Remembering Henrietta Jeffries, the Caswell County midwife who faced bigotry, racism to deliver thousands of babies
DELIVERED THOUSANDS OF BABIES.
>> HERE LIES HENRIETTA JEFFRIES
IN A CHURCH GRAVEYARD IN
CASWELL COUNTY, A LIFE THAT
TOUCHED THE LIVES OF HUNDREDS.
MY FATHER'S.
>> MOTHER'S MOTHER'S MOTHER.
>> WAS HENRIETTA JEFFRIES BORN
18. 57 DIED. 1926. HENRIETTA IS
MY GREAT GRANDMOTHER SOMETIMES
CALLED AND HINDI. WHAT IS YOUR
NAME? TWINKLE? EVEN AS A LITTLE
GIRL TWINKLE HEARD THIS STORY
OF HENRIETTA JEFFREY, DID SHE
DELIVER LIKE HUNDREDS OF
CHILDREN? I WOULD SAY 400 ALL
MORE. SHE WAS AMID WHY SHE GREW
UP HERE IN MILTON.
>> WHEN SOMEBODY NEEDED HER
WITH A NEW AFRICAN AMERICAN ARE
CAUCASIAN. SHE WENT TO YOUR
NEEDS. SHE DELIVERED A LOT OF
WHITE YES. NOW WITH AN UNUSUAL
I WOULD SAY YES. AND I THINK
THAT'S HOW THE TRIAL
CAME TODAY.
>> 1913, THE CASWELL COUNTY
COURTHOUSE. SHE WAS TAKING
BUSINESS AWAY FROM THE WHITE
DOCTOR. YES, THE STATE VERSUS
HENRIETTA, JEFFREY. SO THEY
DECIDED TO CHARGE HER WITH
PRACTICING MEDICINE WITHOUT
A LICENSE.
>> STANDING ROOM ONLY PEOPLE
CAME IN SUPPORT OF HENRIETTA
FORE A BLACK WOMAN THAT SAYS A
LOT ABOUT WHAT SHE MEANT TO
THE COMMUNITY.
>> THE JUDGE ROSE FROM THE
BENCH AND ASKED THE QUESTION
WHO IN THIS COURTROOM WAS TO
LIVE THAT BY
AND HANI AND THE WHOLE
COURTROOM THE JUDGE WAS
PROBABLY NOT SURPRISED. WE FEEL
THAT SHE DELIVERED HIM AS WELL.
THE JURY OF 12 MEN, 12 WHITE
MEN FIND HER GUILTY. BUT
HOWEVER, SHE WAS FOUND FREE.
THAT'S BECAUSE THE JUDGE
OVERRULED THE VERDICT. VERY
UNUSUAL. IF HE HAD NOT DONE
THAT. AND THEY HAD ALREADY
FOUND HER GUILTY THAT WAS
HANGING IT IN THE END, SHE WAS
DELIVERED TO FREEDOM. YES, SHE
WAS DELIVERED TO FREEDOM.
SHE CONTINUED TO DELIVER BABY.
IN FACT, HENRIETTA JEFFRIES MAY
HAVE DELIVERED MANY OF THESE
PEOPLE TO IT JUST SHOWS THAT
YOU CAN PERSEVERE. YOU KNOW,
IF IT WERE UP TO ME, I WOULD
LOVE FOR OPRAH TO COME TO US
AND SAY,
>> YEAH, I WOULD LOVE TO MAKE A
MAJOR MOTION PICTURE OF THIS
BECAUSE IT IS THAT INTERESTING