Our Story
This organization started out of a desire to use midwifery to address the maternal health disparities facing the Black population. In Canada, there is a lack of race-based data, which often conceals the health disparities facing the Black community; this makes it difficult to quantitatively prove the need for solutions. Racism, implicit bias, and social and economic stressors each play a role in poor birth outcomes for Black people. The comprehensive and connected care that midwives provide has been proven to yield high client satisfaction and good outcomes.
As a registered midwife and member of the Black community, Ancestral Hands Midwives founder Althea Jones wanted to make an impact in her community. She saw that midwifery care was underutilized by Black Ontarians and wanted to find a way to make this care more accessible to the Black community. She also saw that Black midwives were underrepresented (and so were Black maternal health care providers as a whole) and wanted to create a space for them to connect and support one another to thrive in the profession. She began talking to other Black midwives, community members and perinatal care providers to bring this initiative to life. With professional, community and ally support, Ancestral Hands Midwives began.
Our Values
We value equity, empowerment, education, and collaboration. We strive for health equity for the Black community. We aim to empower our clients to self advocate and get the high quality care they deserve; and we know that education is a tool to achieve this. We’re stronger together and are honoured to work with amazing partners who share our vision.
Our Story
This organization started out of a desire to utilize midwifery to address the maternal health disparities facing the Black population. In Canada, there is a lack of race-based data which often conceals the health disparities facing the Black community; this makes it difficult to quantitatively prove the need for solutions. Racism, implicit bias, social and economic stressors all play a role in poor birth outcomes for Black people. The comprehensive and connected care that midwives provide has been proven to yield high client satisfaction and good outcomes.
As a registered midwife and member of the Black community, Ancestral Hands Midwives founder Althea Jones wanted to make an impact in her community. She saw that midwifery care was underutilized by Black Ontarians and wanted to find a way to make this care more accessible to the Black community. She also saw that Black midwives were underrepresented (and so were Black maternal health care providers as a whole) and wanted to create a space for them to connect and support one another to thrive in the profession. She began talking to other Black midwives, community members and perinatal care providers to bring this initiative to life. With professional, community and ally support, Ancestral Hands Midwives began.
Our Values
We value equity, empowerment, education and collaboration. We strive for health equity for the Black community. We aim to empower our clients to self advocate and get the high quality care they deserve; and we know that education is a tool to achieve this. We’re stronger together and are honoured to work with amazing partners who share our vision.
Our Story
This organization started out of a desire to utilize midwifery to address the maternal health disparities facing the Black population. In Canada, there is a lack of race-based data which often conceals the health disparities facing the Black community; this makes it difficult to quantitatively prove the need for solutions. Racism, implicit bias, social and economic stressors all play a role in poor birth outcomes for Black people. The comprehensive and connected care that midwives provide has been proven to yield high client satisfaction and good outcomes.
As a registered midwife and member of the Black community, Ancestral Hands Midwives founder Althea Jones wanted to make an impact in her community. She saw that midwifery care was underutilized by Black Ontarians and wanted to find a way to make this care more accessible to the Black community. She also saw that Black midwives were underrepresented (and so were Black maternal health care providers as a whole) and wanted to create a space for them to connect and support one another to thrive in the profession. She began talking to other Black midwives, community members and perinatal care providers to bring this initiative to life. With professional, community and ally support, Ancestral Hands Midwives began.
Our Values
We value equity, empowerment, education and collaboration. We strive for health equity for the Black community. We aim to empower our clients to self advocate and get the high quality care they deserve; and we know that education is a tool to achieve this. We’re stronger together and are honoured to work with amazing partners who share our vision.
Althea Jones
Registered Midwife
Althea Jones is a registered midwife with over 10 years of experience providing primary maternity and newborn care. For Althea, maternal health is much more than a career. It’s a passion and a calling she has dedicated herself to. Althea sees the comprehensive care and support midwives provide as part of the solution to Black maternal health disparities. She strongly believes that community-led care is crucial to improving Black maternal health.
Prior to midwifery Althea earned a Bachelor of Science in biology from the University of Arizona, which she attended on a soccer scholarship. There, she received both academic and athletic accolades during her time as a student athlete. In her spare time, Althea enjoys spending time with her family, which includes her two wonderful daughters, who were both born at home into the hands of midwives.
Governance
The Ancestral Hands Foundation (operating as Ancestral Hands Midwives) is a Black-led, community-based organization. We are governed by a three-person board of directors and have an advisory committee composed of midwives. We have an amazing group of volunteers that help us work towards our strategic goals. We’re always looking to grow our Ancestral Hands family.
Partners
We value collaboration and are grateful to have amazing partners that help us work towards our mission. We’re building a Black maternal health focused community. If you believe in our mission and vision, let’s connect.
