My name is Kaiayo Z. Shatteen (they/them/theirs) and I am a Black Indigenous, Non-Binary Queer Parent of two young adults. I am blessed to reside in the Unceded Land of the Lisjan Ohlone People where I am a Reproductive Justice Advocate & Consultant, Apprentice Midwife, Herbal Alchemist, LGBTQ2S+ Equity Consultant and Recovery Motivational Speaker. I have a deep commitment to ending the injustice that puts Black Indigenous and People of Color, Lesbian Gay Bisexual Trans Queer Two-Spirit and Gender Non-Conforming communities at the bottom when it comes to positive birth outcomes, access to inclusive and traditional health care, and equity in the workplace. I am committed to using my calm, healing energy to support and nurture my community. This work is an answer to my Ancestral calling and I am guided by my Ancestors daily. In 2019, my favorite aunt became an Ancestor. During that transition, it was made clear to me that I needed to change my life to become a better person. I have been in recovery since June 2019 and have committed myself to honor my Ancestors, studying Buddhism and walking the Eightfold Path towards becoming a Bodhisattva, sharing the benefits of my sobriety and staying on the path of recovery. I am currently enrolled in Midwifery School with National Midwifery Institute. Upon completion of school, I will be able to take the licensure exam with the North American Registry of Midwives. Passing this exam will give me a license to practice midwifery in the state of California, making me a Certified Professional Midwife. Certified Professional Midwives offer reproductive services including prenatal care, labor and birth support in the home, and postpartum care. The facts about birthing outcomes for Black Indigenous and People of Color Birthing People are grim and changeable as more of us take charge of our health. To close racial gaps in health, we need to intervene in racism at multiple levels. It’s especially important to address institutional racism, which results in race-based differential access to a broad range of resources that enable good health, like quality health care, excellent schools, and good jobs. Right now, I am choosing to tackle the inequities in health care regarding pregnancy and infant care as an apprentice midwife. As more people begin to birth at home with midwives, I believe our outcomes will become progressively better. Being a Certified Professional Midwife means that I will be able to provide birthing people with personalized care that is specific to their needs. It means that BIPOC, LGBTIQA2S+ and limited-income birthing people will have a supportive provider they can relate to. It means that I will begin working with them from the moment they learn they are pregnant and I can offer them continued care, designed specifically for them, from early pregnancy into their postpartum period and beyond. I want to help birthing people learn and appreciate their bodies. To support them as they learn to trust themselves and let go of any fear they may have about birthing or becoming a parent. To honor them as they become parents. To decolonize birth and return to the ways of our ancestors. I strongly believe that I will make a huge impact on the lives I serve and I appreciate this opportunity to apply for this scholarship. Thank you!

My name is Kaiayo Z. Shatteen (they/them/theirs) and I am a Black Indigenous, Non-Binary Queer Parent of two young adults. I am blessed to reside in the Unceded Land of the Lisjan Ohlone People where I am a Reproductive Justice Advocate & Consultant, Apprentice Midwife, Herbal Alchemist, LGBTQ2S+ Equity Consultant and Recovery Motivational Speaker. ​ I have a deep commitment to ending the injustice that puts Black Indigenous and People of Color, Lesbian Gay Bisexual Trans Queer Two-Spirit and Gender Non-Conforming communities at the bottom when it comes to positive birth outcomes, access to inclusive and traditional health care, and equity in the workplace. I am committed to using my calm, healing energy to support and nurture my community. This work is an answer to my Ancestral calling and I am guided by my Ancestors daily. ​ In 2019, my favorite aunt became an Ancestor. During that transition, it was made clear to me that I needed to change my life to become a better person. I have been in recovery since June 2019 and have committed myself to honor my Ancestors, studying Buddhism and walking the Eightfold Path towards becoming a Bodhisattva, sharing the benefits of my sobriety and staying on the path of recovery. I am currently enrolled in Midwifery School with National Midwifery Institute. Upon completion of school, I will be able to take the licensure exam with the North American Registry of Midwives. Passing this exam will give me a license to practice midwifery in the state of California, making me a Certified Professional Midwife. Certified Professional Midwives offer reproductive services including prenatal care, labor and birth support in the home, and postpartum care. The facts about birthing outcomes for Black Indigenous and People of Color Birthing People are grim and changeable as more of us take charge of our health. To close racial gaps in health, we need to intervene in racism at multiple levels. It’s especially important to address institutional racism, which results in race-based differential access to a broad range of resources that enable good health, like quality health care, excellent schools, and good jobs. Right now, I am choosing to tackle the inequities in health care regarding pregnancy and infant care as an apprentice midwife. As more people begin to birth at home with midwives, I believe our outcomes will become progressively better. Being Certified Professional Midwife means that I will be able to provide birthing people with personalized care that is specific to their needs. It means that BIPOC, LGBTIQA2S+ and limited-income birthing people will have a supportive provider they can relate to. It means that I will begin working with them from the moment they learn they are pregnant and I can offer them continued care, designed specifically for them, from early pregnancy into their postpartum period and beyond. I want to help birthing people learn and appreciate their bodies. To support them as they learn to trust themselves and let go of any fear they may have about birthing or becoming a parent. To honor them as they become parents. To decolonize birth and return to the ways of our ancestors. I strongly believe that I will make a huge impact on the lives I serve and I appreciate this opportunity to apply for this scholarship. Thank you!

