Birth is too often treated as a medical emergency rather than a sacred life event. And unfortunately, the lack of equality in hospitals has only gotten worse in recent years— particularly for Women of Color.
Just a few weeks ago, the internet was sent into an uproar when a video surfaced of a pregnant Texas woman receiving zero compassion and care from a nurse who seemingly insisted on completing paperwork despite the woman being in active labor and experiencing a high level of pain. The mom-to-be was reportedly left in the emergency waiting room for more than 30 minutes before seeing a doctor. In Indiana, a similar video went viral showing a pregnant woman being discharged from a hospital despite being in active labor. She was forced to deliver her baby on the side of a highway.
Too often, this is the reality of Black/Brown women’s experience in the hospital industry, and one Detroit woman has had enough.
Meet Leseliey Welch, a founder of Birth Detroit and Birth Center Equity.
What Is Birth Center Equity (BCE)?
Birth Center Equity (BCE) is a national initiative dedicated to investing in birth centers led by Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. This national effort ensures that safe, community‑based care is accessible in every neighborhood. Since launching the movement in 2020, BCE has raised over $9.8M and invested more than $5M in community birth infrastructure.
“Birth is sacred. Everyone deserves safe, loving, dignified environments to give birth,” Welch shares with BrownStyle Magazine exclusively. “I co-founded Birth Center Equity (BCE) with Nashira Baril in 2020. At the time, there were fewer than 15 birth centers in communities of color — out of over 380 nationwide. Less than 5% were owned or led by us. Even our national associations didn’t have contact lists for BIPOC-led centers.”
This inspired the visionaries to build a network of BIPOC midwives, as well as public health and business leaders who started birth centers. In 2024, BCE distributed over $600,000 to BIPOC-led birth centers.
“It’s hard for anyone to open a birth center — but it’s even harder for people of color,” Welch reveals, noting resources are distributed inequitably. “In the U.S., our system is built around physician-led birth. However, decades of research show midwifery improve outcomes across all races.”
Creating A Safe Space For Mom, Child, And Family
Although Welch is not a midwife, she identifies as a “Black midwifery enthusiast”— a title coined by her colleague Dr. Keisha Goode, a researcher and advocate for midwifery in the United States.
According to a report by the CDC, hundreds of women die during pregnancy or in the year after. Black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than White women. What’s most disturbing is that 80% of pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. are preventable.
“We should expect more than just survival — we deserve joy, celebration, and access to midwifery care,” Welch insists, before noting one of the benefits of turning to a midwife during a pregnancy journey. “Midwives are trained to support normal physiological birth in the setting of your choice — home, birth center, or hospital.”
She adds, “Midwives’ approach is fundamentally different. In hospitals, interventions are often medical — epidurals, C-sections. Midwives offer fewer interventions and more comfort measures like water birth, mobility, and nourishment. Midwives also provide better aftercare because the postpartum period is critical — it’s when many experience complications. Midwives don’t miss that. They prevent it.”
She points to decades of research showing that midwifery care improves outcomes across all races — and is more cost-effective. “Despite how we do it in the U.S., other countries have 75% of births attended by midwives. We could aim for at least 50%.”
Beloved Birth 50 By 50
To continue the conversation about birth, Welch launched Beloved Birth 50 by 50, a goal to ensure 50% of babies in the United States come into the world with the care of midwives. “Birth should never have been taken from midwives. In the early 1900s, there was a deliberate effort to shift births into hospitals. Beloved Birth is about returning to what’s best for women and families. This initiative is about systems change, finance, workforce, policy, culture, and more. ”
Her advice for families seeking midwifery care? Find out if midwives and birth centers are an option in your community. “You deserve not only to be safe — but to be celebrated,” she notes.
A Soft Life Starts With Birth
At her own birth center in Detroit — co-founded with Char’ly Snow, Elon Geffrard, and Nicole White — the values are clear: safety, love, trust, and justice.
“We fundamentally believe that the spirit of care matters. It’s not only the mechanics — it’s the intent. It’s how we’re held,” she tells us.
That philosophy aligns beautifully with BrownStyle Magazine’s pillars of Self-Care, Opulence, Unity, and Love. “If we want to live soft, opulent, beautiful, and loving lives, we should start from the beginning. We should start with our births,” Welch adds.
As for what’s next, BCE is launching a full-scale initiative to activate the six pathways of Beloved Birth 50 by 50. “We’re supporting 58 birth centers — 20 serving families now, 38 still fundraising. Our goal is to exponentially increase birth centers in communities of color by 2050,” she concludes.
To learn more about Leseliey Welch, visit: leseliey.com
Editor’s Note: This story has been edited and condensed for clarity.
By BrownStyle Magazine in Special Editions
72 pages, published 1/17/2025
