our stories matter!
supporting our Black, Brown, Indigenous, & queer birthworkers
beautiful humans!
first & foremost, welcome to all the beautiful new subscribers who i met at print & resist zine fest a couple weeks ago! i’m so glad you’re here.
this is a monthly newsletter where i’ll be sharing zine updates, info about classes i’m teaching, and hopefully lots of info that feels supportive & empowering!
feel free to hit reply and re-introduce yourself, let me know if you have any questions, and let me know what good support would feel & look like!
this month i’m bringing y’all something a little different—a zine that is also a fundraiser and i hope you’ll consider making a donation!
what is the fundraiser for?
a dear friend & doula colleague of mine, dale gardner (they / them), is raising money to attend a training / celebration / reclamation of ancestral wisdom in july this year. i had the absolute joy of collaborating on a zine with them in march as a way to fundraise and now we are offering this zine to you!
what is the zine about?
the zine is dale’s thoughts, wisdom, & experience—i just got to draw & format it. it’s about reproductive justice, it’s about perinatal outcomes for Black families, it’s about collecting our stories and preserving our wisdom, and making sure that Black, brown, indigenous, and queer families have the care they need, not only to be safe, but to thrive.
HOW TO GET YER COPY:
send some $ via the many options listed below
send me a lil screenshot of the confirmation page + your mailing address (you can also request a digital copy by sending your email)
get a zine in the mail (or email) as a thank you!
ways to support dale:
zelle (preferred): jdgardner31@gmail.com
paypal: jdgardner31@me.com
cash app: @neenie31
apple pay: 608-695-5636
or donate to the Caribbean Birthworkers in general
curious about the wonderful dale & the work they do? here’s their bio:
J. Dale Gardner (they/them), The Rainbow Doula
Dale holds a B.S in Health Promotion and Health Equity, as well as Gender and Women’s Studies from the University of Wisconsin Madison. They are a current MSN-DE nursing student at Carroll University. They are proud to work as a Full Spectrum Doula, a Gender Doula, Childbirth Educator, Certified Lactation Counselor, Placenta Encapsulation Specialist, and Certified Babywearing Educator. They also moonlight as a Gynecology Teaching Associate at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health, training students to give gynecological exams.
Dale’s passion is working collaboratively with other like-minded individuals to help create systemic change within the reproductive healthcare system. This is why they are proud to be building community through their private birthwork business Prismatic Birthing Services and gender affirmation consultant business, Prismatic Connection. They are a contracted doula with the Foundation For Black Women’s Wellness ConnectRX program. They volunteer with P.O.W.E.R.S All Options counseling, the Wisconsin Abortion Support Network, Madison Area Donor Milk Alliance (formerly: Mother’s Milk Alliance) where they are a Freezer Faery, and former intern/current Perinatal Doula with Public Health Madison Dane County. Last but certainly not least the most important project that Dale runs with full love, heart, and soul: “Project Home”- where they are a loving parent to seven (7) spectacular children and spouse of 23 years to their solid rock of a partner, Christopher
looking for support / to connect this month?
tension & trauma release work
if you’re looking for a consistent, accessible way to deepen your TRE practice, i highly recommend checking out this FREE friday morning class (led by rotating teachers), this $10 wednesday morning class (a combo of somatics + TRE) or this $10 monday night class (taught by me!)—all of these classes require at least a familiarity with the TRE practice already.
birthworkers! join me for a monthly tension & trauma release workshop specifically for birthworkers. registration is here—reach out with any questions and no one is turned away for lack of funds!
childbirth education
having a lil babe this fall or winter? consider childbirth education a must! sign up for a free consult call to talk about what 1:1 childbirth education would look like and how to register.
want to chat about something else?
interested in becoming a doula? have a question about emergency contraception? want to emotionally and physically prepare for an upcoming gynecologist visit? i’m always down to chat! set up an office hours visit and we’ll hang for an hour via zoom + i’ll send a follow up email with resources and “homework.”
sending you all lots of love this month!
warmly,
ashley