My name is Kaiayo Z. Shatteen (they/them/theirs) and I am a Black Indigenous, Non-Binary Queer Parent of two young adults. I am blessed to reside in the Unceded Land of the Lisjan Ohlone People where I am a Reproductive Justice Advocate & Consultant, Apprentice Midwife, Herbal Alchemist, LGBTQ2S+ Equity Consultant and Recovery Motivational Speaker. ​ I have a deep commitment to ending the injustice that puts Black Indigenous and People of Color, Lesbian Gay Bisexual Trans Queer Two-Spirit and Gender Non-Conforming communities at the bottom when it comes to positive birth outcomes, access to inclusive and traditional health care, and equity in the workplace. I am committed to using my calm, healing energy to support and nurture my community. This work is an answer to my Ancestral calling and I am guided by my Ancestors daily. ​ In 2019, my favorite aunt became an Ancestor. During that transition, it was made clear to me that I needed to change my life to become a better person. I have been in recovery since June 2019 and have committed myself to honor my Ancestors, studying Buddhism and walking the Eightfold Path towards becoming a Bodhisattva, sharing the benefits of my sobriety and staying on the path of recovery. I am currently enrolled in Midwifery School with National Midwifery Institute. Upon completion of school, I will be able to take the licensure exam with the North American Registry of Midwives. Passing this exam will give me a license to practice midwifery in the state of California, making me a Certified Professional Midwife. Certified Professional Midwives offer reproductive services including prenatal care, labor and birth support in the home, and postpartum care. The facts about birthing outcomes for Black Indigenous and People of Color Birthing People are grim and changeable as more of us take charge of our health. To close racial gaps in health, we need to intervene in racism at multiple levels. It’s especially important to address institutional racism, which results in race-based differential access to a broad range of resources that enable good health, like quality health care, excellent schools, and good jobs. Right now, I am choosing to tackle the inequities in health care regarding pregnancy and infant care as an apprentice midwife. As more people begin to birth at home with midwives, I believe our outcomes will become progressively better. Being Certified Professional Midwife means that I will be able to provide birthing people with personalized care that is specific to their needs. It means that BIPOC, LGBTIQA2S+ and limited-income birthing people will have a supportive provider they can relate to. It means that I will begin working with them from the moment they learn they are pregnant and I can offer them continued care, designed specifically for them, from early pregnancy into their postpartum period and beyond. I want to help birthing people learn and appreciate their bodies. To support them as they learn to trust themselves and let go of any fear they may have about birthing or becoming a parent. To honor them as they become parents. To decolonize birth and return to the ways of our ancestors. I strongly believe that I will make a huge impact on the lives I serve and I appreciate this opportunity to apply for this scholarship. Thank you!

