teagan who you know, wife of John Legend, you know, supermodel, chef, 378 00:23:45,560 --> 00:23:49,440 Speaker 1: all of those things. She had announced her third pregnancy, 379 00:23:50,040 --> 00:23:51,760 Speaker 1: you know every you know, it was covered in like 380 00:23:51,920 --> 00:23:58,280 Speaker 1: People magazine and then traumatically, uh loses the baby and 381 00:23:58,359 --> 00:24:00,960 Speaker 1: instead and then you had then and she was very 382 00:24:01,080 --> 00:24:04,480 Speaker 1: public and as a remain public about that loss and 383 00:24:04,600 --> 00:24:08,040 Speaker 1: mourning that loss and having a funeral for that baby, 384 00:24:08,119 --> 00:24:12,119 Speaker 1: and like having you know, her kids understanding the in 385 00:24:12,200 --> 00:24:15,560 Speaker 1: the spiritual tradition that she was raised in, you know, 386 00:24:15,600 --> 00:24:18,959 Speaker 1: what it means to honor the dead. And you know, 387 00:24:19,080 --> 00:24:22,200 Speaker 1: there were people who came out because people love to hate, 388 00:24:22,480 --> 00:24:24,359 Speaker 1: and they came out They're just like, why can't you 389 00:24:24,400 --> 00:24:27,480 Speaker 1: just mourn in private? Like why is she looking for attention? 390 00:24:27,560 --> 00:24:30,280 Speaker 1: And you know, and so I want to ask you, like, 391 00:24:31,160 --> 00:24:33,960 Speaker 1: do you feel by virtue of like doing an open 392 00:24:34,040 --> 00:24:35,919 Speaker 1: mic or doing these things that people are gonna be 393 00:24:35,920 --> 00:24:38,480 Speaker 1: like this is supposed to be private and why why 394 00:24:38,520 --> 00:24:41,160 Speaker 1: does everything have to be public? Like what is your 395 00:24:41,240 --> 00:24:50,439 Speaker 1: pushback to that? I'm like, y'all have to come because 396 00:24:50,440 --> 00:24:53,880 Speaker 1: I think that the right right, right, right, you know. 397 00:24:54,320 --> 00:24:57,880 Speaker 1: But but I think that it will be more impactful 398 00:24:58,000 --> 00:25:02,240 Speaker 1: and healing. It'll be impactful and healing to more people 399 00:25:02,720 --> 00:25:04,960 Speaker 1: than it will to those one or two who are 400 00:25:05,119 --> 00:25:08,440 Speaker 1: who you know, have not yet seen how their liberation 401 00:25:08,600 --> 00:25:10,760 Speaker 1: is bound to the storytelling and the liberation of that 402 00:25:10,800 --> 00:25:14,960 Speaker 1: person who's speaking. Right, Maybe you've never been pregnant, don't 403 00:25:14,960 --> 00:25:17,360 Speaker 1: intend to be, never had a loss, never, But if 404 00:25:17,359 --> 00:25:20,439 Speaker 1: you can't kind of see your humanity reflected in that person, 405 00:25:21,160 --> 00:25:24,320 Speaker 1: then you know, um, love and light. But like, what 406 00:25:24,359 --> 00:25:26,879 Speaker 1: we're trying to do is really for for the collective, 407 00:25:27,040 --> 00:25:29,920 Speaker 1: and so I think that, um, I really haven't thought 408 00:25:29,920 --> 00:25:34,159 Speaker 1: about my pushback to those particular nisayers. I mean, I 409 00:25:34,200 --> 00:25:38,360 Speaker 1: think that we we get a lot of I get 410 00:25:38,400 --> 00:25:41,639 Speaker 1: a lot of pushback already right in the communities of 411 00:25:41,680 --> 00:25:44,240 Speaker 1: color that are like, well, you know, is it safe 412 00:25:44,280 --> 00:25:47,080 Speaker 1: and you know, what about when something goes wrong and 413 00:25:47,080 --> 00:25:50,199 Speaker 1: what and so we we have so much work to 414 00:25:50,240 --> 00:25:54,520 Speaker 1: do that I think I'm excited to take I'll call 415 00:25:54,560 --> 00:25:57,080 Speaker 1: it take the risk of doing that storytelling and that 416 00:25:57,160 --> 00:26:00,280 Speaker 1: open mic to bring to bring you know, ninety son 417 00:26:00,320 --> 00:26:02,520 Speaker 1: of people along, even if a few people say, you 418 00:26:02,560 --> 00:26:05,480 Speaker 1: know that that shouldn't happen because this is at the 419 00:26:05,560 --> 00:26:07,760 Speaker 1: end of the day, and yelle, this is about our 420 00:26:07,840 --> 00:26:13,879 Speaker 1: our our bound liberation and and like generations ahead and 421 00:26:14,000 --> 00:26:17,080 Speaker 1: so UM, you know, I just know that like at 422 00:26:17,119 --> 00:26:19,560 Speaker 1: the root of this, I'm trying to get free. I'm 423 00:26:19,560 --> 00:26:23,080 Speaker 1: trying to get my people free. And UM, I guess 424 00:26:23,080 --> 00:26:26,640 Speaker 1: if people you know feel like that should happen in 425 00:26:26,640 --> 00:26:31,280 Speaker 1: in uh in quiet, they're not trying to get free 426 00:26:31,320 --> 00:26:33,760 Speaker 1: yet and they're not ready and that's okay, But we're not, 427 00:26:33,920 --> 00:26:36,879 Speaker 1: you know, free in a way that is absolutely okay. 428 00:26:37,760 --> 00:26:43,080 Speaker 1: Tell folks, UM how if they want to support the 429 00:26:43,119 --> 00:26:47,280 Speaker 1: development of UM your the birthing center, they want to 430 00:26:47,320 --> 00:26:50,960 Speaker 1: get involved, they want more information. Please tell the woke 431 00:26:50,960 --> 00:26:55,320 Speaker 1: Apple audience how they can participate and learn more. Yes, 432 00:26:55,480 --> 00:26:59,520 Speaker 1: thank you. So UM we are online at um Neighborhood 433 00:26:59,560 --> 00:27:03,080 Speaker 1: birth Center dot org. We're also on social media at 434 00:27:03,119 --> 00:27:07,000 Speaker 1: Neighborhood Birth Center. And we are at a point right 435 00:27:07,000 --> 00:27:09,320 Speaker 1: now where we are in a capital campaign. We're raising 436 00:27:09,840 --> 00:27:13,000 Speaker 1: three million dollars to open the city's first birth center 437 00:27:13,080 --> 00:27:15,879 Speaker 1: and as I said, the only one in eastern Massachusetts. 