; Whereas Black birthing people in the United States suffer from life threatening pregnancy complications, known as maternal morbidities , twice as often as White birthing people; Whereas deaths from maternal morbidities have devastating effects on Black children and families, and the vast majority of material morbidities are entirely preventable through assertive efforts to ensure that Black birthing people have access to information, services, and supports to make their own health care decisions, particularly around pregnancy and childbearing; Whereas the high rates of maternal mortality among Black birthing people span across income levels, education levels, and socioeconomic statuses; Whereas structural racism, gender oppression, and the social determinants of health inequities experienced by Black birthing people in the United States significantly contribute to the disproportionately high rates of maternal mortality and morbidity among Black birthing people; Whereas Black birthing people are more likely to report experiences of disrespect, abuse, and neglect when birthing in facility-based settings as compared to White people; Whereas Black families benefit from access to Black midwives to receive culturally sensitive and congruent care established through trust and respect backed with the wisdom of time-honored techniques and best practices; Whereas the work and contributions of past and present midwives who have ushered in new life have done so despite a history fraught with persecution, enslavement, violence, racism, and the systematic erasure of traditional and lay Black midwives throughout the 20th century; Whereas the decline of midwifery across the southern United States reduced the numbers of Black midwives from thousands to dozens throughout the 20th century, leaving many communities without care providers; Whereas some States have criminalized and suppressed direct-entry midwives, despite rising maternal mortality rates across the United States