SouthTalks: Unearthing Black Midwifery Stories and Traditions 

Linda Janet Holmes, former director of the New Jersey Health Department Office of Minority and Multicultural Health, began recording interviews with traditional African American midwives decades ago.   Her most recent book, Safe in a Midwife’s Hands:  Birthing Traditions from Africa to the American South, focuses on the practices of Black midwives whose holistic approaches are essential counterbalances to a medical system that routinely fails Black mothers and babies. Her award-winning book, Listen To Me Good: The Life Story of an Alabama Midwife, was co-authored with Margaret Charles Smith, a legendary Greene County Alabama midwife, and documents the contributions of a singular Black midwife. A past faculty member of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey Nurse Midwife Program, Holmes now lives in Hampton, Va. Her previously published books also include A Joyous Revolt: Toni Cade Bambara, Writer and Activist and Savoring the Salt: The Legacy of Toni Cade Bambara, co-authored with Cheryl Wall.

SouthTalks is a series of events (including lectures, performances, film screenings, and panel discussions) that explores the interdisciplinary nature of Southern Studies. This series is free and open to the public, and typically takes place in the Tupelo Room of Barnard Observatory unless otherwise noted. Visit southernstudies.olemiss.edu for more information about all Center events.