After a traumatic birthing experience, Tatyana Ali, actress and founder of Baby Yams, began sharing her story to advocate for change and empower Black women to stand up for the quality care they deserve.
What first inspired you to advocate for Black maternal health?
During my second pregnancy and birth, my brilliant community-based, traditional Black midwife, Racha Lawler, held space for my power as a birthing person. During our prenatal visits, she spent time listening to me. She asked for permission to touch my body at every visit. She cared about my emotional and psychological needs. When my baby turned lateral and I chose to birth in a hospital, Racha helped me select the most reformed hospital in my area and worked very hard to ensure my safety.
I received excellent postpartum care, which included home visits, dietary guidance, and lactation support.
I work to amplify the brilliant Black women who deeply understand the needs of their communities — organizations and research institutions like Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Sister Song, Commonsense Childbirth, and Birthplace Lab at the University of British Columbia. They are creating the cultural, legislative, and clinical solutions necessary to protect our families.
How has your experience in the healthcare system led to your work in reproductive justice?
My first birth experience led me to the reproductive justice movement. After a very joyful and healthy pregnancy, I experienced obstetric violence in the hospital. Our baby spent four days in the NICU, and we were left extremely traumatized.
My journey began with questions: Why was our birth plan ignored? Why was I repeatedly urged to take an epidural when I didn’t want it? Why did they forcibly pin my arms and legs down to the bed?
I discovered that my story is commonplace among Black birthing people. I also realize that my family is lucky because my baby and I survived and I am able to tell my own story. I will continue to do this work until all Black mothers and families are safe.
What are some of the biggest obstacles Black women face when trying to access quality maternal care?
Bias. There are still people in the medical profession who believe that Black skin is thicker and that we feel less pain than others. There are people in healthcare who believe that we don’t want the best for our children and our families. There are people in healthcare who believe that we lack the cognitive intelligence or morality to make choices for ourselves. There are people who believe we are unworthy of bodily autonomy.
In addition, according to the March of Dimes 2024 Maternity Care Deserts Report, over 35% of counties across this country, both urban and rural, are deemed, “maternal care deserts,” meaning there are no hospitals or birth centers at all, and no providers in those counties.
Our healthcare system prioritizes money and centralized authority over lives. In 2016, my emergency C-section and the subsequent NICU care my son needed after the abuse we endured cost $250,000.00 I am a SAG-AFTRA union member with good coverage. I was covered by my husband’s insurance as well at the time. The insurance company paid the hospital right away, no questions asked. A relief, yes, but in 2019, when I worked with my midwife, I fought for two years to be reimbursed $8,000.00. Although it is well documented that culturally congruent midwives and doulas save lives, they are battling to be recognized as independent collaborators in the healthcare system.
What do you consider to be the root cause of the Black maternal health crisis in the United States?
A history of violence against Black and Indigenous people is the root cause. Dismantling Indigenous and Black midwifery systems in order to invent obstetrics run by white men is the root cause. Until we believe and take as gospel that a person’s body is their own, mothers and babies will continue to be at risk of harm and death, and the United States will continue to rank highest in maternal mortality rates among developed nations.
How did you come up with Baby Yams, and what kind of response have you received from the Quilt Project?
When I was pregnant with my youngest and working with my midwife, I did a talk for a Black mom group. They gifted me body butters wrapped in ankara, an iconic West African textile. I made a quilt for my baby, and my husband and I sewed blessings into it. It was a small piece of ankara, so I mixed it with other brightly colored poplins. I used it often as a stroller blanket, and it started many conversations.
Baby Yams and The Quilt Project tell the story of reclamation. We can take the pieces that we each have — our histories and our dreams for the future — and put them together to create something new. I believe that together we can create safety, wholeness, and a covering for our families.
Baby Yams launched in April 2024, during Black Maternal Health Week, and our first drop sold out in just a few days! I’ve partnered with Birth Future Foundation (affectionately known as the BFFs) who matched our proceeds to create the Watering the Seeds grant. These grants ranged from $500 to $2,500 and were awarded to 67 midwives and student midwives who will use them for licensing fees, exams, kits, and more. $75,000 dollars have been awarded this round, and we’re just getting started!
What advice would you give to Black people who are either currently pregnant or are starting to plan for having a family?
To my sisters and brothers: As you begin the sacred journey of growing and caring for your families, please, please don’t be dismayed by the stories that must be shared in order to create change. Visualize the experience you deeply desire and then seek it out. When navigating the current healthcare system, don’t settle for treatment you know in your heart is sub-standard, and please don’t bypass micro-aggressions that you experience. Independent of your economic status or any pre-conditions, you deserve loving, quality care.
I urge you to seek out Black women-led organizations that uplift traditional and community midwives and doulas. As you read this, they are building safe perinatal spaces and birthing our liberation.
