Jan 2018: The STL Doulas of Color Collective

January 31, 2018 / Okunsola M. Amadou

Jamaa Birth Village means family in the African language of Swahili. Come and go with me, on the humble beginnings and birthing of a village.

STL doulas of color collective

As a part of our relaunch, we also launched the St. Louis Doulas of Color Collective in January 2018. This would be Missouri’s and St. Louis’s first BIPOC Doula collective, led by Black women for all women of color who were considering a path in becoming a Doula or who were trained Doulas. We gathered for our first meeting in February, marking a historical Black History Month for Black birthworker organizing. The collective began with just 10 members, and we compiled a list of 30 Doulas of color in the region, 90% of whom had been trained through Jamaa Birth Village. 

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Okunsola M. Amadou

Okunsola M. Amadou, a Fulani-American Midwife, is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Jamaa Birth Village. Previously known as "Tru", Okunsola is an initiated Olokun and Egbe Priestess in the Isese religion, where she is currently studying as an Iyalorisha. During Okunsolas rites of passage, she received her traditional face markings, representing her nobility and position of royalty in her lineage.

She founded Jamaa Birth Village in 2015, in her Ferguson, MO living room, starting the St. Louis Black Doula movement and growing the St. Louis Black Doula community from 5 to 200+ in 5-years through her Community Doula Training, the city's first Black written, created and taught community-based doula training. In 2018, Okunsola created the St. Louis Doulas of Color Collective, which now boasts a thriving membership of 40+ Black Doulas and is home to Missouri’s first BIPOC Doula directory.

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