438 00:27:16,400 --> 00:27:19,920 Speaker 1: And on some days it feels like a huge raise 439 00:27:20,119 --> 00:27:23,080 Speaker 1: right every because every ten dollar donation makes me still 440 00:27:23,080 --> 00:27:25,200 Speaker 1: feel like, oh my gosh, people are really supporting this 441 00:27:25,480 --> 00:27:28,440 Speaker 1: and really it's our community that's building it. And then 442 00:27:28,480 --> 00:27:30,600 Speaker 1: the flip side, Danielle, if I could just call in 443 00:27:30,720 --> 00:27:35,480 Speaker 1: kind of like philanthropy and and the racialization of the 444 00:27:35,520 --> 00:27:39,439 Speaker 1: distribution of wealth in this country and stolen wealth, is like, 445 00:27:40,000 --> 00:27:42,600 Speaker 1: why am I having house parties to raise three million 446 00:27:42,640 --> 00:27:44,520 Speaker 1: dollars to open of our centers that's actually going to 447 00:27:44,560 --> 00:27:47,600 Speaker 1: save lives and save money. So there's a way that 448 00:27:47,680 --> 00:27:49,720 Speaker 1: like also the three million that we're trying to raise 449 00:27:49,720 --> 00:27:52,399 Speaker 1: through house parties as a rounding error. So I do 450 00:27:52,520 --> 00:27:54,639 Speaker 1: this like, you know, a little bit of a feeling 451 00:27:54,680 --> 00:27:59,800 Speaker 1: between like incredibly profound gratitude that our community is stepping 452 00:27:59,800 --> 00:28:02,760 Speaker 1: in UM to open this first center in the absence 453 00:28:02,920 --> 00:28:08,120 Speaker 1: of systems UM that really should be funding UM and 454 00:28:08,200 --> 00:28:12,920 Speaker 1: supporting the the the financing and the opening of a 455 00:28:13,040 --> 00:28:16,880 Speaker 1: key part of our healthcare infrastructure UM. But but so, yeah, 456 00:28:16,920 --> 00:28:19,000 Speaker 1: it's a call to like, you know, so, but but 457 00:28:19,119 --> 00:28:21,359 Speaker 1: you know what, in the absence of anybody ever doing it, 458 00:28:21,520 --> 00:28:24,359 Speaker 1: community is here and we're opening as first first center, 459 00:28:24,400 --> 00:28:27,399 Speaker 1: and so we welcome you know, donations and support and 460 00:28:27,520 --> 00:28:30,000 Speaker 1: every dollar at this point because we've we've raised our 461 00:28:30,000 --> 00:28:32,040 Speaker 1: operating funds for the year. Every dollar at this point 462 00:28:32,080 --> 00:28:34,280 Speaker 1: goes to the purchase and renovation of our space and 463 00:28:34,320 --> 00:28:37,359 Speaker 1: we hope to open in twenty twenty three. Well, I 464 00:28:37,400 --> 00:28:42,200 Speaker 1: hope to have you back to discuss the excitement around 465 00:28:42,200 --> 00:28:46,320 Speaker 1: the opening. UM folks, if you are looking to contribute, 466 00:28:46,360 --> 00:28:49,800 Speaker 1: please do so, UM, because we need we need more, 467 00:28:50,000 --> 00:28:53,560 Speaker 1: we need we need more UM involvement and more community, 468 00:28:54,520 --> 00:28:59,600 Speaker 1: more community care and healing this year. Can yeah please? Yeah? Yeah. 469 00:28:59,640 --> 00:29:01,320 Speaker 1: I just want to say because you were saying we 470 00:29:01,360 --> 00:29:03,400 Speaker 1: need more and I was like, yeah, we need more 471 00:29:03,400 --> 00:29:06,680 Speaker 1: birth centers and what we know. The other part of 472 00:29:06,680 --> 00:29:09,560 Speaker 1: my work is like codirect birth Center Equity, which is 473 00:29:09,600 --> 00:29:13,520 Speaker 1: a national strategy to redirect full spectrum capital to birth 474 00:29:13,560 --> 00:29:16,280 Speaker 1: centers led by people of color. Most birth centers are 475 00:29:16,280 --> 00:29:19,200 Speaker 1: for profits that are started by midwives using their personal 476 00:29:19,200 --> 00:29:23,800 Speaker 1: savings and lines of credit, and it means that most 477 00:29:24,440 --> 00:29:27,400 Speaker 1: midwives of color and communities of color are left without 478 00:29:27,400 --> 00:29:31,480 Speaker 1: birth centers. And so we have a cohort of thirty 479 00:29:31,520 --> 00:29:35,280 Speaker 1: birth centers that we support through technical assistance and grants 480 00:29:35,280 --> 00:29:38,640 Speaker 1: and funds, and so there, you know, I would just say, 481 00:29:38,760 --> 00:29:41,600 Speaker 1: also find a birth center in your community and go 482 00:29:41,680 --> 00:29:44,480 Speaker 1: to birth Center Equity dot org because we're out here 483 00:29:44,480 --> 00:29:47,160 Speaker 1: and we're all everyone has a business plan, a legal structure, 484 00:29:47,720 --> 00:29:51,440 Speaker 1: you know, a building in space, in mind, and it's 485 00:29:51,440 --> 00:29:55,360 Speaker 1: all about just moving capital that this country absolutely has 486 00:29:55,680 --> 00:29:57,960 Speaker 1: too and we need to redirect that to birth centers 487 00:29:59,360 --> 00:30:03,040 Speaker 1: a hundred. Thank you so much for making the time 488 00:30:03,080 --> 00:30:06,800 Speaker 1: to join WOKEAF. Appreciate you, appreciate you. Thanks so much, 489 00:30:06,840 --> 00:30:14,160 Speaker 1: Danielle Folks. I am very excited to be welcoming to 490 00:30:14,200 --> 00:30:18,360 Speaker 1: woke F daily for the first time. Doctor mckeba McCreary, 491 00:30:18,640 --> 00:30:22,360 Speaker 1: who serves as president of the New Commonwealth Racial Equity 492 00:30:22,400 --> 00:30:27,880 Speaker 1: and Social Justice Fund and NCF, is a coalition founded 493 00:30:28,000 --> 00:30:33,000 Speaker 1: of black and brown executives from Massachusetts leading corporations united 494 00:30:33,040 --> 00:30:37,040 Speaker 1: to support black and brown communities amid COVID in the 495 00:30:37,040 --> 00:30:40,360 Speaker 1: wake of George Floyd and just roughly a whole lot 496 00:30:40,360 --> 00:30:43,440 Speaker 1: of things that we need economic support and power around. 