Of Black Wombhood (“OBW”) is an independently-produced oral history project that explores the interiority of Black womb-bearing people through stories about culture, health, sexuality, identity, and socio-politicization. OBW’s inquiry of “wombhood,” beyond the periphery of pregnancy and birthing, invites us to acknowledge the stories of Black womb-bearers with cultural sensitivity and social responsiveness, and to contemplate:

What role does the womb play in defining one’s personal identity within the Black body? What does Black wombhood represent in the modern era? How can we reconcile the history of an ancestor—whose womb/body was misappropriated—within the memory of a physical space?

OBW intends to honor and memorialize its narrators through the cultivation of a digital community archive. While written records are the standard of historical preservation, oral history supplements such methods through rich testimonials layered with community-specific perspectives and poignant memory work. As a social practice, oral history is an essential tool for highlighting the community OBW aims to amplify. Collectively, our wombs capture unique stories of joy, loss, shame, liberation, rejection, and resilience, and OBW holds space for those who see themselves in this work while affirming their place within this extensive community.

For more information, you are invited to view OBW’s:

• Ethical Framework (here)

• Original Concept Proposal/Pitch Deck (here)

• Media Kit (here)

• 2024 Year End Project Report (here)

OBW’s press materials & features may be accessed via the links below:

• Official Exhibition Press Release

• Association of Independents in Radio (AIR) | "Announcing AIR's 2025 New Voices AMPLIFY Fellows

• City Cast Philly | “This Philadelphian Collected Black Womb Stories”

• Fox 29 Philly | “Good Day Uncut: Tilt Institute for the Contemporary Image & The Clay Studio”

• Broad Street Review | “An Antidote to the Erasure of Black Bodies: The TILT Institute Presents Of Black Wombhood”

• philly has heART Podcast | “Of Black Wombhood feat. Tanya Latortue and Kara Mshinda”

• Midbrow | “Out of the Womb, Into the World”