Reproductive Justice and Community Care Fellowship for Black Midwives

In this episode of Speaking of Midwives, our host talks with Dr. Nikia Grayson, midwife, chief clinical officer at CHOICES Center for Reproductive Health in Memphis and Carbondale, and associate professor at UCSF, about her article, "The Choices Black Midwifery Fellowship: An Innovative Model for Training Midwives in Reproductive Justice and Community-Centered Care."Dr. Grayson describes how CHOICES, a nonprofit reproductive healthcare organization serving Memphis for over 50 years, and now Carbondale, Illinois as well, built a fellowship grounded in Black feminist thought and reproductive justice to address a gap she experienced firsthand: what happens after graduation, when new midwives need support translating clinical knowledge into confident practice.She walks through the fellowship's five pillars: full-scope reproductive health education, Black feminist thought, leadership and mentorship, neonatal/postnatal care, and community-centered care. She shares candid insights on funding a program that pays fellows a real, livable salary; embedding policy engagement into clinical training; and building an intentionally Black-led midwifery workforce in the South.The conversation also touches on lessons for midwifery faculty and preceptors everywhere: the need for structured mentorship, training beyond hospital-based medicalized settings, and reframing midwifery as inseparable from advocacy and social change.Tune in for a compelling look at what it takes to build a training model designed for midwives to not just enter the profession, but stay, lead, and transform it.CHOICESWebsite: www.yourchoices.orgInstagram: @yourchoicesclinicsFacebook: www.facebook.com/yourchoicesclinicsLinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/your-choicesDr. Grayson's Social Media: Instagram: @nikiagrayson_midwifeLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/nikiagraysonFacebook: www.facebook.com/nikiagraysonArticles:Grayson N, Quinones N, Oseguera T. A Model of True CHOICES: Learnings from a Comprehensive Sexual and Reproductive Health Clinic in Tennessee that Provides Abortions and Opened the City's First Birth Center. J Midwifery Womens Health. 2022;67(6): 689-695. https://doi.org/10.1111/jmwh.13448The CHOICES Black Midwifery Fellowship: An Innovative Model for Training Midwives in Reproductive Justice and Community‐Centered Care - Grayson - 2026 - Journal of Midwifery & Women's Health - Wiley Online Library