Judith Angeles, an AfroIndigenous Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) and mother, was hired on April 25th, 2022 by Tammi McKinley, a white CPM of Hampton Roads Midwifery in Virginia.  In Tammi’s letter of hire, she stated that the salary would be $6,000/month.  In the Staff Midwife Agreement between Hampton Roads Midwifery and Judith Angeles, this was subsequently reduced to $3500/month base pay with opportunities to earn more beyond that as the practice expanded. 

Judith moved from Oakland, California to Virginia, incurring moving expenses of $7744.64.  She arrived on May 23 and contacted Tammi the following day.  At that point, Tammi informed her that the base pay was reduced once again to $1000/month.  Judith advised Tammi that this was not the agreement they had when she left Oakland and moved across the country and was not financially feasible for her.  She asked that Tammi at least reimburse her for her moving expenses but Tammi has not done so. (To donate to Judith's GoFundMe and help her get back on her feet, please go here.  Even small donations will help.)

In addition to her actions, Tammi has made explicitly racist comments about Black clients and Black students in written conversations with another white midwife.  For example, she stated -

“It’s not worth it to be anti-racist.  Not worth the effort”,

“I’m done being anti-racist. I’m happy to embrace being a racist white midwife,”

“I want nothing to do with this population.”  (See photos below of actual text conversations)

The situation was brought to the attention of the board of the Virginia Midwives Association and no action was taken.  The North American Registry of Midwives (NARM) was also made aware of this situation and has not intervened. 

Decades of research have demonstrated that disparities in Black maternal and infant mortality are due to systemic racism and provider bias and that having providers with racist outlooks causes real HARM to Black families. This particular preceptor has HARMED an AfroIndigenous midwife and is a threat to Black students and clients. 

As a midwife credentialing agency and a tax-exempt non-profit collecting fees from members, NARM has a responsibility to public safety. Tammi is certified through NARM and should be held accountable for her actions by NARM.

So far no action has been taken.  Lack of action keeps the status quo in place, which is one of the reasons that maternal mortality disparities are one of the longest disparities in U.S. history. As pointed out by activist and historian Ibrim X. Kendi, "We are all a part of the problem unless we are a part of the solution."

Our dues and renewals, applications, and testing make up the $500,000 plus tax-exempt funds that come into NARM each year.  Accountability is supposed to be one of the standards that NARM upholds.  

The signatories of this appeal demand accountability from NARM and real action to address the harm that was done and to prevent further harm. Furthermore, we demand that restitution be defined by the victim.