Bridging Healing Spaces & Advocacy: A Conversation with Briana Simmons
On navigating reproductive healthcare as a Black patient, the importance of storytelling, and how to protect your peace.
When I started assembling my thoughts for my article, The Ultimate Guide to a Great Pelvic Exam, it felt crucial to include the impact of racial bias that BIPOC patients may face in a medical setting.
I reached out to Soul 2 Soul Sisters to ask if anyone from their organization would be willing to talk to me about navigating healthcare spaces and was delighted when Briana Simmons replied to answer some questions. Briana was already a familiar voice from her wonderful contributions as a co-facilitator at a past abortion doula training I assisted with for Colorado Doula Project several years ago.
She expressed a preference to conduct our interview over email vs. video and provided such powerful insight that I knew I’d have to make a separate post just to do her efforts justice. While I typically reserve full expert interviews for my paid subscribers*, I wanted to make an exception for this content - it’s too crucial to put behind a paywall.
*I offer free paid subscriptions to readers who identify as BIPOC or members of the LGBTQ+ community. If that’s you, please reach out so I can gift you a paid subscription.
Without further ado, please enjoy Briana’s exquisite words.
Erika: Could you tell me a little bit about who you are (name, pronouns) and what you do for Soul 2 Soul Sisters and Sacred Seeds?
Briana: My name is Briana Simmons, I use she/her/hers pronouns. I’ve been working for Soul 2 Soul Sisters for the last 5 years. Currently, my role as the Black Healing, Health & Joy Manager allows me to serve our mission in a range of ways, including co-collaboration with my team in curating sacred healing spaces for Black women, femmes, and gender expansive folks, building strategic partnerships in alignment with health justice, and managing the Sacred Seeds Black Birthworker Collective of CO.
E: What led you to these fields of work?
B: I’ve witnessed a lot over the years within our healthcare system, specifically. My professional path is always informed by those personal and secondary experiences, but I began my career in the fine arts, soon after redirected into media/journalism, and eventually found my way into political science. After graduating from the University of Denver’s International Human Rights Program, I was in search of a position where I could use my role as a birthworker coupled with all these perspectives and skillsets. Ultimately, I want to make a meaningful impact on the experiences folks have within healthcare in ways they can feel in real time.
E: I’m familiar with the abominable history of gynecology in the US, specifically regarding the atrocities committed against Black enslaved women by people like J. Marion Sims. I planned to touch on this briefly in the article to give some background for folks who don’t know anything about it. Do you have an article or book you’d recommend for further historical detail, in case anyone is curious to learn more?
B: The history of gynecology in the US is an egregious example of the violence committed against Black enslaved women. Unfortunately, it is one example of many. The books Killing the Black Body by Dorothy Roberts and Medical Apartheid by Harriet Washington, detail at length the reasons why Black folks, in particular, rightfully distrust the medical system.
E: Do you feel this history of medical abuse against Black individuals persists in gynecology, birth care, or healthcare in general? If so, how?
B: The history of medical abuse and negligence of Black folks persists in all facets of life, including gynecology, birth care, and the healthcare system in general. We know the names of far too many Black Mamas who have not been listened to when reporting that something is wrong in pregnancy or early postpartum. This dismissal has resulted in unnecessary trauma, mistreatment, and even preventable deaths of Black Mamas who should still be with us. In our post-Roe v. Wade reality, we see pregnant people, especially Black mothers who are being criminalized for making decisions about their bodies and their families in ways that advocates have been calling out for decades.
The misunderstandings and politicized narratives of gender-affirming care especially impact Black Queer and Trans people who already struggle to receive dignified healthcare services. We see within the COVID-19 pandemic the disproportionate effects on the Black community. Much of this has been credited to preexisting conditions like high blood pressure and diabetes which are prevalent in the Black community, but have been framed as an individual and lifestyle problem instead of an environmental/societal one.
As the pandemic persists, we see many people are now navigating the long-lasting effects of contracting COVID which disability justice advocates have been alarming us to pay attention to. Racism, misinformation, and lack of competent leadership have failed all of us, especially the Black community.