Currently, I am a student at National Midwifery Institute with the hopes of graduating in June 2024. Right now my focus is on completing my clinical experiences as well as the academic portion of the school. My goal to complete the clinical experiences includes working with various midwives in the Oakland community to provide authentic midwifery care. To complete my academics, I have been devoting 20-30 hours per week to working on the modules and tests. When I have graduated from midwifery school, I will be eligible to take the licensure exam with the North American Registry of Midwives. Upon passing the exam, I will become a Certified Professional Midwife. I have a deep commitment to ending the injustice that puts Black Indigenous and People of Color; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, Two Spirit, Gender Non-Conforming/Gender Expansive and Non-Binary People at the bottom when it comes to positive birth outcomes, access to inclusive health care, and equity in the workplace. I am committed to using my calm, healing energy to support and nurture my community. As a Certified Professional Midwife, I plan to establish a midwifery practice that centers the reproductive experiences of Black Indigenous and People of Color; Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual, Two Spirit, Gender Non-Conforming/Gender Expansive and Non-Binary People. The practice will serve people that are at all stages of their reproductive paths, offering Well Person Exams, support after a loss, and prenatal, birth and postpartum support to expectant families. As I have been working in the community as a doula and apprentice midwife, I have seen firsthand the struggle BIPOC, LGBTIQA2S+ and limited income birthing people have with their providers and the hospital system. They don’t feel seen, heard, valued and cared for. I am in school to become a Certified Professional Midwife to become a care provider, and I intend to be an active listener on their journey toward parenthood. I want to support birthing people to have autonomy over their bodies. It is important to me that birthing people have a provider that can relate to their lived experiences and I believe as a Black Indigenous Non-Binary Queer Certified Professional Midwife, I will be able to do that. Being Certified Professional Midwife means that I will be able to provide birthing people with personalized care that is specific to their needs. It means that BIPOC, LGBTIQA2S+ and limited-income birthing people will have a supportive provider they can relate to. It means that I will begin working with them from the moment they learn they are pregnant and I can offer them continued care, designed specifically for them, from early pregnancy into their postpartum period and beyond. I want to help birthing people learn and appreciate their bodies. To support them as they learn to trust themselves and let go of any fear they may have about birthing or becoming a parent. To honor them as they become parents. To decolonize birth and return to the ways of our ancestors. If I were awarded the scholarship, I would use the funds to purchase the books that I need for school, get supplies for my business or offer my doula services to a family at a reduced rate. Thank you for your consideration.

My name is Kaiayo Z. Shatteen (they/them/theirs) and I am a Black Indigenous, Non-Binary Queer Parent of two young adults. I am blessed to reside on the Unceded Land of the Lisjan Ohlone People where I am a Reproductive Justice Advocate & Consultant, Apprentice Midwife, Herbal Alchemist, LGBTQ2S+ Equity Consultant and a Recovery Motivational Speaker. ​ I have a deep commitment to ending the injustice that puts Black Indigenous and People of Color, Lesbian Gay Bisexual Trans Queer 2 Spirit and Gender Non Conforming communities at the bottom when it comes to positive birth outcomes, access to inclusive and traditional health care, and equity in the workplace . I am committed to using my calm, healing energy to support and nurture my community. This work is an answer to Ancestral calling and I am guided by my Ancestors daily. ​ In 2019, my favorite aunt became an Ancestor. During that transition, it was made clear to me that I needed to change my life to become a better person. I have been in recovery since June 2019 and have committed myself to honoring my Ancestors, studying Buddhism and walking the Eightfold Path towards becoming a Bodhisattva, sharing the benefits of my sobriety and staying on the path of recovery. As a Primary Midwife, I am committed to using my calm, healing energy to support birth and new beginnings. I am with clients as their life shifts to include a new being - as people become parents. I believe that birthing people are warriors and should be honored, celebrated and graced with love. Birthing people have held and birthed new life into this Universe. I strive to witness families' journeys as they conquer a great challenge-giving birth to another human being. As a Birth and Postpartum Doula I support births at home, birth centers and on occasion at hospitals. A doula's role consists of emotionally and physically supporting the birthing person, advocating for their needs, and creating unity among the birthing team. Doula's hold space offers a variety of comfort measures and visualization techniques to assist the birthing person during labor. I also instruct the partner, if there's one, on ways to be a part of the process too. I intend to help birthing people find their voice and speak up for what they need and deserve. ​ And finally, as a Reproductive Justice Advocate & Consultant and LGBTIQA2S+ Equity Consultant, I have presented numerous workshops, spoken on panels, taught classes and helped organizations to create an inclusive environment.