Renaissance TJS Photography

VOLUME 4: THE DRUMS SPOKE BEFORE ANYONE ELSE DID.

Another grand opening, another proclamation and another win for the culture! With the beat of our African drums playing in the background, we celebrate. We celebrate what people tried to take away from us, we celebrate the community’s experience of safe, natural and coveted births in their homes. We celebrate the story and journey of a fearless woman, Okunsola Amadou, who weathered many storms to bring this into fruition. Who entered a battle of David and Goliath and still she rose!

The Jamaa Birth Village Cultural Heritage Museum is now open and is looking to welcome you to tour the history of midwifery. Find out more about the museum tours at https://jamaabirthvillage.org

This is “When the Water Speaks” a documentary shot by TJS Photography in collaboration with Davis Digital Content and directed by our founder Myrina Otey-Myton. Follow us this month as we take you on the journey of the transition of the Jamaa Birth Village Equal Access Midwifery Clinic to The Historical Jamaa Birth Village Cultural Heritage Center. The nation’s first midwifery museum and midwifery institute.

Documentary premiers October 10, 2026 at 21C Museum.

VOLUME 3 : PRESERVATION ON A NEW RESERVATION.
As the museum prepares for opening, artifacts are carefully selected, gifted and handled. Nana Sula and Okunsola work together to unbox the harmful tools once used and still used today in western medicine to examine women. Ancient midwifery bags once carried by our ancestors lie unpacked and waiting for their new display home. Statues and quilts hand carved and sewn are finally exposed so that we can learn the parallels of our cultural heritage both in Africa and America. The powerful transitions and interventions that occurred to get us to where we are today are something you’d have to experience in person to understand, feel and resonate with.

The Jamaa Birth Village Cultural Heritage Museum located in Ferguson, MO transports us back into time in order to be present in the now. To reimagine what things used to be and how the culture still requires it today. It’s here to remind us that the fight isn’t over, we’ve still got a ways to go. By preserving these memories both painful, historical and joyful, we can will and still experience what our ancestors required for “their” people.

This is “When the Water Speaks” a documentary shot by TJS Photography in collaboration with Davis Digital Content and directed by our founder Myrina Otey-Myton. Follow us this month as we take you on the journey of the transition of the Jamaa Birth Village Equal Access Midwifery Clinic to The Historical Jamaa Birth Village Cultural Heritage Center. The nation’s first midwifery museum and midwifery institute.

Documentary premiers October 10, 2026 at 21C Museum.

VOLUME 2: SAY THEIR NAMES.
Woven into the fabrics of this powerful baton, created and blessed by Nana Sula, are the stories of our midwives from Africa to America.

These powerful interviews capture not only the story of Jamaa Birth Village but also the stories of indigenous midwives that you see painted as a mural on the outside of the museum. Those stories are filled with triumph and the pain of erasure.

We take the time to delve deeply into the Shepard’s Towner’s Act and how it closely mirrors one of the biggest fights in Jamaa Birth Village history with a local hospital institution. We also find that the triumphs are cyclical in that no matter what tries to rise against us, the calling of our nature cannot be silenced.

Say their names, Miss Margaret, Miss Mary, Maude Callen, Bridget “Biddy” Mason.

This is “When the Water Speaks” a documentary shot by TJS Photography in collaboration with Davis Digital Content and directed by our founder Myrina Otey-Myton. Follow us this month as we take you on the journey of the transition of the Jamaa Birth Village Equal Access Midwifery Clinic to The Historical Jamaa Birth Village Cultural Heritage Center. The nation’s first midwifery museum and midwifery institute.

Documentary premieres October 10, 2026 at 21C Museum.

VOLUME 1: WHAT WAS, STILL IS.

Follow us this month as we take you on the journey of the transition of the Jamaa Birth Village Equal Access Midwifery Clinic to The Historical Jamaa Birth Village Cultural Heritage Center. The nation’s first midwifery museum and midwifery institute.

After a successful $60K in 60 days campaign, Jamaa opened up the first equal access midwifery clinic in June of 2020 in Ferguson, MO. Their mission was to serve families with culturally appropriate midwifery care and provide empowerment to mothers and babies giving them the confidence of returning to our indigenous roots of birth.

During this time, Missouri also welcomed its first Black Certified Professional Midwife, Okunsola Amadou as the Founder and Executive Director of Jamaa Birth Village.

Highly awarded and recognized, Okunsola set on the journey to not only become a midwife service provider but also train over 360 doulas in the Missouri region.

This work also solidified a huge win in the State of Missouri to acknowledge doula care as a necessary service…

and care for families with its approval of coverage under Missouri Medicaid.

This is “When the Water Speaks” a documentary shot by TJS Photography over 6 years in collaboration with Davis Digital Content and directed by our founder Myrina Otey-Myton.

Documentary premieres October 10, 2026 at 21c Museum Hotel St. Louis

Whitmoor in White 🤍

An all-white affair for summer, with over 300 guests coming together to enjoy a beautiful evening with fellow club members at Whitmoor Country Club

The night ended poolside, surrounded by candlelight, good company, and a setting worth remembering.

📸 Photos by team member Martell Stepney
Edited by Myrina Otey-Myton

Thank you Whitmoor Country Club for having us!