Rainbow Baby Mom Launches App Empowering Women of Color Through Infertility.
A new app is here to uplift and support Black women navigating infertility.
Meet Reniqua Allen-Lamphere, a two-time rainbow mom who transformed her infertility journey into inspiration, creating a new app to support women of color facing similar struggles.
Award-winning journalist and TV producer Allen-Lamphere recently launched Oshun Griot, a wellness platform created specifically for women of color. Unlike many wellness apps, Oshun Griot uniquely focuses on supporting the emotional journey of fertility challenges and the dream of building a family.
Allen-Lamphere knows this journey firsthand—after multiple miscarriages, she welcomed her cherished rainbow babies, son George and daughter Charlie, in her early 40s, Essence reports. Her struggles began at just 13, when severe period cramps were later linked to grapefruit-sized fibroids and endometriosis.
Black women face fibroids at higher rates and with more severe symptoms than white women. Research shows they’re also more likely to undergo hysterectomies and myomectomies, often with larger fibroids and greater surgical risks.
“I’ve spent so much time in hospitals without answers,” Allen-Lamphere told Essence. “I was put on birth control before I was even sexually active, had a myomectomy in my late 20s, and only then learned I had endometriosis. It was the first time I’d ever heard the word.”
With fibroids often tied to infertility—and 1 in 6 American families facing fertility struggles—Allen-Lamphere’s journey reflects a broader challenge. “I thought I was broken,” she shared. After being told she was infertile, she turned to online groups, fertility apps, doctors, and even an unsuccessful IVF attempt. Seeing little diversity in these spaces, she launched Oshun Griot—the first infertility wellness platform designed specifically for people of color, built on lived experiences and the belief that no one should face fertility struggles alone.
Drawing from African heritage, Allen-Lamphere named the app Oshun Griot—honoring Oshun, the Yoruba goddess of fertility and love, and the “griot,” a traditional African storyteller. “I chose this name because, for so long, Black and other communities of color haven’t been able to tell our fertility stories our way—they’ve been shaped by others,” she explained. “This platform gives us the power to share our stories, because they matter. The Black family matters. Black children matter. And how we build our families is just as important. For too long, it’s felt like our fertility has been controlled by others.”
Blending medical expertise with cultural traditions, Oshun Griot offers expert directories, wellness trackers, and Q&As covering fibroids, medical bias, and healing practices. It also features guided meditations, yoga, affirmations, and personal stories from people of color navigating fertility challenges, along with resources for their supporters.
“In today’s political climate, where access to fertility care feels uncertain, I felt it was time to create something more,” Allen-Lamphere said.