E: What advice would you give folks of color who have either experienced medical trauma or who are afraid of experiencing it?
B: Tell your story! Not only is telling your story crucial for your healing process, but it can also provide insights for others navigating similar experiences and help shape solutions. There’s no right or wrong way to do it. I always suggest journaling or another creative expression like visual art, dance, or music. You can share in conversation with family, friends, or other trusted people in your community. You can become an advocate sharing your story with organizations, legislators, or media and push for change. There are so many avenues!
Just as there are stories of medical trauma and abuse, there are also beautiful and sacred birthing stories that deserve to be uplifted. As people who have endured so much, it’s important to do our best at regulating our nervous systems and one way of doing that is by being mindful of what we’re pouring into our psyche. Surrounding yourself with a loving community, setting boundaries, and protecting your peace is just as important as empowering yourself with information on what’s happening to your body and the options available to you.
E: If a person of color is looking for a provider, what questions should they ask? What should they look for during a consultation?
B: Consultations or initial appointments are the perfect opportunity to tune into your gut instincts about your interaction and ask as many questions as you can. We recently launched our Black Birthing Guide that suggests questions to ask an OB/GYN, midwife, and/or birthworker. Health care providers and non-medical professionals like birthworkers are for hire and should they not be responsive in meeting your standard of care, or you generally find yourself dissatisfied, there should be no hesitation in finding another person to support you and your family.
E: What should white providers know about working with patients of color? How can they be supportive in the care they’re providing?
B: In a recent panel discussion with CU Anschutz, one of my co-panelists, Danielle Gilbert, BSN, RN affirmed the value and worthiness of Black women. It was a very powerful moment. As a white provider, do you see and honor the value and worthiness of all your patients or do you tend to treat your patients of color differently?
Ultimately, we need a cultural shift in our healthcare system. Providers must be honest in their self-reflection of biases they hold and the actions or inactions they take because of them. During the same panel conversation, I encouraged providers to get to know and understand why they’ve chosen this profession and to re-evaluate this consistently. If a provider finds themselves with a calloused heart, performing from a savior complex, or otherwise disconnected from their work and the patients they serve, then recognize that they are contributing to the problem and delaying the cultural shift we so desperately need.
E: What does it mean to be trauma-informed?
B: In the world we live in, we can assume that an individual has experienced some form of trauma. To be trauma-informed means that you have this understanding and work with a patient to ensure they are in the driver's seat of their care. It requires humility to break down power dynamics and establish this type of trustworthiness between a provider and patient. It’s all about establishing safety and maintaining a commitment to avoid re-traumatizing folks within their interactions.
E: In your opinion, why is sexual/reproductive preventative healthcare important?
B: It is very profitable for preventative care to be an afterthought and the medical industrial complex purposefully hoards power over us in managing disease and illness instead. The medical industrial complex, which is made up of healthcare institutions, personnel, regulatory agencies, pharmaceutical corporations, and more profit off of people’s disconnection with their bodies. There are situations where medical care access is crucial and life-saving, but sexual/reproductive preventive healthcare is ours to reclaim. It is empowering and self-sustaining to know about your body and the natural ways to care for it.
E: Last question: do you have any recommendations for where a person of color can find caring, informed providers?
B: I think the best recommendations for where a person can find caring and informed providers will come from word-of-mouth suggestions from other folks in your community. This is why storytelling is so important. Additionally, the Irth App launched in 2021 and compiles reviews from Black and Brown moms on their prenatal, birthing, postpartum, and pediatric experiences with providers and facilities across the U.S.
Resources:
Learn more about Soul 2 Soul Sisters and Sacred Seeds Black Birthworker Collective of Colorado.
Attend Soul 2 Soul Sisters’ Facing Racism training. I had the privilege of attending this series years ago and it changed my life.
Purchase Killing the Black Body by Dorothy Roberts and Medical Apartheid by Harriet Washington from independent bookstores.