VILLAGE DOULAS

Our Village Doulas are certified pregnancy support professionals specialized through Uzazi Village’s Perinatal Doula Training Course as well as in their own individual areas of focus.  

Village Doulas are available specifically for care participants enrolled for care in the Ida Mae Patterson Center for Maternal and Infant Wellness.

WHAT IS A DOULA?

A doula is a professional labor support person, who is a trained expert at getting women through the process of labor and birth. Doulas support physiologic normal births and also attend births in a variety of settings. Doulas are trained to provide physical and emotional support and education.

Arrin Blount

Arrin Blount

Village Doula

Read Arrin's Bio
Atira Cole

Atira Cole

Village Doula

Read Atira's Bio
Rochelle Evans

Rochelle Evans

Village Doula

Read Rochelle's Bio
Sierra Yancey

Sierra Yancey

Village Doula

Read Sierra's Bio
Ruth McCleery

Ruth McCleery

Village Doula

Read Ruth's Bio
Delia Pearl

Delia Pearl

Village Doula

Read Delia's Bio
Christian King

Christian King

Senior Village Doula

Read Christian's Bio
Daysha Lewis

Daysha Lewis

Village Doula

Read Daysha's Bio
Lady-Charde Lenoir

Lady-Charde Lenoir

Village Doula

Read Lady-Charde's Bio

4232 Troost Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64110  •  (816) 541-3718

WEBSITE CREATED BY LILLIAN JAMES CREATIVE

My name is Arrin and I am the mother to two beautiful Goddesses Anastasia and Emberleigh. I am a certified full spectrum doula.  As a community-based doula, my passion in life is to break and prevent generational curses. 

I truly believe that it takes a village to raise a healthy and happy lineage. The mother needs to be mothered, the father needs to be fathered and the community needs to communicate. Effective parenting is one of the best ways to improve the world, and parenting begins the moment of conception and birth.

If I can help change the way women and their families views birth, I’m all for it. I need them to know birth is very doulable. (lol you see what I did there?) Providing my families with tools to advocate for themselves during a very sacred moment in time, is vital. Those same tools can be used in everyday life situations. Those same tools can be passed down to other generations. Preventing generational curses from occurring. Empowering women and their families is my new found passion, we’re an essential part in the genesis of life.

In 2019 I trained as an Uzazi Village birth and postpartum Doula. In addition to those trainings, I am a trained sex and reproductive educator, lactation peer counselor and childbirth educator. In 2021, I extended my knowledge in lactation by becoming a WIC trained breastfeeding peer counselor and in the same year I  also became a certified Endocannbinoid doula. Currently I am a mentoring other Uzazi Village Doulas under my new role as lead doula. 

Hi All! My name is Atira. I am one of the full spectrum doulas here at Uzazi Village! I’m Kansas City born and raised and I love US. I love my Black people. I love my Kansas City Black people. And Uzazi provides me a space to do just that in such a special way.

I came here through an internship through UMKC’s Health Sciences program as a graduation requirement. I knew I wanted to be out in my community with the people who live there and  wanted to be forming these relationships with them through any means and when I saw Uzazi on that list I was intrigued. After a dive of the website, I knew there wasn’t any other option — I just had to be here. From the moment that I came in the space i fell in love. And the more I became engaged with this work, the people within it the more i fell in love with the work that’s done within this community. Quickly, it became more than just a graduation requirement that as I interacted with the women and families that we often serve. Forming these attachments with these Black women that not only empowered me with their stories but also with their experiences and being able to join them on the journey of pregnancy and birth. It is truly a humbling experience to be able to educate and empower women that look like you in such a powerful way.

I’ve been with Uzazi for almost 4 years now and it has been amazing to see our organization in her many different phases. I cannot wait to continue to watch our growth as well as continue to be apart of it as well as the resource doula. Being able to connect our families to our resources within our community and help us stay connected together and grow! I’m so humbled to be apart of this vision, mission and organization.

About Rochelle

Rochelle is your Administrative Doula at the Ida Mae Patterson Center! Her mission is to connect all, especially People of Culture, to their divine potential and healing, so that they may live in their purpose and power, beyond all limitations. Her family includes her fiance, Morrell, their 5 year old son, Morrell II and their fur babies Demo and Mekka.

Rochelle was called to birth work as a child, mothering her many siblings and supporting friends through pregnancy, birth and loss. When she became pregnant, she realized there was a name for this role. Through her personal research, she became even more aware of the disparities we face while trying to bring our children earth side safely. Rochelle is a lifelong learner, she discovered Uzazi’s program during her pregnancy in 2017 and in 2020, decided to enroll, despite her 50 hour work week. During training, she questioned how she would  have time to begin her business and the answer came when she was laid off halfway through training! Rochelle immediately recognized and trusted that she was right where she should be and joined the Village, serving as a Village Doula full time.

 

Rochelle wants you to see yourself in your care. She is dedicated to empowering your family in attaining the birth and postpartum experience you deserve. She believes each birth is sacred, that each journey is as unique as your baby’s fingerprint and that it is an honor to serve families in something so special. Rochelle is a Certified Full Spectrum Doula, Community Health Worker, Hypnobabies Certified Hypno Doula and Reiki Master. She is presently completing a Prenatal Yoga Certification and Cannabis Doula Certification. When she is not serving families, she enjoys photography, trying new restaurants, cooking, traveling and spending time experiencing her family and friends.

My name is Sierra, and I’m Your Fairy Doula.

