Mothers have a divine right and obligation to be mothers.
Iya Raet
Iya is the Yoruba word for mother. Raet is a Kemitic (Ancient Egyptian) goddess. She is the feminine manifestation of the god Ra, who is the creator. Raet represents the feminine life force. Iya Raet means mother creator or femine life force.IIya Raet's holistic journey began in 2000 after polyps were removed from her colon. She later read Queen Afua's Sacred Women. This gave her the motivation to accept the vegan diet cold turkey and become the earth mother healer she was destined to be. When her son was conceived she began preparing for a holistic pregnancy and homebirth. After reading many books she discovered none of them represented the Afrikan woman. Shortly, after her son was born at home, she began training with the Doulas of North America to become a doula. Iya Raet also joined the Philadelphia Alliance of Labor Support.
Doula is a Greek word meaning women care giver or woman's servant. A doula is a birth attendant or labor assistant that supports women during pregnancy, labor, and postpartum. Doulas help parents achieve the birth they desire in a hospital, birth center, or home environment. They can especially be a great advocate in a hospital environment. This support addresses the family's physical and emotional needs. Doulas let women know they have choices. They encourage women to find their voice, at one of the most memorable times of their lives.
Iya Raet's doula work showed her once again that holistic birth and parenting was not reaching the Afrikan community in large numbers. She began provided complimentary doula services to low-income families. In 2006 she decided to write her own book, Holistic Parenting from the Pan - Afrikan Perspective.
She believes families have a divine right to bring life into the world in a way which is healthy. Iya Raet is committed to helping mothers tap into their divine mother instincts so birth and motherhood is uplifting.
SciHonor Devotion is a certified Labor Doula, certified Postpartum Doula, certified Childbirth Educator and Homebirth Midwife Assistant. She is the homeschooling mother of two children ages 7 and 8. Originally from the Queens, New York, she and her vegan family now rest in Connecticut. SciHonor is a co-founder of the Uhuru Homeschool Hut in the Bronx, where parents who have decided not to send their children to institutionalized schools but to educate them on their own can come together for one common cause, which is to "Teach the Babies". She is the co-founder of Earth's Natural Touch Birthing Services, and founder of Nurturing Touch Birth Care and Beyond and the Earthly Circle of Life all providing, labor support, postpartum support, childbirth education, prenatal yoga, belly casting, holistic maternal retreats, sacred seminars for women and girls and more. She is member of the International Center for Traditional Childbearing, Doulas of North America, and the Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association. She is also a board member for Sistahs for Better Birthing which is the New York chapter of The International Center for Traditional Childbearing (ICTC) www.blackmidwives.org providing education, service, and networking to those interested in childbirth, and parenting, specifically reducing premature births, infant mortality, promoting breastfeeding, and assisting women who want to become midwives and practicing midwives.
Venus (Nature) Rodriguez-McGregor BS CD LCCE- She was born
in San Juan, Puerto Rico and moved to NY when she was 8 years old. Venus is the
mother of three beautiful children. She lives in Rockland County, NY with her
husband and children. She began her education in Rockland Community College
where she first discovered her interest in helping other women. She received her
Associates degree in psychology with the hopes of becoming a therapist for
women and young girls. After having her first child in a hospital she felt that there
had to be another way for women to give birth. She had her second child at The
Childbirth Center P.A., when it was operating. There she discovered the
wonderful world of midwives and she instantly wanted to be a part of that.
She found out about becoming a Doula and finally felt that she found her way to
help women! She became a certified Doula with ALACE in the winter of 2000.
For the birth of her third child she sought after the care of her colleague and dear
friend Valeriana Pasqua-Masback CNM. With her help Nature was able to have a
wonderful homebirth experience. Nature feels that having birthed her three children
in such different environments has given her special insights that have helped her
while she attends births. She went on to receive her Lamaze childbirth education
certification in the fall of 2004. Nature received her BS from SUNY Empire
State College in Human Development-Early Infant and Maternal Health and
Development in May of 2006. Venus is also a Midwife Assistant for two Homebirth practices in the NY/NJ area. She is currently enrolled in The National College of Midwifery and is due to graduate in 2010.
