About Us
ABOUT US
Rooted in Community.
Driven by Care.
Sistas Caring 4 Sistas (SC4S) is a community-based doula program founded and led by women of color in Asheville, NC. We provide compassionate, culturally aligned support from preconception through postpartum, focusing on families who face systemic barriers to care.
Our trained doulas offer birthing, postpartum, partner, and lactation support—prioritizing informed choice, trust, and connection. As an “After Five” resource, we meet families where they are, offering in-home visits and linking them to vital services that address the social and health factors affecting maternal outcomes.
SC4S is more than a service—it’s a movement to close gaps in care, uplift communities, and open doors for future birth workers through education and hands-on training.
Sistas Caring 4 Sistas
Our Mission
Sistas Caring 4 Sistas (SC4S) is a women of color led birth justice nonprofit that is dedicated to improving the experiences and outcomes for pregnant, birthing, and postpartum people in Western North Carolina. We provide high quality doula care for birthing people of color, train the next generation of doulas and birth workers of color, and advocate for policy and systems changes that are rooted in community-based solutions to advance reproductive and social justice in our region. We invite you to learn more about our work at: sc4s.org.
Sistas Caring 4 Sistas
Our Doula Team
Sistas Caring 4 Sistas
Our Doula Team
Ashley Jackson
Director
Shenieka E. Smith
Executive Director
Tony Shivers
Director
Kahlani Jackson
Doula Program Manager
Jasmin Moore
Board Chair
Chavuan Letman
Director of Operations
Cherie Jackson
Vice-Chair
Wakina Robertson
Intake Coordinator
Hannaneh Mirmozaffari
Secretary
Caroline Rodier
Treasurer
Wakeena Sweat
Director
Selah Scott
Director
Collective Strategies
As we embark on the next chapter of our organization's history, we seek to strengthen our impacts for birth justice through the following strategies
Strategy 1
Directly hire doulas and birthworkers of color to strengthen our capacity to provide trauma-informed and culturally matched care to Black birthing people who live in both rural and urban communities in Western North Carolina. Hiring more doulas will allow us to expand access for birthing people of color to prenatal care, birth support, postpartum, lactation support, and mental health support. It will also allow us to honor their time by paying them living wage salaries and providing benefits as full members of our team. Lastly, as part of this work, we are committed to addressing the burn out of doulas by investing in their restoration, healing, and mental health.
Strategy 2
Build the pipeline of birth workers of color by hosting doula trainings and establishing a mentorship program between new and existing doulas in our network. In addition, we will also build partnerships with local high schools and community colleges to train the next generation of doulas and birth workers of color to provide professional pathways into this healthcare profession.
Strategy 3
Engage grassroots communities to reframe the narrative and share positive birthing stories, define what birth justice means to them, discuss the roles of doulas during pregnancy, discuss their rights in the delivery room, destigmatize maternal mental health, increase breastfeeding rates, and create a sisterhood of support for birthing people of color. Conversely, we will also share their stories that reflect the challenges of birth with healthcare professionals and advocate for policy and systems change with hospitals, pediatricians, and obstetrics offices to advance culturally informed practices that improve Black maternal and infant health outcomes.
Strategy 4
Strengthen our programs to address intersectional issues that negatively impact the mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing of Black birthing people and their families. This includes:
● Provide support to reduce stress and trauma related to racism during the perinatal period.
● Address conditions related to poverty, housing instability, transportation challenges, food insecurity, and substance misuse.
●Improve access to critical resources, including: infant formula, diapers, wipes, breast feeding supplies, emergency childcare, and direct cash payments.
● Share strategies for addressing climate change emergencies that impact birth equity.
We will share our organization’s experience navigating these challenges after Hurricane Helene, one of the deadliest storms in recent history. We will advocate for local policymakers to prepare for future climate disasters by allocating resources for infant feeding, prenatal care, and evacuation support for birthing people and their families.
Strategy 5
Strengthen the capacity of our team, which includes our new executive directorand inter-generational staff to manage our programs, increase our advocacy skills, market our services, and support our fundraising goals. To support our organizational learning, we will conduct site visits to other birth justice organizations in the South to share best practices and integrate new approaches into our work – such as, developing a legislative agenda and developing our plans for a birth center, and creating a “Dads to Doulas” program.
Sistas Caring 4 Sistas
Our Staff
Shenieka E. Smith
Executive Director
Chavaun D. Letman, M.A.
Director of Operations
Iindia Pearson
Finance Manager
Kahlani Jackson
Doula Program Manager
Wakina Robertson
Intake Coordinator
Board of Directors
Meet the passionate leaders guiding our mission, committed to empowering mothers and transforming birth outcomes in our community.
Board Chair
Jasmine Moore
Vice-Chair
Cherie Jackson
Secretary
Hannaneh Mirmozaffari
Treasurer
Caroline Rodier
Director
Selah Scott
Director
Ashley Jackson
Director
Tony Shivers
Director
Wakeena Sweat
Our Partners