497 00:30:44,280 --> 00:30:52,320 Speaker 1: Doctor McCreary, talk to us about why this fund, why 498 00:30:52,360 --> 00:30:56,200 Speaker 1: this came about in I believe it is twenty twenty one, 499 00:30:56,880 --> 00:31:03,280 Speaker 1: and you know you've already raised an extraordinary amount thirty 500 00:31:03,280 --> 00:31:05,920 Speaker 1: million towards or maybe it's more than that at this point. 501 00:31:06,000 --> 00:31:08,400 Speaker 1: But what I have is thirty million towards your one 502 00:31:08,480 --> 00:31:13,440 Speaker 1: hundred million dollar goals. So talk to us about the 503 00:31:13,520 --> 00:31:16,800 Speaker 1: why behind this. Sure, thank you first of all for 504 00:31:16,880 --> 00:31:20,560 Speaker 1: having me, and also I know you hosted Nashira are 505 00:31:20,640 --> 00:31:25,400 Speaker 1: Real earlier and she's an incredible partner for NCF, particularly 506 00:31:25,760 --> 00:31:29,760 Speaker 1: in this partnership with mass General Brigham and our focus 507 00:31:29,760 --> 00:31:34,840 Speaker 1: on maternal health equity, especially for black women. And here 508 00:31:34,880 --> 00:31:39,040 Speaker 1: we are. We were founded about two years ago, and 509 00:31:40,040 --> 00:31:42,520 Speaker 1: I have to say that I wasn't a part of 510 00:31:42,560 --> 00:31:46,880 Speaker 1: the initial beginning of the organization, but I am really 511 00:31:46,880 --> 00:31:49,560 Speaker 1: really thrilled to have joined. And I remember the moment 512 00:31:49,560 --> 00:31:52,720 Speaker 1: it was announced, and I remember being really proud that 513 00:31:53,600 --> 00:31:57,520 Speaker 1: nineteen colleagues across the city really put themselves their own 514 00:31:57,560 --> 00:32:02,400 Speaker 1: positionality in a slightly precarious place because they stepped in 515 00:32:02,440 --> 00:32:04,719 Speaker 1: front of their corporations and said, we're going to leave this, 516 00:32:05,360 --> 00:32:07,800 Speaker 1: and you're going to support it financially, but we're going 517 00:32:07,840 --> 00:32:12,040 Speaker 1: to leave this. And so fast forward, we have about 518 00:32:13,000 --> 00:32:16,600 Speaker 1: a little over three million dollars worth of investments into 519 00:32:16,640 --> 00:32:20,840 Speaker 1: black and brown leaders across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and 520 00:32:21,480 --> 00:32:27,920 Speaker 1: we are about fifty nine strong in terms of those organizations, 521 00:32:28,000 --> 00:32:31,280 Speaker 1: and we anticipate getting to one hundred millions so that 522 00:32:31,320 --> 00:32:33,479 Speaker 1: we can push out ten to fifteen percent of our 523 00:32:33,520 --> 00:32:36,880 Speaker 1: corpus annually, not that three to five percent that typically 524 00:32:36,960 --> 00:32:42,480 Speaker 1: philanthropy moves out of the door. Why is it important 525 00:32:43,240 --> 00:32:47,080 Speaker 1: for this to be led by black executives? You know, 526 00:32:47,440 --> 00:32:51,280 Speaker 1: oftentimes within the black community, we hear we need to 527 00:32:51,280 --> 00:32:53,600 Speaker 1: help each other more, we need to be lifting each 528 00:32:53,640 --> 00:32:55,920 Speaker 1: other up. And you know, personally, as somebody that has 529 00:32:55,920 --> 00:33:01,000 Speaker 1: been on the ground in activism in movement UM for 530 00:33:01,120 --> 00:33:04,320 Speaker 1: a majority of my career, I've always seen Black people 531 00:33:04,480 --> 00:33:08,320 Speaker 1: working in solidarity with each other and with you know, 532 00:33:08,480 --> 00:33:12,080 Speaker 1: with other allies and communities. And so what is it 533 00:33:12,120 --> 00:33:16,080 Speaker 1: about the funding side of this and the coming together 534 00:33:16,320 --> 00:33:20,840 Speaker 1: on UM on the resources side that is so important? 535 00:33:21,600 --> 00:33:24,840 Speaker 1: You know, typically you think of philanthropy and you think 536 00:33:24,840 --> 00:33:28,800 Speaker 1: of protecting wealth UM. You don't think of right like that. 537 00:33:28,800 --> 00:33:30,640 Speaker 1: That's sort of the structure, that's the way it was, 538 00:33:30,720 --> 00:33:32,560 Speaker 1: it's been set up, and that's the way that we 539 00:33:32,680 --> 00:33:35,320 Speaker 1: operate UM. But when I say we, I don't mean 540 00:33:35,360 --> 00:33:38,239 Speaker 1: collective we people of color because frankly, we have been 541 00:33:38,320 --> 00:33:42,360 Speaker 1: redlined out of that that process. We receive. You know, 542 00:33:42,680 --> 00:33:45,320 Speaker 1: less than ten percent of philanthropic dollars go to our 543 00:33:46,600 --> 00:33:50,360 Speaker 1: black and brown leaders UM nationally, and it's just as 544 00:33:50,600 --> 00:33:55,080 Speaker 1: um