About Marinah V. Farrell
Marinah has been working in advocacy and traditional medicine since she was a small child, with memories as early as the 3rd grade where she was organizing. As a teenager she moved into racial justice work and in college studied Politics, with an eye toward Political Theory as inspired by many indigenous and chicanx leaders in the movement, as well as personal professors who had a lasting impact, such as Joel Olson with his thoughtfulness around Whiteness and power dynamics. During this time, Marinah was helping midwives with education and legislative initiatives in Arizona, and began assisting midwives. At the same time she continued her political studies, she went to work in Mexico City in 2000 as an international observer for the elections there as well as trainer for a corporate job based there. During this time, she also had her beautiful children, born at home, and was busy raising children, finishing education programs, working full time, and always doing what she could to be with midwives.
When the time came to go to graduate school for political theory, Marinah realized that midwifery was the calling she had to follow, and began apprenticing full time. At this time in Arizona midwifery history, there were no midwives of color that were training midwives, and very few midwives in general practicing. Marinah left to El Paso, the place her parents had lived and married, as well as many relatives, and went to Maternidad La Luz midwifery school. Marinah was fortunate to be able to work in Juarez, Mexico at this time in a nonprofit for missing facotry workers, as well as with a Mexican doctor attending births. She completed her course of studies there and went to New Mexico to take her exams, becoming licensed in both New Mexico and Arizona in 2003. At this time, Marinah opened her home birth practice.
Since then, Marinah has worked in every setting, working internationally as well as domestically, in birth centers, medical facilities and assisting home births. In the last 15 years, Marinah's work has expanded to national midwifery advocacy work, being able to be in coalitions and ground setting policy work with some of the most incredible midwifery and reproductive justice leaders in the country.
After many years of full time midwifery, and full time midwifery advocacy work, Marinah has shifted from catching babies to two areas:
~work on trauma related care and advocacy for BIPOC birthworkers at local and national levels
~Mind body coaching and healing work, and traditional healing.
In 2021, Marinah completed her training in Somatic Therapy and is focusing on Perinatal, Birth and Postpartum mind-body healing and coaching, in the Somatic Experiencing certification. She is currently also taking classes with Kate White, an award-winning prenatal and perinatal educator, for a more comprehensive and focused training that she hopes to bring to the communities she works in.
Marinah's mother was a traditional healer and she grew from childhood learning about healing medicines and traditional ways. Marinah has also been fortunate to work with healers in the Americas and in Africa as teachers and mentors.
Marinah's work has included:
Marinah is active in multiple public health initiatives and coalitions within her community and at the national and international levels. Her background includes diverse activism such as street level medic work and immigration activism in Arizona, clinical/government policy work in Mexico and Africa, organizational development and facilitation in the U.S and Mexico with various non-profits, AI/AN/indigenous health justice work, and as a founding board member of a free clinic for immigrant families, Phoenix Allies for Community Health.
Her most recent work included being an Executive Director of a Native Led midwifery project in 2020-2021.
Marinah is the founder of Parteras de Maiz, an umbrella organization for the many projects and coalitions for traditional midwives, including her podcast Good Birth for All, the Dignity Birth Campaign which was developed with a U.S and South African team, Compassionate Birth, and various BIPOC-led reproductive justice coalitions.
Marinah is also currently serving as a board member for the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice and on the advisory board for Birth Detroit.
Marinah has been working in advocacy and traditional medicine since she was a small child, with memories as early as the 3rd grade where she was organizing. As a teenager she moved into racial justice work and in college studied Politics, with an eye toward Political Theory as inspired by many indigenous and chicanx leaders in the movement, as well as personal professors who had a lasting impact, such as Joel Olson with his thoughtfulness around Whiteness and power dynamics. During this time, Marinah was helping midwives with education and legislative initiatives in Arizona, and began assisting midwives. At the same time she continued her political studies, she went to work in Mexico City in 2000 as an international observer for the elections there as well as trainer for a corporate job based there. During this time, she also had her beautiful children, born at home, and was busy raising children, finishing education programs, working full time, and always doing what she could to be with midwives.
When the time came to go to graduate school for political theory, Marinah realized that midwifery was the calling she had to follow, and began apprenticing full time. At this time in Arizona midwifery history, there were no midwives of color that were training midwives, and very few midwives in general practicing. Marinah left to El Paso, the place her parents had lived and married, as well as many relatives, and went to Maternidad La Luz midwifery school. Marinah was fortunate to be able to work in Juarez, Mexico at this time in a nonprofit for missing facotry workers, as well as with a Mexican doctor attending births. She completed her course of studies there and went to New Mexico to take her exams, becoming licensed in both New Mexico and Arizona in 2003. At this time, Marinah opened her home birth practice.
Since then, Marinah has worked in every setting, working internationally as well as domestically, in birth centers, medical facilities and assisting home births. In the last 15 years, Marinah's work has expanded to national midwifery advocacy work, being able to be in coalitions and ground setting policy work with some of the most incredible midwifery and reproductive justice leaders in the country.
After many years of full time midwifery, and full time midwifery advocacy work, Marinah has shifted from catching babies to two areas:
~work on trauma related care and advocacy for BIPOC birthworkers at local and national levels
~Mind body coaching and healing work, and traditional healing.
In 2021, Marinah completed her training in Somatic Therapy and is focusing on Perinatal, Birth and Postpartum mind-body healing and coaching, in the Somatic Experiencing certification. She is currently also taking classes with Kate White, an award-winning prenatal and perinatal educator, for a more comprehensive and focused training that she hopes to bring to the communities she works in.
Marinah's mother was a traditional healer and she grew from childhood learning about healing medicines and traditional ways. Marinah has also been fortunate to work with healers in the Americas and in Africa as teachers and mentors.
Marinah's work has included:
Marinah is active in multiple public health initiatives and coalitions within her community and at the national and international levels. Her background includes diverse activism such as street level medic work and immigration activism in Arizona, clinical/government policy work in Mexico and Africa, organizational development and facilitation in the U.S and Mexico with various non-profits, AI/AN/indigenous health justice work, and as a founding board member of a free clinic for immigrant families, Phoenix Allies for Community Health.
Her most recent work included being an Executive Director of a Native Led midwifery project in 2020-2021.
Marinah is the founder of Parteras de Maiz, an umbrella organization for the many projects and coalitions for traditional midwives, including her podcast Good Birth for All, the Dignity Birth Campaign which was developed with a U.S and South African team, Compassionate Birth, and various BIPOC-led reproductive justice coalitions.
Marinah is also currently serving as a board member for the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice and on the advisory board for Birth Detroit.