Birthing Justice, Social Action Doc Ignites Grassroots Movement

By Melina Paris, Assistant Editor

giving birth and a sorority sister who lost a baby who was less than a year old, which is also considered part of maternal mortality. Matthews understood the toll it took on her friend — a 26-year-old woman, married, with a Ph.D.

“She was everything that you could think [to] be on track to have a successful birth,” Matthews recalled. “I kept seeing these things happen but I didn’t connect the dots … when Jacoba and Denise contacted me and we sat down, I said ‘yes, I want to do this.’”

Matthews noted that she wanted to affirm it with love because she understood the challenge of providing information in a way that informs, without alarming and terrifying people.

“Black people deal with enough trauma. I don’t want us to be terrified,” Matthews said. “I want us to have successful lives.”

It’s what drew her to this project and to tell this story in a way that informs yet affirms life.

“It’s really shocking and that’s one of the reasons we made this film, because it’s hiding in plain sight,” Matthews said. “The stats are so alarming, yet so many women and birthing people who go through this feel ashamed sometimes. And it’s not on them. It’s on our policies, it’s on racism, it’s on so many other things.”

Matthews said we need to say to women, “We want to hear your story.”

“Every woman deserves a beautiful birth story,” she said. “It’s not something that we need to be ashamed of when there’s trauma attached or things go awry.” n July 24, 2022, the day Portfolio Coffeehouse closed after 32 years as a Long Beach institution at the corner of 4th Street and Junipero Avenue, owner Kerstin Kansteiner knew that six months later she’d be back in business little more than a block away.

Matthews noted the team behind Birthing Justice actually finished the film ahead of a meeting of the Congressional Black Caucus because it was a very big event and because they consider the film to be a social action documentary — about informing and influencing policy. Its first screening, which was the first 20 minutes of the film, took place at the Congressional Black Caucus meeting in September. Following that, Matthews said they were fortunate to have Rep. Lauren Underwood (IL-14), a registered nurse who is also in the film, host the filmmakers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to present the film, which can make an impact in terms of changing policy.

This was followed by another brief screening at The United Nations, in November in Geneva, Switzerland. The first Los Angeles premiere screening was Jan. 11 and Birthing Justice will be shown at the Pan African Film Festival in February.

On Jan. 22, Matthews was especially excited to attend a screening and panel at Community of Hope, in Washington D.C. The city has the highest infant mortality rate of any city in the United States.

But everybody saying that Portfolio was moving had it wrong. Portfolio was passing away, and Kansteiner was in mourning. “I have to look at this as a new beginning,” she said that day through tears, toting a bouquet of flowers a loyal patron had gifted. “Otherwise I won’t make it through.”

That new beginning is Alder & Sage, which opened softly this month serving coffee beverages and a small array of eats. Expanded hours, dinner service, and beer & wine will come next month. For now, she’s just gratified that people are showing up.

Did she really have any doubt? “Oh, shit yeah,” she says, “ohmigod yes! [In the run-up to opening] you’re exhausted, and there’s still a million things to do. And then you open and there are people here, but you’re like, ‘Well, maybe they’ll stop coming tomorrow.’ And then there are people here the next day and I’m like, ‘Okay, that’s good; and some of the people who were here yesterday and here again today — that’s even better.’ The number of people who’ve come in is a validation, […] but I’m gonna have that doubt for a long time. […] From having had several businesses now, I know the world has changed. It’s [become] more ‘here today, gone tomorrow.’ In this world of 144-character [tweets] kids so often just move on to the next cool thing.”

Occupying what was formerly Carousel Preschool (itself a bit of an institution), Alder & Sage is 2,200 square feet of wood (alder, of course), windows, and a feng shui that flows from front to back. Step outside and you find another 2,200 feet with fire pits, meticulously landscaped drought-tolerant flora, and if your timing is right a squirrel scurrying along the back fence.

All in all, there’s enough seating so that patrons nursing cups of coffee for three hours won’t feel guilty taking up tables needed to serve the diners that will financially justify keeping Alder & Sage open as late 10 p.m. (five hours later than Portfolio — which once upon a time stayed open ‘til midnight and beyond — during its last several years even pre-pandemic).

But none of this would have come to pass had Kansteiner had her way. The trouble started in 2017 when she dropped off her five-year lease extension, just as she had done five years earlier (and five years before that). But this time landlord Michael Salemi claimed she didn’t file it in the manner re-