Stark in Massachusetts. I can tell you that having 545 00:33:55,120 --> 00:33:59,440 Speaker 1: spoken to the folks, we've invested in these these leaders 546 00:33:59,640 --> 00:34:04,320 Speaker 1: for them to know that they have been respected in 547 00:34:04,360 --> 00:34:07,640 Speaker 1: such a way that these dollars are unrestricted, that they 548 00:34:07,720 --> 00:34:11,880 Speaker 1: are going to them because we firmly believe that they 549 00:34:11,960 --> 00:34:14,839 Speaker 1: are closest to the solutions, and therefore they don't need 550 00:34:15,719 --> 00:34:18,799 Speaker 1: a philanthropic entity a fund to tell them what to 551 00:34:18,840 --> 00:34:21,520 Speaker 1: do with these dollars. They need us to get more 552 00:34:21,520 --> 00:34:23,879 Speaker 1: resources out the door to them so that they can 553 00:34:23,880 --> 00:34:29,239 Speaker 1: continue to interrupt these cycles of racist policies, practices, programs 554 00:34:29,719 --> 00:34:33,000 Speaker 1: so important that the founders of NCF came together and 555 00:34:33,040 --> 00:34:36,600 Speaker 1: the way they did because it was unapologetic. It was saying, look, 556 00:34:36,960 --> 00:34:40,440 Speaker 1: you know, it hasn't worked so far. Whatever is, whatever 557 00:34:40,480 --> 00:34:43,600 Speaker 1: we think is supposed to be, you know, effective, it's 558 00:34:43,680 --> 00:34:48,239 Speaker 1: not been effective, and we're still suffering. As amplified during 559 00:34:48,280 --> 00:34:52,000 Speaker 1: the period of time when NCF was launched, you know, 560 00:34:52,360 --> 00:34:57,359 Speaker 1: you you'd mentioned at the top that black executives put 561 00:34:57,360 --> 00:35:01,200 Speaker 1: themselves in a precarious situation. Can you speak you know, 562 00:35:01,520 --> 00:35:06,240 Speaker 1: with with wanting to be out front um in this space, 563 00:35:06,440 --> 00:35:09,799 Speaker 1: can you just speak to I guess the balance right, 564 00:35:10,280 --> 00:35:16,640 Speaker 1: that that black executives that gathered with the intentionality around 565 00:35:16,719 --> 00:35:20,160 Speaker 1: a redistribution of wealth, the balance that they have to 566 00:35:20,200 --> 00:35:26,640 Speaker 1: have within their own corporations, but then the internalized responsibility 567 00:35:26,680 --> 00:35:29,759 Speaker 1: and accountability that they want to have to black and 568 00:35:29,800 --> 00:35:33,759 Speaker 1: brown communities that they are a part of, right, I mean, 569 00:35:33,800 --> 00:35:36,600 Speaker 1: so there's there's not one specific incident that I would 570 00:35:36,640 --> 00:35:38,560 Speaker 1: point to, but I would say what we all know 571 00:35:38,840 --> 00:35:40,640 Speaker 1: very very well is that you don't get into the 572 00:35:40,680 --> 00:35:44,000 Speaker 1: c suite of a corporation of fortune five hundred as 573 00:35:44,000 --> 00:35:46,360 Speaker 1: a person of color without a lot of blood, sweat, 574 00:35:46,400 --> 00:35:51,440 Speaker 1: tears and compromise. Um and UM. So these folks, needless 575 00:35:51,480 --> 00:35:55,560 Speaker 1: to say, have earned. Right, there's their spots um in 576 00:35:55,600 --> 00:35:59,879 Speaker 1: these companies. And that's sometimes even for the most fear 577 00:36:00,080 --> 00:36:02,960 Speaker 1: usum individual. You know, there's a lot to lose, right. 578 00:36:03,000 --> 00:36:06,040 Speaker 1: They have families there, Um, most of them are our 579 00:36:06,160 --> 00:36:10,560 Speaker 1: mid mid career. But you know, um have really really 580 00:36:10,600 --> 00:36:12,880 Speaker 1: fought hard to get where they are. And so to 581 00:36:13,000 --> 00:36:15,359 Speaker 1: turn around and say you know what, I'm actually I'm 582 00:36:15,360 --> 00:36:19,600 Speaker 1: actually strong enough and I am secure enough to UM 583 00:36:20,480 --> 00:36:25,480 Speaker 1: require that this company respects that I absolutely need to 584 00:36:25,520 --> 00:36:28,759 Speaker 1: be a part of the solution. And our CSR motivation 585 00:36:29,239 --> 00:36:32,120 Speaker 1: is not what I'm about. This is about us galvanizing 586 00:36:32,160 --> 00:36:36,880 Speaker 1: together with our own our own influence also UM and 587 00:36:36,880 --> 00:36:39,520 Speaker 1: and saying, look, we're gonna we're gonna turn this model 588 00:36:39,560 --> 00:36:41,680 Speaker 1: on its head. We're gonna we're gonna do it a 589 00:36:41,719 --> 00:36:43,200 Speaker 1: different way. We're going to do it a way that 590 00:36:43,280 --> 00:36:45,120 Speaker 1: I guess I really do want to come back to 591 00:36:45,160 --> 00:36:51,440 Speaker 1: that word respect. UM is filled with respect for UM, us, 592 00:36:51,920 --> 00:36:55,920 Speaker 1: for for us, you know, And I think when I 593 00:36:56,000 --> 00:37:00,520 Speaker 1: when I was speaking UM earlier with Norisha, we're talking 594 00:37:00,560 --> 00:37:08,120 Speaker 1: about making as it pertains to Black women and maternity 595 00:37:08,200 --> 00:37:13,719 Speaker 1: and mortality and turning what has become one of the 596 00:37:15,160 --> 00:37:19,320 Speaker 1: leading ways that black women die right in this wealthy, 597 00:37:19,440 --> 00:37:22,799 Speaker 1: wealthy nation that we live in. We're talking about what 598 00:37:23,239 --> 00:37:28,160 Speaker 1: three hundred or so Black babies dying every year in 599 00:37:28,200 --> 00:37:32,600 Speaker 1: this industrialized nation. And so why was you know, and 600 