TAMARA TAITT, MAGNOLIA BIRTH HOUSE
Co-founder of Magnolia Birth House, Tamara Taitt, MS, LMFT, LM, is both a licensed midwife and marriage and family therapist.
As part of our celebration of Black History Month, we seek to elevate the stories of Black entrepreneurs and nonprofit leaders whose work is a testament to the resilience, passion, and impact of the Black community in Miami.
We are thrilled to introduce you to Tamara Taitt, who leads Magnolia Birth House, a nonprofit located in North Miami. Magnolia Birth House is the first and only community-founded natural birthing center women’s health organization in South Florida. This year, The Miami Foundation awarded Magnolia Birth House with an Open For Business technology grant to purchase equipment that allowed them to improve patient care using the latest technology. In two years, we have had the honor of awarding nearly $900,000 to 65 nonprofits and $1.5 million to 166 businesses.
Brenda Morrison, Open For Business Associate: In what ways has your business/nonprofit contributed to the cultural and economic vibrancy of the local Black community in Miami? Share a few words about the creation of your business or non-profit if it provides context on how it has contributed to the cultural and economic vibrancy of the Black community in Miami.
Tamara Taitt, Founder: Long before we opened this space we had an idea of creating somewhere for families that was inclusive and supportive of all parenting choices.
Families with sufficient resources have access to a variety of culturally matched services that are supportive and positively impact their pregnancy outcomes, establishing a firm launch into parenthood and early life for their newborns. In contrast, persons from low-resourced communities are more likely to enter pregnancy with less robust health, receive less prenatal care, and can have experiences during birth and postpartum that require more time and support for recovery.
We believe that families are able to flourish with the strength and connection of a community – so we created one. At our center, we strive to offer support, educational opportunities, and medical services that nurture families so that they can parent the best way they know how and raise healthy, supported, and well-loved children who will, in turn, make our world a better place to be in. We created our birth center with the goal that it be a place where families could receive only the best care.
We knew even a decade ago, the data showed that Black women, in particular, were at risk for poor outcomes when it came to birth and pregnancy, and we also recognize that midwifery care has the opportunity to deliver better outcomes. Our birth center is intentionally located in a Black neighborhood and intentionally serves Black families. Our company is really a reflection of the communities that we serve. We invest in and serve with dedication. We employ individuals who are a cultural and ethnic representation of Miami’s rich tapestry.
Magnolia Birth House façade (photo courtesy of website).
Inside one of the patient care rooms at Magnolia Birth House (photo courtesy of website).
Brenda Morrison, Open For Business Associate: As a grantee of Miami Open For Business, how has the support impacted your business’ growth and ability to serve the community?
Tamara Taitt, Founder: We know that Black babies born in the United States are coming into a world that won’t always be kind to them. On the occasion of their birth, we must guarantee that our babies and new parents will be welcomed safely and surrounded by joy and peace and love.
At Magnolia, that means making mental health counseling available at no cost, providing nutrition education and support, offering midwife led prenatal care regardless of intended place of birth and guaranteeing doula care regardless of income level.
The support the grant provided enabled us to invest in significant upgrades to our equipment which in turn means that we are able to provide care to our patients using the latest technology.
These capital expenditures would have been a challenge for us to undertake and the grant meant that were able to have the benefits of these tools in our facility and direct our limited resources to the critically important task of providing high quality patient care.
Brenda Morrison, Open For Business Associate: As we celebrate Black History Month, what message or advice do you have for aspiring Black entrepreneurs in Miami?
Tamara Taitt, Founder: It’s not uncommon that Black entrepreneurs are motivated by a desire to serve the needs of their communities. Ideally, that passion to serve is paired with an idea that is profitable, sustainable, and has a capacity for success. I think it’s important to remember that we can be of essential value to our communities and also run successful businesses that pay our staff a living wage and are able to support our families.
Success is measured in many ways and for us knowing that our clients are having experiences that may shift the trajectory of their future or influence the ways in which they raise their children – that’s a dividend that is priceless.
Stories like Tamara’s are why the Miami Foundation is committed to nonprofit success and asset ownership through Open for Business so that businesses who made Miami a vibrant cultural destination can continue to thrive in the city they helped create.