Mary Francis Hill Coley

Mary Francis Hill Coley (August 15, 1900 – March 8, 1966) was an American lay midwife who ran a successful business providing a range of birth services and who starred in a critically acclaimed documentary film used to train midwives and doctors. Her competence projected an image of black midwives as the face of an internationally esteemed medical profession, while working within the context of deep social and economic inequality in health care provided to African Americans.

Biography Coley was born Mary Francis Hill in Baker County, Georgia. She was the youngest of four children, a sole-surviving twin at birth. She was raised by relatives after her parents died. She received almost nothing in the way of formal education, leaving after third grade but relied instead on practical training and apprenticeship. Coley developed a busy practice, serving over half the families in the area and charging double the fees of other midwives ($30). Her business afforded her a home, a car, a telephone, an assistant, and a surplus of ready supplies for emergencies. She knew that many families had to save up to pay her, and she knew which families could afford more or less than others. She would also accept payment in kind in some circumstances. Although increased surveillance of midwifery practice cut in half the number of midwives between 1930 and 1950 (dropping from 3000 to 1,322), Coley went on to provide a range of birth and family services across Georgia for more than three decades. She was known affectionately by her patients as "Miss Mary". The Sheppard-Towner Act, introduced by the Children's Bureau, became effective November 23, 1921 following concerns of high infant mortality. Black midwives were targeted for lack of cleanliness and lack of training. Following a criteria-based selection process, Stoney and Dr. Mason (a local black physician) interviewed more than 20 Georgia midwives before selecting Coley.

The resulting film, All My Babies: A Midwife's Own Story followed Coley through the births of two babies. Medical students were assigned to watch the film in order to immerse them in the birthing experience. In 2002, the Library of Congress selected it for preservation in the National Film Registry, calling it a "landmark". and in a traveling photograph and film exhibit entitled, "Reclaiming Midwives: Stills from All My Babies", which ran from November 13, 2006, to April 2, 2007. In 2005 she was also featured in exhibitions at the Columbia University School of Nursing and the Mailman School of Public Health. In 2011 she was inducted onto the list of Georgia Women of Achievement.