00:37:32,760 --> 00:37:37,040 Speaker 1: I give that those stats to underscore for my listeners 601 00:37:37,239 --> 00:37:42,719 Speaker 1: the seriousness behind this issue that isn't addressed on a 602 00:37:42,800 --> 00:37:46,480 Speaker 1: regular basis. That is, you know, by virtue of Serena 603 00:37:46,560 --> 00:37:50,240 Speaker 1: Williams being very outspoken a couple of years ago about 604 00:37:50,280 --> 00:37:53,800 Speaker 1: her own birthing experience. Outside of that, if you weren't 605 00:37:53,880 --> 00:37:57,840 Speaker 1: in this space, in the medical space, in the in 606 00:37:57,880 --> 00:38:01,359 Speaker 1: the wellness space, you wouldn't really know right about this. 607 00:38:01,400 --> 00:38:05,640 Speaker 1: And so why for this group and the partnership that 608 00:38:05,680 --> 00:38:10,400 Speaker 1: you have was this so important? I think first about 609 00:38:10,480 --> 00:38:14,560 Speaker 1: my own birthing experience, and Nishia loves to say that 610 00:38:14,560 --> 00:38:17,240 Speaker 1: everybody has a birthing story. Men have a birthding story, 611 00:38:17,280 --> 00:38:20,480 Speaker 1: grandmothers have a birthding story. You know. My birthing story 612 00:38:20,719 --> 00:38:24,360 Speaker 1: is that I never would have entertained a dula or midwife. 613 00:38:24,480 --> 00:38:28,600 Speaker 1: I hate hospitals. It was still to this day remember 614 00:38:28,640 --> 00:38:31,560 Speaker 1: walking in to give birth and cringing at the fact 615 00:38:31,560 --> 00:38:34,160 Speaker 1: that I knew I had to be there for you know, 616 00:38:34,360 --> 00:38:38,279 Speaker 1: the remainder of the day, but I didn't know I 617 00:38:38,280 --> 00:38:40,839 Speaker 1: had another option, another choice. And one of the things 618 00:38:40,840 --> 00:38:43,040 Speaker 1: I've learned from Nishia, which is so true, is that 619 00:38:43,080 --> 00:38:47,200 Speaker 1: we entertain the concept that dula's and midwife free are 620 00:38:48,160 --> 00:38:51,799 Speaker 1: non traditional but right yeah, she says, it's the most 621 00:38:51,840 --> 00:38:56,759 Speaker 1: tradult way to bring a life into this world. So 622 00:38:56,800 --> 00:38:59,160 Speaker 1: the partnership is super important to me. I should say 623 00:38:59,200 --> 00:39:04,960 Speaker 1: this also became as mgb Entrusted UM New Commonwealth Fund UM. 624 00:39:04,960 --> 00:39:08,480 Speaker 1: So Mass General Brigham um Entrusted New Commonwealth Fund. With 625 00:39:08,560 --> 00:39:12,480 Speaker 1: this two point five million dollar investment that we are 626 00:39:13,239 --> 00:39:15,560 Speaker 1: making taking a position and saying it's not just in 627 00:39:15,560 --> 00:39:19,120 Speaker 1: the health equity space that we need to move these funds. 628 00:39:19,239 --> 00:39:22,160 Speaker 1: We actually need to be educating folks in the policing 629 00:39:22,160 --> 00:39:25,960 Speaker 1: and criminal justice reform space, folks in the youth development 630 00:39:26,000 --> 00:39:30,200 Speaker 1: space UM, organizations that are doing work around economic empowerment, 631 00:39:30,560 --> 00:39:35,080 Speaker 1: you know, housing UM. These are all factors that play 632 00:39:35,160 --> 00:39:41,480 Speaker 1: into the black maternal experience and the maternal experience period. 633 00:39:41,520 --> 00:39:44,080 Speaker 1: We need to be talking to men about how to 634 00:39:44,160 --> 00:39:50,480 Speaker 1: support you know, their partners or or their their daughters UM. 635 00:39:51,000 --> 00:39:54,720 Speaker 1: And that education is where the Birthing Center is pushing 636 00:39:54,760 --> 00:39:57,560 Speaker 1: in with us UM. And so we are thinking about 637 00:39:57,600 --> 00:40:00,520 Speaker 1: this as a wraparound UM. We're thinking about this as 638 00:40:00,560 --> 00:40:04,000 Speaker 1: a community based effort. So we really want to work 639 00:40:04,040 --> 00:40:07,839 Speaker 1: with the folks who are trusted in different communities by 640 00:40:07,920 --> 00:40:12,080 Speaker 1: those residents, not US, not you know, not some random 641 00:40:12,200 --> 00:40:15,920 Speaker 1: organization coming in and that might take place in a church, 642 00:40:16,239 --> 00:40:18,560 Speaker 1: That conversation might take place in a gym, or in 643 00:40:18,560 --> 00:40:23,120 Speaker 1: a food pantry or a school gymnasium. That's that's what 644 00:40:23,200 --> 00:40:25,719 Speaker 1: this partnership is going to look like. We're still designing it, 645 00:40:25,719 --> 00:40:28,120 Speaker 1: but it's really exciting and I honestly think it's it's 646 00:40:28,160 --> 00:40:33,600 Speaker 1: a model. What do you think that philanthropy needs to 647 00:40:33,719 --> 00:40:42,200 Speaker 1: understand about how they can be partners? Right? Because I have, 648 00:40:43,000 --> 00:40:46,719 Speaker 1: by virtue of the work that I've been in in 649 00:40:46,840 --> 00:40:52,360 Speaker 1: politics and in policy, have dealt with many different philanthropic organizations, 650 00:40:52,360 --> 00:40:56,160 Speaker 1: individual donors, larger foundations and what have you. And you know, 651 00:40:56,320 --> 00:40:58,520 Speaker 1: most of the folks that are wielding the pen or 652 00:40:58,560 --> 00:41:02,000 Speaker 1: those that are white, right, and and to your earlier point, 653 00:41:02,560 --> 00:41:05,480 Speaker 1: UM less than ten percent, and I would probably argue 654 00:41:05,520 --> 00:41:08,759 Speaker 1: that it's in