Today we’d like to introduce you to Chastity Mays.
Hi Chastity, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My name is Chastity Mays and I am 49 years old. I have 3 children, their names are Solo, Maleah, and Adah. I am originally from Piqua, Ohio and the majority of my family still lives there. I graduated high school from Piqua High School and went to Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. Once I graduated, I ended up staying in Carbondale and raised my children there. I homeschooled my children for the majority of their schooling with my focus being on them and raising them. I put my children first in everything that I did when raising them, because I really enjoyed being a mother. I cherish the time I got to spend with them when they were growing up. Once they became young adults it was time for me to find my passion and other purpose in life. This made me begin to place myself in places of influence having to do with activism and community work. When George Floyd was murdered my daughters really wanted to do something to honor his life. So, my family organized a candlelight vigil in Turley Park which is in the same neighborhood that I raised my kids in and the community showed up. I see the George Floyd Candlelight vigil as my start into activism in my community. It really gave me the chance to see what the community could do when called to action.. After the George Floyd era we marched and then moved toward discussing what other strategies we could do to really make an impact on the community. That is when I began to attend city council meetings and joined a few public office boards. With this passion for helping people I transitioned into maternal health. From there I became a Full Spectrum Doula. Doula work is not a job for me, it is a passion and a calling. My next step in birth work that has called me is to become a midwife and I am currently a student at Midwives College of Utah (MCU). I plan to become a Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) and pursue practicing in homebirths or a birth center.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The reality is that as a Full Spectrum Doula I stand with my clients in spaces where systemic and structural racism are putting their lives at stake more often than we care to discuss. Being a black woman and a Doula in the hospital you have to fight even harder to be heard to protect your clients and their babies. Black women die 3X more than their white counterparts during pregnancy and birth so racism is killing black women and black women are leading the charge to fight back against these injustices.
As a black birth worker not only are we fighting racism, we are fighting an entire system. Systemic Racism and structural racism are forms of racism that are pervasively and deeply embedded in systems, laws, written or unwritten policies as well as, and entrenched practices and beliefs that produce, condone, and perpetuate widespread unfair treatment and oppression with adverse health consequences.
I have been fighting for years to spread the word on the black maternal health crisis. This includes changing the treatment of black families in the hospital system. It takes patience and persistence to continue to make much needed changes for families. Yet, with unity and perseverance we can see these much needed changes take place in the present day.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I have been a Full Spectrum Birth Doula since 2019. I am the CEO for The Little Resource Center Carbondale and have held formal doula certification for 6 years. I have been working in family service and peer-support spaces for over 15 years. My reach has extended across a few states now. I have served clients in Southern Illinois, the Missouri Bootheel area, and Paducah, Kentucky. I stand with and advocate for families who are underrepresented and, in many cases, simply not heard at all.
There are many committees and councils that I serve on. Currently, I am a part of the board of the Carbondale Public Library and the Birth Equity committee for the Southern Illinois Healthcare Labor and Delivery Unit at Carbondale Memorial Hospital in Carbondale, IL. I am routinely involved in state and regional political efforts around Black Maternal Health and I frequently present my expertise and experience in public forums, conferences, and through legislative testimony.
I believe that representation and cultural awareness is vital to changing the exorbitant black maternal mortality rates. I also sit on the Promoting Vaginal Birth Committee with Southern Illinois Healthcare.
The Little Resource Center Carbondale (TLRC) is a family and parenting resource center located in Carbondale, IL. We serve families, parents, and caregivers in the Southern Illinois region through material, educational, and emotional support. We also provide case management and health and social service referrals free of charge.
TLRC Carbondale was originally part of a local network of free diaper cabinets (similar to “free little libraries”). However, the need myself and my business partner, Claire Hughes, saw in the Carbondale region far surpassed our expectations. Since late 2023, we’ve grown rapidly and are now an autonomous program with a full line of social and educational services. Our work aims at addressing disparities in Black and rural maternal health outcomes, perinatal mental health, rural food deserts, and reproductive choice.
When I became a Full Spectrum Doula in 2019, I was the only Black Birth Worker in Southern Illinois. This means there were no other Black nurses, obstetricians, doulas, birth assistants, etc. The goal was never for me to be the only so I began to recruit other black women to join birth work. The first Birth Worker that I mentored and trained was Candace Akintola and she is now a Full Spectrum Doula. She is also my right hand and support in all things Birth Work.
I also recently worked with Choices Center for Reproductive Health and we trained a diverse array of Full Spectrum Doulas and they graduated in July of 2025. We graduated 9 Doulas and 5 of them were Black, and 2 were Latina and are Bilingual.
My dream and goal of recruiting other black women into Birth Work has become real and it is amazing to see it come into fruition. It is a blessing to be able to mentor and train others to work in the field.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
My two favorite books that everyone should read are Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave by Frederick Douglass and Caste by Elizabeth Wilkerson. The best birth related book I would suggest is Killing The Black Body by Dorothy E. Roberts. My favorite podcast is called This American Life with Ira Glass on NPR.
Pricing:
- Medicaid Accepted
- All The Little Resource Center Carbondale services are Free of Charge
Contact Info:
- Website: https://littleresourcecarbondale.org/
- Instagram: hathor_doula_services
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tlrcsouthernillinois/
