Monique Welch

2 months ago | houstonlanding.org | Monique Welch

When Texas Children’s Hospital suddenly axed its decades-long midwifery group as part of a five percent reduction of its workforce last year, certified nurse midwife, Titi Otunla, was concerned she wouldn’t have another place to practice. “It was unexpected,” she said. Otunla, who previously served as midwife manager and clinical lead at Texas Children’s, was devastated for the many women afraid to give birth, especially in a hospital setting due to Houston’s maternal mortality crisis.

2 months ago | houstonlanding.org | Monique Welch

DeShaun Desrosiers wishes she had used a doula for the birth of her first child roughly nine years ago, when doctors and nurses at an El Paso-area hospital ignored and mistreated her. She said her doctors ignored her screams when she told them she could feel the incision during her cesarean and eventually flatlined. To this day, she still experiences anxiety about undergoing any surgical procedure, even minimal ones like dental work.

2 months ago | houstonlanding.org | Monique Welch

A Houston African diaspora archaeologist’s unique vision to unearth Black history around the world was recently selected by the National Geographic Society for a grant program. The two-year project, known as “Silent Witnesses: The Black Heritage Tree Project,” is spearheaded by Houston-based Alicia Odewale, the University of Houston professor behind the popular “Cowboy Carter” history class, and aims to chronicle the stories of Black heritage and resilience by mapping trees.

2 months ago | houstonlanding.org | Monique Welch

As SHAPE Community Center begins to rebuild after an accidental electrical fire recently devastated its Nia Becnel Family Center at 3815 Live Oak St., leaders called on their most important stakeholders — the community — to help them imagine the new SHAPE.

2 months ago | houstonlanding.org | Monique Welch

Eileen Edmonds has facilitated programming for Theatre Under the Stars on Saturdays at the Metropolitan Multi-Service Center since 2007, but she’s never been as concerned about safety as she has been in the last year. She said she has noticed and heard about ongoing suspicious, illegal activity, primarily from unhoused individuals who appear to have mental illnesses.