Narrative

Mary Francis Hill Coley was a black midwife operating in rural Georgia starting in the 1930s. Coley was known for her willingness to help mothers of all backgrounds, not discriminating between black and white in the segregated South. Coley would also continue to help the family in the days following the birth, helping with cooking and cleaning as well as organizing the forms needed for the county health offices. Mary Coley helped deliver thousands of healthy babies over the course of her work and is remembered as a role model in health and her community.