WHAT SHE CARRIES FILM PREVIEW + CONVERSATION ON INDIGENOUS MATERNAL HEALTH
SATURDAY, MARCH 21, 2026
4:00-6:00 PM
WOODY GUTHRIE CENTER
102 E. RECONCILIATION WAY
TULSA, OK
The evening will include a preview of the forthcoming feature documentary, What She Carries, directed by Brit Hensel and produced by Taylor Hensel, both award-winning filmmakers and citizens of the Cherokee Nation. The film follows Indigenous mothers, families, and birth workers as they work to restore cultural knowledge and community-centered birth practices.
Following the screening, Diné (Navajo) midwife Nicolle Arthun will deliver a keynote. Nicolle is the principal of Transcending Strategies LLC and the founder of the Changing Woman Initiative, an Indigenous-led maternal health-care organization restoring traditional midwifery and community-based care. She works with tribal leaders and policymakers and has spent the last year on Capitol Hill as an RWJF Health Policy Fellow, advancing legislation to improve Native maternal health and expand protections and educational pathways for Indigenous midwives.
Drawing from her research and advocacy, Nicolle will discuss the current state of Indigenous maternal health and the growing movement for Indigenous birth sovereignty—efforts to restore culturally grounded birth practices and strengthen Indigenous autonomy in pregnancy, birth, and postpartum care.
