The Maroons
ma·roon
/məˈro͞on/
People who, after analyzing current systems of oppression, have declared their freedom through speaking out and organizing for collective liberation
Maroon Calabash is a Black led nonprofit organization that provides a space for Black birth-workers in Milwaukee County to practice liberatory Reproductive Justice at the intersection of cultural traditions and modern medicine.
Our name, Maroon Calabash, is a tribute to Queen Nanny of the Maroons; she is celebrated as the leader who united enslaved Africans in Jamaica to resist colonization and to preserve African culture and knowledge. We honor her commitment to resisting oppression by reclaiming our indigenous African traditions, creating a Maroon space where we can safely journey through reproductive, birthing, and healing experiences and work. The Calabash is a crop our people cultivated that continues to be used in ceremony, celebration, and daily nourishment. It embodies the abundance, celebration, reverence, and room for healing space that we commit to hold for ourselves and for our community.
We center the way African peoples and Africans in the diaspora celebrate, honor, and hold reproductive wellness.
