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All My Babies
''All My Babies: A Midwife's Own Story'' is a 1953 educational film written, directed and produced by George C. Stoney which was used to educate midwives in the Southern United States and promote greater cooperation between midwifery and the modern health system. It was produced by the Georgia Department of Public Health. The film follows Mary Francis Hill Coley (1900–66) an African American midwife from Albany, Georgia who helped deliver over 3,000 babies in the middle part of the 20th century. On December 17, 2002, it was announced by Librarian of Congress James H. Billington that "All My Babies, George Stoney's landmark educational film used to educate midwives in Georgia and throughout the South" was among the annual selection of 25 motion pictures to be added to the National Film Registry. Plot The film was produced as a method of educating "granny midwives," the term applied to African-American lay women who delivered the majority of both black and white women's babies i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mary Francis Hill Coley
Mary Francis Hill Coley (August 15, 1900 – March 1966) was an American lay midwife who ran a successful business providing a range of birth services and who starred in a critically acclaimed documentary film used to train midwives and doctors. Her competence projected an image of black midwives as the face of an internationally esteemed medical profession, while working within the context of deep social and economic inequality in health care provided to African Americans. Her life story and work exist in the context of Southern granny midwives who served birthing women outside of hospitals. Biography Coley was born Mary Francis Hill in Baker County, Georgia. She was the youngest of four children, a sole-surviving twin at birth. She was raised by relatives after her parents died. She received almost nothing in the way of formal education, leaving after third grade but relied instead on practical training and apprenticeship. In 1930, she married Ashley Coley, a carpenter, and mo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