single digits, you know, like like low, low, 655 00:41:08,840 --> 00:41:12,360 Speaker 1: low single digits. Uh, the amount of money that is 656 00:41:12,400 --> 00:41:16,040 Speaker 1: given to UM, to black and brown people, but black 657 00:41:16,040 --> 00:41:21,480 Speaker 1: people specifically UM. And what I've heard from you know, 658 00:41:21,640 --> 00:41:28,160 Speaker 1: from from philanthropy, from philanthropists is UM is that, well, 659 00:41:28,160 --> 00:41:29,960 Speaker 1: we just don't know where to put our money. We 660 00:41:30,000 --> 00:41:32,440 Speaker 1: don't know where, you know, where the need is. It 661 00:41:32,480 --> 00:41:36,279 Speaker 1: always seems to be some type of excuse. And so 662 00:41:36,840 --> 00:41:43,040 Speaker 1: what conversation do you think should be had UM with 663 00:41:43,080 --> 00:41:46,160 Speaker 1: these large, large entities that I'm talking, you know, are 664 00:41:46,200 --> 00:41:51,520 Speaker 1: holding hundreds of millions of dollars um, but remain gate 665 00:41:51,640 --> 00:41:54,560 Speaker 1: gatekeepers right in in a in a lot of ways 666 00:41:54,640 --> 00:41:58,600 Speaker 1: to social ills and issues that they could readily have 667 00:41:59,120 --> 00:42:03,040 Speaker 1: serious impact act on. I have had this conversation, right, 668 00:42:03,080 --> 00:42:06,719 Speaker 1: I've been approached by large corporations that are foundations, and 669 00:42:06,760 --> 00:42:09,920 Speaker 1: they have said, how do you find these people? How 670 00:42:09,960 --> 00:42:14,000 Speaker 1: do you find these organizations? We just paid the consulting firm, 671 00:42:14,120 --> 00:42:17,120 Speaker 1: you know, oodles of money that help us figure out 672 00:42:17,160 --> 00:42:19,719 Speaker 1: who's out there doing this work. I mean, Danielle, it's 673 00:42:19,760 --> 00:42:24,600 Speaker 1: about relationships. I mean, it's I mean, I hate to 674 00:42:24,680 --> 00:42:28,000 Speaker 1: oversimplify it, but I don't have that problem, right, Like 675 00:42:28,320 --> 00:42:31,200 Speaker 1: you know, the Commonwealth Fund has not had that problem. 676 00:42:31,239 --> 00:42:35,919 Speaker 1: We the minute that we are talking to somebody who's 677 00:42:35,960 --> 00:42:37,560 Speaker 1: doing the work. And that's the other thing I would say. 678 00:42:37,600 --> 00:42:40,000 Speaker 1: I mean, I have so many conversations. I try really 679 00:42:40,000 --> 00:42:44,520 Speaker 1: hard to have every conversation and to meet folks that 680 00:42:44,560 --> 00:42:49,239 Speaker 1: are doing work, not just as potential singular investments, but 681 00:42:49,400 --> 00:42:53,040 Speaker 1: actually so that I can keep track of who is 682 00:42:53,080 --> 00:42:55,359 Speaker 1: doing what in what spaces and needs to be doing 683 00:42:55,400 --> 00:42:57,680 Speaker 1: it together or talking to each other or learning from 684 00:42:57,719 --> 00:43:01,360 Speaker 1: one another. And I just think fundamentally, like that's a 685 00:43:02,640 --> 00:43:05,120 Speaker 1: I'm gonna go out to limitay, that's a black experience, right, 686 00:43:05,160 --> 00:43:10,400 Speaker 1: Like it's it's about your network that's on around your community, 687 00:43:10,440 --> 00:43:12,000 Speaker 1: the person you can pick up the phone and call. 688 00:43:12,400 --> 00:43:15,560 Speaker 1: That's my black experience here is you know, I know 689 00:43:16,480 --> 00:43:18,359 Speaker 1: if I don't know the answer, I know I have 690 00:43:18,440 --> 00:43:20,360 Speaker 1: somebody to call who can tell me the answer. And 691 00:43:20,480 --> 00:43:23,640 Speaker 1: I don't mind asking. Right, That's the other thing I 692 00:43:23,680 --> 00:43:25,520 Speaker 1: think that there's there's got to be you asked. What 693 00:43:25,520 --> 00:43:28,640 Speaker 1: does philanthropy need to do? Differently, I think humility, I 694 00:43:28,680 --> 00:43:32,919 Speaker 1: think respect back to respect to him, and um, I 695 00:43:32,960 --> 00:43:35,680 Speaker 1: think being honest about like are you holding onto this 696 00:43:35,840 --> 00:43:38,560 Speaker 1: forever and ever or did you actually want to put 697 00:43:38,560 --> 00:43:40,799 Speaker 1: it to work so that our children and our grandchildren 698 00:43:41,239 --> 00:43:45,560 Speaker 1: have a better world because you can't, you know. And 699 00:43:45,680 --> 00:43:47,560 Speaker 1: I think that a part of that when you say 700 00:43:47,760 --> 00:43:51,440 Speaker 1: you know, the respect piece is also respecting it is 701 00:43:51,680 --> 00:43:54,800 Speaker 1: it is deeply about respect because for people who haven't 702 00:43:54,840 --> 00:43:59,840 Speaker 1: dealt in and around philanthropy, there are strengths, lots of 703 00:44:00,040 --> 00:44:02,799 Speaker 1: strings that are attached to then dictate to those that 704 00:44:02,840 --> 00:44:05,120 Speaker 1: are on the ground doing the work how the work 705 00:44:05,160 --> 00:44:07,600 Speaker 1: should be done or how their money should be spent 706 00:44:08,080 --> 00:44:12,160 Speaker 1: and so how you know that that in and of 707 00:44:12,239 --> 00:44:16,040 Speaker 1: itself is paternalistic, right, And as I was saying, you 708 00:44:16,040 --> 00:44:19,600 Speaker 1: know with Narisia earlier, stems from white supremacy, and so 709 00:44:19,640 --> 00:44:22,759 Speaker 1: it's so it's like, how you know the conversation with 710 00:44:22,760 --> 00:44:25,640 Speaker 1: philanthropy isn't