ABSTRACT
Rising maternity care costs highlight the complexities embedded within choosing a birthing attendant for US expectant parents of color. Midwife-attended births within the United States previously and currently mitigate these costs while also demonstrating how one’s race, class, and gender determine access to midwifery services. Examining the history of black midwifery in the southeastern United States and its contemporary applications emphasize how and why race, class, and gender collude to produce health disparities while also demonstrating the necessity of these maternity care providers in the present-day.
