Detroit Black Birth Worker's Archive
a community-based cultural preservation and maternal health initiative
The Detroit Black Birth Archive is a community-based cultural preservation and maternal health initiative dedicated to documenting, preserving, and amplifying the histories of Black birth in Detroit past and present.
Through oral histories, digital storytelling, photography, archival collection, and community engagement, the project works to preserve the lived experiences and contributions of Black mothers, midwives, doulas, nurses, physicians, birthworkers, and families whose stories have historically been overlooked, under-documented, or erased.
The first phase of the project focuses on developing a publicly accessible and sustainable digital archive platform that will collect, organize, preserve, and share historical and contemporary materials related to Black birth and reproductive care in Detroit.
This work bridges cultural preservation, digital humanities, maternal health advocacy, and community memory. The archive is designed to serve as an educational resource, research tool, storytelling platform, and intergenerational record for future generations.
Long-term, the vision includes expanding the archive into a broader community preservation initiative and future educational and cultural space dedicated to Black birth history, maternal health equity, and the preservation of Detroit’s Black historical legacy.