also about you know where you got that 711 00:44:25,680 --> 00:44:28,400 Speaker 1: money that you're spending in the first place, UM, and 712 00:44:28,480 --> 00:44:33,280 Speaker 1: how it was extracted, but also how you know how 713 00:44:33,360 --> 00:44:38,239 Speaker 1: you build the trust with the communities that you say 714 00:44:38,280 --> 00:44:42,319 Speaker 1: that you want to help UM. And I think that that, 715 00:44:42,400 --> 00:44:47,600 Speaker 1: to me is what's so critical about your fund is 716 00:44:47,680 --> 00:44:52,000 Speaker 1: that I mean, well, you you tell us how how 717 00:44:52,080 --> 00:44:56,760 Speaker 1: is this fund for those that are seeking resources different 718 00:44:56,960 --> 00:45:01,480 Speaker 1: than where where else they could potentially go? Right? And 719 00:45:01,560 --> 00:45:05,000 Speaker 1: I hope to firmly influence the other places that they 720 00:45:05,000 --> 00:45:10,080 Speaker 1: could go when they start to understand that there's a 721 00:45:10,200 --> 00:45:13,319 Speaker 1: lot of knowledge, a lot of talent, a lot of 722 00:45:14,239 --> 00:45:20,359 Speaker 1: capability in these leaders across at least the Commonalth of Massachusetts, 723 00:45:20,360 --> 00:45:24,040 Speaker 1: which is where we're focused. And the way that I've 724 00:45:24,040 --> 00:45:27,120 Speaker 1: been approaching it, and again I've just started in September, 725 00:45:27,600 --> 00:45:29,720 Speaker 1: but I know a lot of these organizations from having 726 00:45:29,800 --> 00:45:35,480 Speaker 1: worked across different fields and you know, there's there's a 727 00:45:35,480 --> 00:45:41,480 Speaker 1: difference between not holding somebody accountable and this sort of 728 00:45:41,520 --> 00:45:44,480 Speaker 1: the strings and the requirements. I mean, we want to 729 00:45:44,520 --> 00:45:47,920 Speaker 1: be accountable, and CEF wants to be accountable, but also 730 00:45:48,080 --> 00:45:50,719 Speaker 1: the leaders of these nonprofits want to be accountable to 731 00:45:51,480 --> 00:45:55,239 Speaker 1: the work that they're doing, not to the funder that 732 00:45:55,520 --> 00:45:59,400 Speaker 1: is that you know, they jump through these six hoops, 733 00:45:59,440 --> 00:46:02,399 Speaker 1: then they might be eligible for the next round. And 734 00:46:02,480 --> 00:46:05,000 Speaker 1: by the way, design something that I'm going to have 735 00:46:05,000 --> 00:46:07,560 Speaker 1: some influence in telling you what it should look like 736 00:46:07,600 --> 00:46:09,479 Speaker 1: when I don't even do this work, I'm not even 737 00:46:09,520 --> 00:46:12,480 Speaker 1: close to it. I have no idea what it means 738 00:46:12,600 --> 00:46:15,840 Speaker 1: right to run an after school program or to you know, 739 00:46:16,239 --> 00:46:18,640 Speaker 1: have a COVID clinic set up on the corner of 740 00:46:18,640 --> 00:46:21,640 Speaker 1: Blue Hill Ab and Quincy Street, because that's where people 741 00:46:21,719 --> 00:46:25,200 Speaker 1: walk by every day and they will accept support from 742 00:46:25,239 --> 00:46:29,760 Speaker 1: a young black doctor whom you know takes the time 743 00:46:29,880 --> 00:46:34,080 Speaker 1: to stand there and do some education so you know, 744 00:46:34,120 --> 00:46:36,400 Speaker 1: get out of the way a little bit, but also 745 00:46:37,040 --> 00:46:40,200 Speaker 1: help not out of the way, like hands off, out 746 00:46:40,200 --> 00:46:42,879 Speaker 1: of the way, like what what else do you need 747 00:46:42,960 --> 00:46:44,719 Speaker 1: from us? And that's one thing that I think is 748 00:46:45,040 --> 00:46:48,480 Speaker 1: um not necessarily unique, but I'm very proud of is 749 00:46:49,200 --> 00:46:53,480 Speaker 1: we are building out a capacity to technical assistance and 750 00:46:53,520 --> 00:46:58,800 Speaker 1: capacity building structure that would allow all of the folks 751 00:46:58,800 --> 00:47:02,040 Speaker 1: that we've invested in anyone else to come to sessions 752 00:47:02,040 --> 00:47:04,560 Speaker 1: to learn about fundamental things like how to read a 753 00:47:04,560 --> 00:47:07,880 Speaker 1: P and L what does lobbying mean? How close can 754 00:47:07,920 --> 00:47:10,000 Speaker 1: you get to that line? A lot closer than a 755 00:47:10,000 --> 00:47:15,440 Speaker 1: lot of nonprofits realize. Advocacy is real. It's important. What 756 00:47:15,680 --> 00:47:18,319 Speaker 1: you know? You do you need to create another five 757 00:47:18,400 --> 00:47:19,880 Speaker 1: or one C three or is there a way for 758 00:47:19,880 --> 00:47:21,960 Speaker 1: you to bring in a fiscal sponsor so that you're 759 00:47:22,000 --> 00:47:25,160 Speaker 1: not paying that overhead? All of those things all the 760 00:47:25,160 --> 00:47:27,279 Speaker 1: way up to like what's a collective impact model and 761 00:47:27,320 --> 00:47:31,560 Speaker 1: how might these five organizations come together? We're not only 762 00:47:31,680 --> 00:47:34,960 Speaker 1: asking for for what those needs are, you know, how 763 00:47:35,000 --> 00:47:38,040 Speaker 1: to build a marketing plan, But we're responding right away. 764 00:47:38,040 --> 00:47:39,720 Speaker 1: And I can tell you that all of the leaders 765 00:47:39,719 --> 00:47:43,440 Speaker 1: we're working with are like, wait a minute, are you serious? 766 00:47:43,680 --> 00:47:46,200 Speaker 1: Like you're you're just going to offer this our workshop. 