Birth In Color RVA - Meet Our Team Kenda Sutton-El Nikiya Ellis

Maternal and Reproductive Justice Advocate

Kenda Sutton-El, Executive Director

www.ambrosiafoodforthought.com

In 2019, Kenda Sutton-EL helped establish “Black Maternal Health Week” and also led the campaign for Doula Medicaid Reimbursement for the state of Virginia. Her passion for reproductive justice has led her to relentlessly pursue methods of improving maternal health for women of color. She firmly believes that until every woman is safe before, during, and after childbirth, we have not done our job as a society.

Kenda holds a Bachelor’s in Health Science and is also a Doula Trainer, Equity Diversity Inclusion Consultant, Policy Analyst, CPR Instructor, Holistic Nutritionist,Certified Lactation Counselor, Reproductive Justice and Maternal health advocate.

In 2018, Nikiya helped coordinate the effort to get the city of Richmond to declare its first “Black Breastfeeding Week” in support of African American mothers. In addition, she works as a doula and Reiki practitioner.

Discussing her experiences with other new moms after her first pregnancy opened her eyes to the fact that not all women are given the same level of care during childbirth. This realization drove her to embark on a journey into discovering labor as a wondrous act of nature that should be a safe and comfortable experience for everyone.

She knows that the cultural beliefs, preferences, and rituals that surround childbirth can have great significance, and she wants to help you honor your diversity! Nikiya’s greatest joy as a doula is the ability to bear witness to women reclaiming their power and discovering their own innate wisdom through childbirth.