Intimate gathering on Martha’s Vineyard, sponsored by Irth and Birth Center Equity, centered Black women’s voices on birth, community, and motherhood

OAK BLUFFS, Mass., Sept. 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — HealthConnect One, a national nonprofit dedicated to supporting healthy pregnancies, births, and breastfeeding in Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities, hosted its Community Birth Support Luncheon on Tuesday, August 25, at the Barn Bowl & Bistro in Oak Bluffs, kicking off Black Breastfeeding Week with an afternoon of connection, storytelling, and shared wisdom on the Island. The event was sponsored by Irth, a maternal health platform that connects Black and Brown families with respectful, reviewed maternity care, and Birth Center Equity, an organization dedicated to advancing birth center access and ownership for Black, Indigenous, and other midwives and birth workers of color.

Rather than a large-scale event, the luncheon was designed as an intimate gathering bringing together midwives, doulas both seasoned and new, mothers, and grandmothers for candid conversation about what birth, community, and motherhood mean to Black women. Guests spent the afternoon in open dialogue, sharing personal experiences and generational perspectives in a setting that felt less like a program and more like a room full of family.

Speaking on behalf of Irth, actress Naturi Naughton-Lewis served as the event’s guest speaker, sharing candidly with the room about her own assumptions around doula access before learning otherwise.

“I thought you had to be real rich or live in a certain neighborhood to have a doula. I didn’t think it was accessible. Even though I was an actress, and many people would assume I had access to everything, I was still a Black woman — uninformed and uneducated about this. No matter what position you’re in in your career, you still have to have access to information and education. It is really, really a village that keeps us uplifted, and that’s why community and birthing together matters so much,” said Naturi Naughton-Lewis

“Stories like what Naturi shared remind us why education has to be at the center of our work. During my six years as leader of HealthConnect One, we’ve extended the work beyond preparing community-based birth workers, across the full continuum of awareness and integration of community-based birth support, including education of Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities where birth outcomes are most in need of improvement through our upcoming coloring book, We Welcome Babies, and our Doulas Are for Every Body™ campaign, and ensuring hospitals are prepared to work in partnership with community-based birth workers through our DoulaREADI^® accreditation program,” said Dr. Twylla Dillion, President & CEO of HealthConnect One.

The event is part of HealthConnect One’s “Doulas are for every body” campaign and reflects the organization’s ongoing commitment to birth equity, community-based care, and training doulas and breastfeeding peer counselors in historically underserved communities.

A Room Built for Real Conversation
What set the Oak Bluffs luncheon apart was its scale and spirit. Rather than formal programming, guests were invited into genuine dialogue. Birth workers exchanging insight with the mothers and grandmothers they serve, and generations of Black women reflecting together on the traditions, challenges, and joys that shape the birth experience in their communities. Representatives from co-sponsor Birth Center Equity joined the gathering as well, reinforcing the day’s shared focus on expanding community-based birth support. The result was a gathering that felt personal and rooted, in keeping with HealthConnect One’s belief that birth equity starts with community.

“As a 40-year-old organization that started in Chicago and prioritizes Black, Brown, and Indigenous community-based peer birth support, especially training doulas and lactation peer counselors, it was long overdue for us to be present on Martha’s Vineyard, where every August centers Black joy, a central tenet in our work and that of many of our peers in this space. Our first event on the Vineyard was beautiful and intimate, and our plans for next year are already underway. There will be something for everyone. Stay tuned,” said Dr. Dillion.

About HealthConnect One
HealthConnect One supports healthy pregnancies, births, and breastfeeding in Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities, working with the understanding that birth equity is fundamental to racial equity. The organization trains community-based doulas and breastfeeding and lactation peer counselors, advocates alongside community health workers on maternal and child health policy, and partners with research institutions to improve maternal-child health outcomes and close birth equity gaps. HealthConnect One has partnered with more than 50 communities across 20 states, training over 1,000 community-based doulas and breastfeeding advocates to provide peer-to-peer support in historically marginalized communities. Learn more at healthconnectone.org.

Media Contact: HealthConnect One Media@HealthConnectOne.org

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SOURCE HealthConnect One