767 00:47:46,960 --> 00:47:50,440 Speaker 1: We've even gotten the simple requests of actually, could we 768 00:47:50,520 --> 00:47:52,520 Speaker 1: just be in a room together for thirty minutes like 769 00:47:53,040 --> 00:47:55,759 Speaker 1: a zoo in person whom like I don't get to 770 00:47:55,800 --> 00:47:59,200 Speaker 1: see other black and brown women who are leading organizations 771 00:48:00,080 --> 00:48:04,760 Speaker 1: because I'm so blinders on, you know, running hard getting 772 00:48:04,800 --> 00:48:06,839 Speaker 1: this yep done, and I'm really just trying to do 773 00:48:06,880 --> 00:48:09,759 Speaker 1: the work yep. So those are the ways that I 774 00:48:09,800 --> 00:48:13,959 Speaker 1: feel like we will differentiate ourselves. But also, like I said, 775 00:48:14,160 --> 00:48:16,560 Speaker 1: I want to make sure we're influencing the philanthropic sector 776 00:48:16,600 --> 00:48:19,440 Speaker 1: as well, so that they start to emulate some of 777 00:48:19,480 --> 00:48:21,600 Speaker 1: the things that we hope to do that will work. 778 00:48:23,640 --> 00:48:27,680 Speaker 1: Last question for you, um, doctor McCary, is what what 779 00:48:27,760 --> 00:48:32,120 Speaker 1: are your hopes for ANDCF and where do you see 780 00:48:32,920 --> 00:48:35,799 Speaker 1: the fun going? Um? You know, and then in the 781 00:48:35,840 --> 00:48:39,960 Speaker 1: next year, and then and the and the years after that. Right, 782 00:48:40,000 --> 00:48:41,920 Speaker 1: So we're going to take the next two years and 783 00:48:41,960 --> 00:48:44,840 Speaker 1: we're gonna test in a few different ways. We're going 784 00:48:44,920 --> 00:48:50,239 Speaker 1: to test a larger grants in fewer geographic areas. We're 785 00:48:50,239 --> 00:48:53,600 Speaker 1: going to test that still having that five, ten, fifteen 786 00:48:53,640 --> 00:48:58,240 Speaker 1: thousand dollars opportunity because sometimes that's what's needed right away 787 00:48:58,280 --> 00:49:01,759 Speaker 1: without a huge process and a long way. We are 788 00:49:01,800 --> 00:49:05,640 Speaker 1: going to partner with some other foundations to do um 789 00:49:06,520 --> 00:49:11,120 Speaker 1: uh sort of an um commitment that's more significant in 790 00:49:11,160 --> 00:49:14,200 Speaker 1: a place based model approach to see does that move 791 00:49:14,280 --> 00:49:16,400 Speaker 1: the needle? Because to be honest with you, you know, 792 00:49:16,440 --> 00:49:20,240 Speaker 1: we need to figure out, like what is the best 793 00:49:20,520 --> 00:49:23,800 Speaker 1: use of our energy and our focus. And it's probably 794 00:49:23,840 --> 00:49:28,360 Speaker 1: not m you know, spread across the entire Commonwealth and 795 00:49:28,600 --> 00:49:34,040 Speaker 1: you know, five different pillars at four hundred grants a year, right, 796 00:49:34,080 --> 00:49:37,319 Speaker 1: it's it's it's probably that we need to decide this 797 00:49:37,360 --> 00:49:39,000 Speaker 1: is where we're going to move the needle, and we're 798 00:49:39,000 --> 00:49:41,440 Speaker 1: going to get somebody else to be influenced to come 799 00:49:41,440 --> 00:49:43,360 Speaker 1: in and support moving the needle somewhere else. So is 800 00:49:43,360 --> 00:49:48,239 Speaker 1: it policy? Is it you know, um? Organizational development? Is 801 00:49:48,239 --> 00:49:51,399 Speaker 1: it economic empowerment? Um? These are the things that we're 802 00:49:51,400 --> 00:49:55,280 Speaker 1: gonna spend some time testing out. We've made a commitment 803 00:49:55,320 --> 00:49:58,239 Speaker 1: to three million dollars grant making budget for the next 804 00:49:58,280 --> 00:50:02,239 Speaker 1: two years. We're s team and we're going to keep 805 00:50:02,239 --> 00:50:06,440 Speaker 1: taking those meetings and keep having those conversations. And for 806 00:50:06,480 --> 00:50:11,480 Speaker 1: those people who want to find out more information and 807 00:50:11,280 --> 00:50:15,760 Speaker 1: understand more get connected, please sure share with the folks 808 00:50:15,760 --> 00:50:17,799 Speaker 1: how they can. Yeah, go right to our website. It's 809 00:50:17,960 --> 00:50:21,640 Speaker 1: www dot Newcommonwealth Fund dot org. As soon as you 810 00:50:21,719 --> 00:50:24,200 Speaker 1: get there, there should be a pop up that allows 811 00:50:24,200 --> 00:50:25,759 Speaker 1: you to say you want to sign up to be 812 00:50:25,800 --> 00:50:29,200 Speaker 1: on our newsletter and do that because you will get 813 00:50:29,440 --> 00:50:32,279 Speaker 1: every piece of information, whether you're a grant seeker, or 814 00:50:32,280 --> 00:50:35,360 Speaker 1: you're a funder, or you are just really interested in 815 00:50:35,440 --> 00:50:40,160 Speaker 1: how we're evolving. Doctor McCoury, thank you so much from 816 00:50:40,239 --> 00:50:42,879 Speaker 1: making the time for wok F and for the work 817 00:50:42,880 --> 00:50:45,719 Speaker 1: that you're doing. I'm excited about it. Thank you, and 818 00:50:46,280 --> 00:50:50,600 Speaker 1: hope that what you're doing in Massachusetts will be a 819 00:50:50,719 --> 00:50:55,600 Speaker 1: seed for what can be done around the country. Thank you. 820 00:51:01,520 --> 00:51:05,000 Speaker 1: That is it for me today. Friends, on this Woke 821 00:51:05,040 --> 00:51:08,960 Speaker 1: a F daily as always, Power to the people and 822 00:51:09,040 --> 00:51:12,920 Speaker 1: to all the people. Power, get woke and stay woke 823 00:51:12,960 --> 00:51:13,399 Speaker 1: as fuck.