All My Babies: A Midwife's Own Story

All My Babies (1952) was selected in 2002 by the Librarian of Congress as a culturally, historically, and artistically significant work for permanent preservation in the National Film Registry. This is the story of Miss Mary Coley, an African-American midwife more than half a century ago in rural Georgia. Its production sponsored by the Georgia Department of Public Health as a demonstration film for illiterate granny midwives, All My Babies quickly transcended its initial purpose. It was used around the world by UNESCO and has become an enduring classic of nonfiction film. Made in close collaboration with Mrs. Coley as well as with the local public health doctors and nurses, the film shows the preparation for and home delivery of healthy babies in both relatively good and bad rural conditions among black families at that time. The film is in addition both a deeply respectful portrait of Miss Mary, who is revealed as an inspiring human being, and a record of the actual living conditions of her patients.

BONUS FEATURES: Also included is Palmour Street (1949), a dramatized, open-ended 25-minute discussion of family relations, a film which George C. Stoney directed on location in Gainesville, Georgia, for the Georgia Department of Public Health. The DVD also includes a gallery of production photographs by Robert Galbraith and a video reminiscence by Miss Mary's grandson Bernard Coley.