"A Midwife in Mississippi"

Most babies in the southern United States were born with the help of midwives--often Black women with little formal education-- until the 1950s. Sometimes called "Granny midwives," they served racially diverse communities using long-established cultural practices. However, by the turn of the 20th century, midwives faced discrimination from the medical establishment, who called for regulations to modernize or possibly eradicate traditional midwifery.