BLACK MATERNAL HEALTH TEAM 2024

Dr. Hanifah Muhammad, NMD

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Dr. Hanifah T. Muhammad is a naturopathic family physician, acupuncturist, health educator, birth worker and community advocate working in the Phoenix, AZ and surrounding areas. Her work is centered around empowering individuals, families and communities to restore health, vitality and prosperity. She also works with communities of color, locally and internationally, to change systems of oppression, discrimination and social injustice, including food insecurity, homelessness, and reproductive justice, to restore freedom, justice, equality, and overall community wellness. Dr. Muhammad is a mom, wife-widow, poet, dancer, artist, and singer, who comes with a wealth of lived and learned experiences that she offers up to her families and communities to encourage, inspire and help them heal and balance what needs attention and care. 

Myles Franklin, Thriving Families

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Hello, my name is Myles. Two years ago I started a non-profit called "Church of Earth". Our mission is to serve the Earth and its inhabitants. We do this by learning, with the intention to teach and share our knowledge. Once we share what we've learned we grow together, and this creates a pattern of learning and growing, and then we thrive. 

For Black Maternal Health Weekend I will be hosting a couples class, sharing knowledge from a couple books that deal in 

compassionate communication; "The spirit of Intimacy" by Sobonfu Some and "Non-violent communication" by Marshall B. Rosenberg. We'll discuss common scenarios in relationships, determine the best way to problem solve and reach and agreement. We'll also learn how to create sacred space for yourself and for you and your partner using ancient knowledge of the Dagara tribe in West Africa. 

I'm looking forward to meeting, learning and growing with you all. 

Keosha Anderson,  Holistic Health Practioner

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Keosha is a passionate advocate for community health and wellness. With a background in nursing spanning over 13 years. Keosha made a decision to embrace natural remedies and holistic approaches to well-being.  

Currently, she is deeply involved in her community as a farmer collaborating with various non-profit organizations. Her mission is to reintroduce healthy food options into underserved communities while educating individuals on the nutritional benefits of the foods they consume. Through her work she aims to prolong lives by creating cost-efficient meals packed with essential nutrients. 

Alicia Huff, Esthetician

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Meet Alisha! Her official journey as an Esthetician began 7 years ago at the renowned Aveda Institute of Phoenix. Valedictorian of her class and crowned Inspire Greatness Champion by faculty and peers, she has always shown an eagerness and dedication to be the best Esthetician and skin care advocate possible. She is the Owner of Glow Better Beauty, located in the Afri-Soul Marketplace in downtown Phoenix. 

Alisha is overjoyed that she gets to live her dream of helping others feel beautiful in their own skin. Educating clients on proper skin care, diet and lifestyle so they can achieve the clear, glowing skin they desire is her passion! If you truly want to see results and practice the best home care routine possible, Alisha is here to help guide you through the entire journey!

Noellë Alicia, AKA "Legend"

 Indigenous Artist & Light Worker

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Noellë was born in Miami, FL, and deeply connected to her Bahamian roots. From a tender age of 3, she displayed an innate talent for artistry, which blossomed into a passion for abstract multi-positional artworks. The tumultuous times of the 2020 quarantine became a catalyst for Noellë's artistic renaissance, as she rediscovered her love for abstract art. Using her craft as conduit for self expression, healing, and meditation, she found profound solace in the vibrant colors and fluid forms of her creations, neglecting her diverse background and profound experiences. In 2022, Noellë expanded her artistic horizons by offering Art Therapy Sessions, sharing her knowledge and passion for art as a tool for healing and self-discovery. 

Based in Phoenix, AZ, she dedicates her time to serving her community, particularly the unhoused, and championing human rights with compassionate communication; "the spirit of intimacy" by Sobonfu Some and "Non-violent communication" by Marshall B. Rosenberg. We'll discuss common scenarios in relationships, determine the best way to problem solve and reach and agreement. We'll also learn how to create sacred space for yourself and for you and your partner using ancient knowledge of the Dagara tribe in West Africa. 

Unity Unique

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Unity Unique, a self-taught astrologist, human design, and numerology educator hailing from Phoenix, with over 30 years deeply rooted in the community. A versatile talent, she channels her passions into various forms of expression – from whipping up delectable plant-based dishes in the kitchen to crafting musical instruments from recycled materials. As a poet, singer, and rapper, she weaves words and melodies that resonate with the soul. Her commitment to holistic wellness extends to hosting ceremonial foot baths, guiding others on paths of self-care and ancestral healing. A dedicated earth worker, Unity Unique serves her community through outreach and environmental stewardship. With a vision to foster unity and healing, she advocates for storytelling through film, orchestrating movie screenings in parks and parking lots. Her mission is to ignite conversations, celebrate cultural narratives, and bridge generations through the powerful medium of art and documentary."

