By Greg Archer | Contributing Columnist
Honoring ancestral heritage, strengthening family ties, and embracing a right to birthwork all coalesce at Sankofa Birthworkers Collective of the Inland Empire. The organization is made up of birthworkers from many professional backgrounds, all of whom offer unique skillsets.
“We are a group of more than 100 providers” across Riverside and San Bernardino counties, said Chantel Runnels, the organization’s Doula of Operations. “When we say birthworkers, we denote anyone who serves pregnant families, such as midwives. We specifically try to first connect these Black providers across to the largest counties right in the state. Secondly, we try to connect the community with these providers in the hopes of people receiving more culturally congruent care.”
Sankofa’s collective includes midwives, certified doulas, lactation consultants, community advocates and other supporters. In addition to offering high-level service, Sankofa strives to place birthing families in “a position of agency” throughout the perinatal and postpartum experiences.
“We just started in 2018,” Runnels said. “We’ve worked with a couple fiscal sponsors and we’re just finalizing our own paperwork as a nonprofit this year. Our hope is that, you know, in a couple years we’ll be able to stand on our own.”
In addition to linking individuals with one another, Sankofa offers several unique meetups designed to inspire. The Hybrid Postpartum Support Group is available in person and online. Monthly Black Breastfeeding Circles aim to help individuals find community during their breastfeeding journeys.
Another breastfeeding group is designed for mothers in the High Desert.
Recently, Sankofa Birthworkers Collective received a Black Equity Fund grant through Inland Empire Community Foundation. The grant arrived at a time when Sankofa hopes to expand its impact.
“We’re hoping this grant, specifically, will help us in our capacity-building and strategic planning,” Runnels said. “It truly gives us a little more runway to be able to strategize for connecting the community and connecting the providers.
“We always have big dreams,” she said, “and we’re hoping this specific grant could help us with those dreams.”
One of the key things to a new organization’s success is getting the word out. Runnels said she’d love for people in the region to know more about Sankofa, specifically, “that we’re committed to building community among culturally congruent providers across the Inland Empire.”
One of the organization’s taglines adheres to a commitment to “community, cause, and connection,” she said.
“Those are our three C’s,” Runnels said, “like building community, serving the community, building connection around providers, and supporting the cause of changing maternal healthcare in the Inland Empire.”
Sankofa plans to participate in the Perinatal Equity Initiative Summit, April 12-13. The intention of the summit is to reduce Black and African American maternal and infant mortality within Riverside and San Bernardino counties.
“April 12 is a ‘provider day,’ and April 13 is a ‘community day,’” Runnels said. “Sankofa will be there with many other providers across Inland Empire. Then, on April 14, we have a day just for new members — a special date just to care for them, because we know if you care for the people doing the work, then they’ll be able to go further in actually doing the work.”
It all takes place during National Maternal Health Week, April 11-17.
Learn more at sankofabirthworkers.com.
Inland Empire Community Foundation works to strengthen Inland Southern California through philanthropy.