Eshe Riviears, a renowned herbalist, organic master gardener, herbal/nutritional counselor and kinesiologist, is a spiritually-intuitive healer who honors the traditions of the ancestors. Known internationally as The Herb Lady, Riviears carries on the legacy of her Big Momma, aunt and uncle who were Utica, Mississippi's town herbalists. Aunt Henrietta's Lung Tonic and Uncle Peter's Azzafizzity Cough Stop, honor those tall-walkers who inspired her best-selling Traditional Herbal blends that number 100 individual. Her popular, doctor-recommended tonic, Fibroid Free!, has assisted many women in regaining control of their lives.
Riviears, has throughout her life honored her southern roots, connecting with the cultural traditions of the region. Her quest to live in season with the earth and her ancestors has activated her ability to combine the wisdom of nature with research and observation to create healing formulas that match Mother Nature's bounty to the needs of her intergenerational clientele. This inspired her book, "The Parasite Kleanzing Diet ", which describes how to use food and herbs to rid your body of parasites and environmental toxins. It also includes recipes and other helpful information on building your immune system.
Leaving a legacy of healing for children is a vital part of Riviears' lifework. "We must empower our children with the knowledge and confidence to heal themselves physically, emotionally, spiritually and nutritionally," Riviears says. "It is God's intention that we live in Divine Order."
Founder of the Wholistic Sistas on Tour, Riviears has launched two natural seminar series, "The Healthy Herbal Lifestyles" and "The Wholistic Mommas and Kidz". These wellness seminars pay homage to the time-honored wisdom and rituals of those who have gone before. She also collaborates & assists in organizing The Organic Fest & The Alive Expo.
She studied for her undergraduate work at U.C. Berkeley, her herbal studies at Dominion College, studied kinesiology at the U.S. Kinesiology Institute in North Carolina and received her Master Gardening training at The University of Georgia. She is currently studying for her doctorate in Wholistic Counseling from The University of Sedona.
A native of Muskegon, Riviears was raised in Flint, Michigan and has since 1990 lived in Newborn, a country town 55 miles east of Atlanta with her husband and four children.
Karimah is a certified holistic health counselor and practitioner of energy medicine of ten years. Karimah was introduced to a Raw foods diet by her herbology teacher in 2000. She and her family has since benefited from the regenerative qualities of Raw Foods. Soon after implementing the raw food diet in her household she began recommending the diet, on a therapeutic level to her clients suffering from various ailments and has seen undeniable improvement. In June 2007, Karimah launched Temple of Karimah Enterprises which seeks to educate families about natural living and wellness. Karimah has conducted workshops and lectures at Nubian Heritage Bookstore in Queens, Organic Fest in Atlanta, GA, conducted consultations and lectures at various churches in the New York area and consultations at the Happily Natural Festival in Richmond, VA. Over the course of ten years Karimah has assisted many clients including executives, therapists, children, homemakers, mothers, fathers, and elderly improve their health and quality of life. Karimah works to convey her message of spiritual, mental and physical health clearly to anyone who seeks to achieve their higher health goals. Her combination of skills and effective as well as inspiring communication is a powerful tool toward enabling listeners to gain clarity, motivation, and the energy they need to move forward in their healing endeavors. Karimah’s greatest dream is to see families and their loved ones in “high health”, empowering them to achieve their greatest potential. During a Living/Raw foods demonstration, she passionately motivates her audience to prepare healthy, quick, easy recipes that the entire family can enjoy and demonstrates how exciting eating healthy can be.
Shaylah Boyd-Gill, AAHCC
Shaylah is a Washington, DC native who began studying the art of belly dancing seven years ago as one of the original members of the Moor Hips Belly Dance troupe. She has danced and taught workshops throughout the USA and Caribbean. Her goal is to bring attention and awareness to the true roots of ancient African Belly Dance and to promote physical, mental and emotional healing through the dance. She is a founding member of the Belly Dancers of Color Association (BOCA) who sponsors a festival every year that brings dancers of color from all over the world.
Shaylah has been privileged to train and attend workshops with Dr. Sunyatta Amen, Tarik Sultan, Nabeela El Shalimar, Somra El Nubia and many more. She balances dancing with her full time career as a mother of four, wife, natural childbirth educator (Bradley Method®) and doula. Shaylah comes to you with a lot of energy and exhibits the dance in its full art form. Be prepared to dance and move yourself to a higher level