African Indigenous Midwifery Library and Research Institute™

library stays & guided tours are now available at AIMM - A Global Center for African Diasporic Midwifery Heritage & Research

AfricanMidwiferyMuseumLibraryResearch-FullLogo

LIBRARY HOURS:
Wednesday - Saturday 10am-4pm

Cost: Free 2-hour session

Museum tours are not included in library reservations and must be booked separately.

The African Indigenous Midwifery Library & Research Institute™ (AIM LRI) is a cultural heritage, intellectual and archival space dedicated to the preservation, protection, and advancement of African Indigenous & African American midwifery knowledge across time and space.

Housed within The Historic Jamaa Birth Village Cultural Heritage Center, the AIM LRI serves as the nation’s most comprehensive repository of Black midwifery-centered texts, oral histories, artifacts, research, and multimedia materials.

AIM LRI exists to correct historical erasure, reclaim suppressed knowledge systems, and provide a living archive where ancestral wisdom, scholarly inquiry, and community knowledge meet at their respective intersections. The Institute supports researchers, students, birth workers, cultural preservationists, and the public in engaging deeply with midwifery as a cultural, spiritual, scientific, and social practice rooted in Africa and carried throughout the diaspora.

MISSION

To collect, preserve, study, and disseminate African Indigenous & African diasporic midwifery knowledge through rigorous research, archival stewardship, oral history preservation, and public education, ensuring that Black midwifery wisdom is protected, honored, and carried forward for future generations.

The purpose of The AIM LRI:

RESTORE VISIBILITY

Restore visibility to African Indigenous & African diasporic midwifery traditions that have been historically erased, criminalized, or misrepresented.

RESEARCH & LEARNING

Serve as a trusted research and learning space for scholars, students, birthworkers, and cultural practitioners. Support ethical research, community-centered scholarship, and culturally grounded inquiry.

PRESERVE

Preserve rare and endangered texts, oral histories, ritual knowledge, and cultural materials connected to midwifery.

ANCHOR

Anchor contemporary maternal health conversations in ancestral truth, historical context, and cultural integrity.

BOOK YOUR VISIT TO THE LIBRARY

AIM LRI houses an expanding collection that includes:

Rare books, manuscripts, and journals authored by Africans and people of African descent, researchers, clinical providers, historical Black women authors and scholars.

Academic research, theses, dissertations, and unpublished works focused on midwifery, reproductive health, and cultural care.

Cultural documentation related to herbal medicine, ritual tools, birth practices, and community care systems.

Oral histories from midwives, elders, and birth workers across Africa and the diaspora.

Multimedia archives including films, photographs, audio recordings, and lectures.

Events at the African Indigenous Midwifery Library & Research Institute

Black Midwifery Global History

This Black History Month join us at the African Indigenous Midwifery Museum & Library Research Institute on Wednesday February 18th, at 1:00pm CST, for a virtual gathering, discussing Black Midwifery Global History.

Midwifery & Genealogy: Who Was the Midwife in Your Family?

During Women's History Month, join us on March Wednesday March 18th at 1:00pm CST, for a virtual overview on tracing genealogical lineages to the Midwives in your family and Community.

Who the Institute Serves

Scholars and researchers in African studies, anthropology, history, midwifery, public health, and cultural studies.
Midwives, doulas, and birthworkers seeking culturally rooted knowledge.
Students and educators engaged in decolonial and Indigenous research.
Community members and families interested in reclaiming ancestral birth wisdom.
Cultural institutions and collaborators advancing ethical preservation and storytelling.

We welcome you to book a visit, ground in our sacred space, and explore the offerings of the AIM LRI. Please note: the AIM LRI is not a lending library. All items must be utilized while on site.

guidelines

1) Appointments must be booked in advance. No walk-ins.

2) All bags-including purses-must be placed in a locker during the library stay.

3) All beverages and foods must be stored in the communal kitchen and cannot be consumed or carried in the LRI.

4) Privacy of other visitors are enforced. No phone calls or meetings may be taken in the LRI.

5) Research related questions can be submitted in advance through the below form. Research request assistance can be provided electronically via email or in-person.

6) . Pictures of materials are only allowed with permission.

7) Video recording of the collection is only allowed with permission.

RESEARCH REQUEST FORM

AIMM ADVISORY COUNCIL

Okunsola Amadou

Midwife, Museum Founder, Curator & Folklorist

themidwiferyfolklorist.com

Sara Makeba Daise

M.A. Author, Griot, Diviner & Public Historian

saramakeba.com

Linda Janet Holmes

Writer, Biographer, Oral Historian & Curator

lindajholmes.net

Janet Sula Evans

B.A. Mamissi, Cultural Preservationist & Doula

sulaspirit.com

Jamrah Amani LM

LM- Pioneer Midwife & Co-Founder of National Black Midwives Alliance

blackmidwivesalliance.org

Mama Sarahn Henderson

Elder Traditional Midwife & Midwife Historian

birthinthetradition.com

Mother Health International

Traditional Midwifery & Birth Center in Uganda

motherhealth.org

VISION

We envision a world in which African Indigenous & African diasporic midwifery knowledge is recognized as foundational to global birth practices, respected as a legitimate body of scholarship, and actively shaping contemporary maternal health, reproductive justice, and cultural healing. AIM LRI is a globally recognized research institute and living archive that restores ancestral authority, supports new scholarship, and inspires transformative futures in birth work and beyond.

SUPPORT OUR WORK

DONATE TODAY