By Shayna Mace | Photography by Hillary Schave
As the oldest active Black doula in Dane County, Uchenna Jones has helped birth over a thousand babies. She’s also witnessed the increase of more doulas of color joining the ranks over her 23-year tenure.
“I did my [doula] training through Doulas of North America (DONA) because they’re the pioneer and leader in doula training. I [went back for] more advanced training about 16 years later. In that [timeframe], it went from a pretty much all-white space to an all-brown space. I watched that shift happen, which is pretty amazing because when I [trained] 23 years ago, I was the only Black student, and there was another student of Asian descent,” says Jones.
She says being a Black doula is a privilege and honor.
“The only body I’ve been in is Black, so that’s the only perspective that I can contribute. What I do love is being from a marginalized community has already made me sensitive when it comes to the needs of other marginalized communities. So when I serve a Black birthing person, I look at that person as if [they’re] me,” she says.
Once Jones became a practicing doula, she realized she wanted to learn even more about birthing. She earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing and was a registered nurse for 15 years — 10 of which
she spent in labor and delivery. Although she enjoyed nursing, she left three years ago to join United Way of Dane County as a community impact director of health, a position she holds today. This job, along with being a practicing doula (she owns her own business and also contracts with Harambee), marries Jones’ passions of cultivating maternal and community health throughout the entire life span.
“Being a labor and delivery nurse is great, but you don’t have the sense of community because you’re just providing care to whomever comes through the door. Being a doula means you’re in a community … I get to see my moms that I helped deliver their babies and find out what’s going on in their lives,” she explains. “[And] I have the joy of doing community engagement and working with agencies that are doing the work as it pertains to health.”
As a doula, her nursing background has been invaluable. Sometimes she’ll reach out to former colleagues to talk through maternal health scenarios or to refer a high-risk patient to a primary care provider.
“I’m able to provide customized care for my clients. A lot of Black birthing people are really nervous and scared about being treated poorly [or] not being heard or seen. So, my job is to make sure they’re seen,” says Jones.
In fall 2025, Jones, who was a 2024 BRAVA Woman to Watch, will complete her three-year training to become a certified midwife. Her goal is to open her own midwife practice.
“What do I want to be? I want to be great. And if I’m going to be great, that means I have to stay connected. I have to stay involved. I have to continue to feed my brain all things birth,” she says.