Iya Ifafunke Osunfunke, Priestess & Educator

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 An initiated priestess in the West African Orisa tradition from Nigeria.  A born educator with a Master’s in Education and a Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Psychology.  Iya Ifafunke has traveled to various countries to connect to people from different cultures. Her experiences have assisted her greatly in her life’s purpose to help others within the community.

Sule Greg Wilson

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Movement that Heals and Empowers - The African Tradition 

Our environment is a huge electromagnetic field. As we engage with Life we take on energies, disharmonies, and stresses. Our Ancients devised methods for us to harmonize with, discharge into, and pull from this living World we find ourselves born into.

Join Baba Súle Greg Wilson as we use traditional movement practices and music from the U.S., Brazil, Cuba, West and Central Africa, Trinidad and India to get connected, get loose, get down, and get funky!

Catch a glimpse here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=tvqc6GnERWQ

Christa Roberts, Birthworker

Christa (they/them); is a Black, queer, non-binary birthworker serving communities of color in the Phoenix are through their practice Altalune Mystics. They are a full-spectrum birthworker, incorporating traditional bodywork and herbal support into their services. A certified childbirth and Blactation educator, Christa finds their passion in teaching and supporting community through all stages of their journey. When not being surrounded by their village, they enjoy being outside and finding ways to create. 

Website: https://www.altalunemystics.com/ 

Peace & Blessings,

Christa Roberts (they/she)
Holistic Birthworker & Intentional Care
hello@altalunemystics.com

Aria Hernandez, Entrepreneur

Aria is a loving mother of 6 children. She is the owner of Cactus Valley Tax Services, where she provides the community with expert  tax preparation services, ensuring clients make informed financial decisions. Additionally, Aria is the Co-Founder and Visionary behind MODABA Education Center's Microschool. A transformative space that empowers BIPOC children. 

When she is not immersed in school activities or assisting clients with their taxes, you'll likely find Aria wandering in the woods or by the river, embracing the beauty of nature.  

Chanel Shows, Birth Sister

Chanel (she/her) is a Queer, Black and Japanese Birth Sister, Certified Blactation Educator, Behavioral Health student, and aspiring IBCLC and midwife. She is passionate about supporting families throughout their reproductive journeys through loving conversation, warming foods and teas. She is the founder of Kazue Birth Sister, which offers doula support and care to families throughout the Phoenix area. Outside of her work, Chanel enjoys fermentation projects, baking breads, gardening and spending time with her chosen family and babies!

David Cunningham

David was drawn to the Ancient practice of Yoga as an alternative to his workout routine in an effort to  develop flexibility. After leading a few groups of friends through his personal yoga practice one friend asked "How many years have you been teaching Yoga?"  It was at that moment, he realized his calling, it was love at first AUM! He was drawn to a style not yet widely known in Western society; the practice of Yoga Nidra. Utilizing Asana, Energy & Breathing techniques to profoundly restore the Body. This is an ideal practice for the high stress society that we live in today. It is with this purpose Yoga Nidra was developed and is congruent with the intention of Yoga which is "to still the mind in order to see." 

Hannah Paz, 

Hannah is a person of intersections: they are a writer, a student midwife, an advocate and a parent. They are dedicated to a BIPOC-led, trauma-informed, and gender-expansive perspective for community birth work and birth education. 

Hannah is committed to facilitating informed consent and bodily autonomy at every birth for every client and contributing to an ethical, sustainable career pathway in birthmark for every fellow student. 

Hannah embraces solidarity with Black and Indigenous life ways as community medicine and as the the blueprint for collective liberation. 

Audra Rae Nelson, MS, RD, CNSC, LD/N

Audra Nelson is a Student Midwife with Midwives College of Utah & founder of A Rae Doula &

Birth Services. Audra will be a licensed midwife this year. She is a Birth Assistant, Childbirth

Educator and Placenta Encapsulator. Audra has her Masters in Nutrition Science and has been

a Registered Dietitian for over 18 years specializing in neonatal and pediatric nutrition. She

believes food is medicine and nutrition therapy can be used to treat the whole body and prepare

you for your birth.

The passion to help families started at a young age after witnessing her mother’s labor and the

birth of her younger sister. Audra has a deep respect for the normalcy of birth and uniqueness of each childbearing person and family. Audra is married and privileged to be the mother of 3

adventurous children.