Ain’t I A Woman: Survivors’ Birth Part 1 of a 4 Part Series, Birthmark Doulas has joined forces with STAR ( Sexual Trauma Awareness & Response), as a community partner to use the stories we already know exist about birth and trauma to provide comfort, hope, and strategies for moving forward. The goals of this event are to: 1. Honor the experiences of survivors of trauma. Those who have encountered Birth violence or may have relived a past experience during the process of birth. 2. Provide real solutions for persons who have experienced trauma during the birthing process. 3. Facilitate an open dialogue between community and health care professionals to dismantle power structures and model what the necessary partnership between provider and patient looks like. 4. Invite providers and other health care professionals to listen to the concerns of community members involved in the birthing process, inclusive of birthing persons, their family members and support people. How to prepare: Book: When Survivors Give Birth by: Penny Simkin and Phyllis Klaus Poem: I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings by: Maya Angelou Quote: “Every woman I have ever loved has left her print upon me, where I loved some invaluable piece of myself apart from me-so different that I had to stretch and grow in order to recognize her. And in that growing, we came to separation, that place where work begins.”― Audre Lorde, Zami: A New Spelling of My Name Song: Transcendental March by: Brother Ahh (Curation: Jamilla Webb)