Episode 15: Black Doulas Matter- Rokea Jones and Kristin Travis

The Deep End Friends Podcast

Join us for a conversation about motherhood with two amazing black doulas and activists literally bringing us life!

Rokea Jones is a Seattle Native and a mother to her brilliant two year old daughter. Rokea is currently a Community Based Outreach Doula serving the African-American community at Open Arms Perinatal Services. She is also a certified PALS doula serving the Seattle area. Rokea is a certified lactation educator and is a local leader in the current cohort of Health Connect One’s Birth equity leadership Academy. Rokea is a staunch advocate for reproductive justice and birth equity since 2006. Rokea started in the birth work field as a volunteer doula, it didn’t take long for her to see the gaps in care for families of color in comparison to other birthing families, her experiences have influenced her today. She strives to create more access to labor and parenting support for African- American families because she understands the unique barriers and cultural needs. As a commissioner for the Seattle Women’s commission, Rokea uses that platform to continue to advocate for policies that support the wellbeing of all mothers and their families. Rokea believes strongly that when you take care of a mother, you take care of the whole community.

Kristin Travis has been an advocate for vulnerable communities for the past decade and she has entered into birthwork in 2016. She is a Community-Based Outreach Doula serving the African-American Community at Open Arms Perinatal Services. She is the owner of BEarthmate Doula Services a full-spectrum birth services, placenta encapsulation and umbilical art business (www.BEarthmate.com). To date, she has supported 95 families during the birth of their newborn – it has been the passion and joy of her life! She is a Chicagoan, who enjoys hiking Washington’s beautiful old-growth forests with her six-year-old Min-Pin Chihuahua Moxxie.