Beyond the System: A Conversation with Carmen Mojica, Bronx-based Midwife & Reproductive Justice Advocate

Healthy Bronx

In today’s episode, we interview Carmen Mojica, a midwife and reproductive justice activist in the Bronx. We hear from Carmen about her work in the community supporting families through COVID-19, along with the many ways in which she advocates for Black, Latinx, and other POC individuals who are pregnant or giving birth. We discuss the role of community, policy, and solutions that exist outside of the medical system in supporting birthing people in the borough, along with the barriers to enacting meaningful policy change. Finally, Carmen sheds light on how colonization, slavery and capitalism are inextricably linked to maternal health, and offers wisdom on healing from intergenerational trauma. Carmen is a cofounder of Bronx Rebirth and Progress, a collective of birth workers and mothers seeking to build alternate solutions outside of the system that protect and honor birthing people in the Bronx. She is also a speaker, facilitator, writer, and faculty member at the Midwives College of Utah. This episode is hosted by Ashley Castillo & Olivia Howell, both first year medical students at The Albert Einstein College of Medicine.