Called to Deliver Black Midwives, Faith, and Childbirth in the American South, 1808-1950

In the quiet rooms where life began, far from hospitals, beyond the reach of doctors, some women answered a higher call.

Called to Deliver is the powerful, untold story of the Black midwives who shaped childbirth in the American South for over a century. Guided by faith, armed with experience, and trusted by entire communities, these women delivered generations into the world, often in the face of slavery, segregation, and a medical system determined to erase them.

From plantation cabins to rural farmhouses, this gripping narrative follows their journey across one of the most turbulent periods in American history. These midwives were more than birth attendants. They were healers, spiritual leaders, and guardians of life itself, women who believed their hands were guided by God.

But as the twentieth century dawned, a new force rose against them.

Doctors and lawmakers, armed with the authority of science, began a campaign to replace tradition with modern medicine. What followed was a dramatic and deeply human clash between faith and science, community and institution, autonomy and control. As midwives were pushed aside, entire communities were left vulnerable, caught between a disappearing past and an uncertain future.

Rich with vivid storytelling, firsthand accounts, and unforgettable voices, Called to Deliver brings to life a hidden world of resilience, resistance, and extraordinary courage. It reveals how these women quietly defied the odds, preserving dignity, saving lives, and holding communities together when no one else would.

This is more than history.

It is a story of power, belief, and the enduring fight to be heard.

For readers of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and Hidden Figures, Called to Deliver uncovers a forgotten legacy that still echoes in today's fight for maternal justice.

Once you step into their world, you will never see childbirth or history the same way again.