Birth Justice Program Officer recognized by Obama Foundation

Sona Smith is a Birth Justice Program Officer with the Ms. Foundation for Women. She is one of eight Chicagoans who are part of the Obama Foundation Leaders USA Program. PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE OBAMA FOUNDATION.
Sona Smith is a Birth Justice Program Officer with the Ms. Foundation for Women. She is one of eight Chicagoans who are part of the Obama Foundation Leaders USA Program. PHOTO PROVIDED BY THE OBAMA FOUNDATION.

Birth Justice Program Officer recognized by Obama Foundation

By Tia Carol Jones

Sona Smith is a birth justice program officer for the Ms. Foundation for Women. Smith came to birth justice after having her own journey preparing for the birth of her first child in a hospital setting. She didn’t want any other woman to experience what she experienced and became a doula to prepare people in her life through pregnancy and the birthing process. “I couldn’t find any images of Black women giving birth at home, I couldn’t find a Black midwife, all the things that were really important to me,” said Smith.

She eventually did find a midwife and had a home birth, which she documented and posted the video on YouTube. Smith sees that as her first act of birth justice. For her it was a culture shift project and a way to let the world know that it is a possibility for Black women to give birth safely at home. From there, she went deeper into the movement and grew to realize that there were systems at play.

Smith is one of 100 changemakers who has been recognized for the Obama Foundation Leaders USA Program. There are 10 changemakers from Illinois and eight are based in Chicago. The six-month development program seeks to empower, connect and inspire emerging leaders across the country. The Obama Foundation Leaders Program was launched  in 2018 in Africa, then expanded to Asia Pacific in 2019. In 2022, the Leaders USA Program was announced.

The Ms. Foundation for Women is a national foundation that aims to build women’s collective power. It invests in, and strengthens the capacity of women-led movements to advance cultural, economic and social change. It funds grassroots organizations that are led by women of color. The birth justice initiative is one of the portfolios of the foundation and it is the one Smith manages. There are more than 37 grantee partners across the nation who are working on grassroot movement building and organizing strategies to impact the race-based health disparities that are present in birth experiences and outcomes.

“I have a thirst to deepen my capacity. While I’m not new to birth justice, I am new to philanthropy,” Smith said, adding that when the opportunity for the Obama Foundation Leaders USA Program came across her desk, she knew she needed to apply for it.

Birth justice is very intersectional, and it intersects with a lot of other issue areas that BIPOC women and gender expansive people of color face. Smith believes being part of the cohort will enable her to build her capacity and deepen her understanding of intersecting issue areas and allow her to serve her grantee partners and have an impact on the world of philanthropy even more.

Smith is hoping to gain through this program relationships with cohort members, those facilitating the trainings and those doing the coaching. It is something she has recognized as a powerful tool throughout her professional journey.  Developing relationships with other people who are also motivated and inspired and engaged in change work. It really helps her to fulfill who she is and the work she is trying to do.

Working in a profession that is so near and dear to who Smith is as a person, there is a lot of grappling with self-care and professional care. She is looking forward to a coach helping her sort through that and identify ways for her to grow and develop and plan for the next stages of her career and life in the birth justice movement.

Smith knows she is doing good work, and she is humbled to be in the room, but she always deals with imposter syndrome, so she questioned whether or not she deserved to be in the room. She has been able to reaffirm herself every step of the way, rise up and lean into the fullness of what being part of the program means for her and the communities that she is accountable for and to. She is ready to lean into the experience and is really grateful for the opportunity.

For more information about the Ms. Foundation for Women, visit forwomen.org. For more information about the Obama Foundation Leaders USA Program, visit obama.org/programs/leaders/usa/2023.

Latest Stories

Latest Podcast

STARR Community Services International, Inc.