Birthwork has been handed down from my ancestors and reached out and grabbed me.
I am an Uzazi Village trained Doula working on completing my certification by the end of 2020.
I am a black birth worker, a Disnerd as I like to call myself, a supporter of the arts, a dancer, a
mother, a fiance, a friend, a sister, a daughter, a cousin, a niece, a granddaughter, an aunt, I am
a future black midwife!

Birthwork is my true joy in life. It is the role most precious to me. I came to Uzazi in August
2020 because I knew this was a place of growth for our community and I just had to be a part of
it. My mother, my best friend passed away unexpectedly in 2019 and I truly feel she guided me
here to continue my education and to be an essential part of changing the culture surrounding
black moms and families. My passion about changing the culture comes from a need to find a
solution. The best way I can see to help my community, my family, my friends is to help be there
during the most crucial times in a family's life. To be that education they may not have, the voice
that they may need.

I believe that I am an extension of the birthing person. Whether you need emotional support,
physical support or just reassurance, I am here to be your guiding light, the familiar face,
cheering you on and helping to make your birth dreams come true, sprinkling your birth journey
with Faith in yourself, Trust in yourself and a little bit of my own Fairy Dust (EMPOWERMENT!!!)

Hope is something of extraordinary power, it can feed the soul, it can light the way, it can move someone from darkness to light. This is exactly how I see my connection to the community as a Doula.

I have years of experience, working with women and families of all backgrounds, combating maternal and infant mortality within the hispanic community. I focus on building trusting relationships with my clients and their families to address their birthing needs and process as THEY take control of one of the most amazing experiences of their life.

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La esperanza es algo de poder extraordinario, puede alimentar el alma, puede iluminar el camino, puede mover a alguien de la oscuridad a la luz. Así es exactamente como veo mi conexión con la comunidad como una Doula.

Años de experiencia, trabajando con mujeres y familias de todos los orígenes, combatiendo la mortalidad materna e infantil dentro de la comunidad hispana. Construir una relación de confianza con mis clientes y sus familias, para abordar sus necesidades y procesos de parto a medida que ELLOS toman el control de una de las experiencias más increíbles de su vida.

About Delia

Praise Him! I’m Delia Pearl, a mother of six beautiful little expressions of myself 4 girls and 3 boys and a bonus son! Ever since I was 10 years old I had a passion and a desire to become a midwife for mothers that might be overlooked due to their economic status or lack of education or support given by their surrounding healthcare providers. It all stemmed from learning that a older brother of mine in Cuba had a disability in his legs due to the lack of education the medical staff had about breached babies. I vowed to myself that I would never let that happen again to another person.

I later learned that my journey to becoming a Midwife started with learning and serving as a Doula. My OB/ Great Friend Dr. Mualik introduce me to Uzazi Village and Mama Hakima and that’s when my dreams started to become my reality.
I believe that childbirth is the rewarding result of being blessed to carry human life in your womb. The Journey should be filled with knowledge, power, love and lots of laughter no matter what your circumstance or social status is. I just want to bring ‘ big sister vibes’  and enjoy this journey with you!

My name is Christian King. I am the mother of three children, a community health worker, substitute teacher and currently pursuing a degree in History for Secondary Education. I am a native of Kansas CIty, MO and I enjoy traveling, gathering with friends and family, baking, educating, and trying new foods. My interest in becoming a doula came after developing Gestational Hypertension that progressed to Preeclampsia. I was not aware of how sick I was and how dangerous the condition is. I spent almost two weeks admitted in the hospital, most of the time alone. My daughter was born as a late term preemie, spending 1 week in the NICU. Once I learned how sick I really was, I decided to help other Moms to never be unaware and alone. I became a SIster Doula after learning how little my community knew about their rights and options, the degree of inequalities and biases faced, the large margin in which our women and babies die, and how many women just lack support. I believe women should be loaded with knowledge and feel so much love, support, and empowerment that she is able to create the ideal image for her birth experience, including cases of emergency. I believe that women should not feel alone after having a baby or when dealing with loss. I contribute to a birth knowledge, empowerment, a peaceful and serene environment, and hands on support when needed. Women should be able to always make informed decisions when it comes to themselves and their babies. I am passionate about birth and understanding how babies and our bodies work together during labor and delivery. I believe that understanding this can help reduce C-Sections and help women change the way we receive medical care.

My philosophy about birth is being knowledgeable to make informed decisions about your birth experience, being empowered enough to advocate for yourself, and creating a birthing environment suitable and comfortable to create the most calming and controlled journey to your baby’s journey earthside.

About Daysha

My name is Daysha Lewis! I’ve been married for ten years with four children — two boys ages 11 and 6 — and two girls ages 5 and 2. In addition to being a Village Doula with Uzazi Village, I am a Parent Educator with Start At Zero. My life’s mission is to educate, empower, and advocate.

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My name is Lady. I am a wife, sister, niece, daughter, friend and mother to three children.I
have had a nurturing heart all my life, but it's been during this pandemic that I have begun
to see how that can be used in the role of a doula. My own birth narratives shaped my
interest and passion for becoming a doula. With my own children, each pregnancy, labor
and birth was different. The one thing that I remember the most is the way I was treated-
whether good or bad. I see each pregnancy as a unique miracle and life changing event. In
my free time, I'm usually at home with my family. My current obsessions are baking,
reading, and writing poetry and short stories. I am honored and humbled to serve our
community and can't wait to help you feel confident, empowered, heard, valued and cared
for. I can't wait to help you have a better birth experience.