Photo by Emily Goodstein
Miriam’s interest in birth started sometime in middle school, during various hour-long sessions pouring over health books at friend’s houses. She became a doula in 2004, after watching the documentary Born in the USA and deciding that birth activism was her passion. Miriam has worked as a reproductive justice organizer with the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, a case manager for pregnant Latinas and most recently a self-employed writer, consultant and speaker.
In 2007, Miriam worked with Lauren Mitchell and Mary Mahoney to found the Doula Project, a NYC based organization that provides doula care to folks across the spectrum of pregnancy. Mary and Lauren took that project to amazing places after Miriam left in 2008 to move to Washington DC. She’s since come back to NYC and is excited to finally be doing the work of an abortion doula.
Miriam founded Radical Doula in 2007 as a way to connect the dots between issues that are often seen as contradictory: reproductive rights, birth activism, doula work, LGBT issues, immigrant rights, racial justice. She wanted to connect with other like-minded doulas with radical and intersectional politics, working across movements and oppressions.
Miriam is a former member of the Sistersong Women of Color Reproductive Health Collective Management Circle, and is currently serving as the Secretary of the Board of Directors of the Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice.
Miriam has received various awards and recognitions for her work, including a 2009 Young Woman of Achievement Award from the Women’s Information Network and a 2010 Barbara Seaman Award for Activism in Women’s Health from the National Women’s Health Network. She was included in a recent MORE Magazine feature about new feminists to pay attention to, and Curve Magazine named her Best Activist/Newcomer in 2010.
More info about Miriam’s work is here.
If you’re interesting in having Miriam speak at your school or organization, please email her directly at radicaldoula@gmail.com.
