Using My Privilege as a White Doula
This blog post is about whiteness in birth work, and how as a white birth worker I am planning on supporting Black doulas and midwives.
Please read this post, please reach out with questions.
If you are another white birth worker, I am happy and willing to talk to you about your privilege and ways you can use it to support Black doulas and midwives.
Understanding the history of Black birth workers in America is important read about to understand why I am making these decisions.
Please read brief history from personal blog Doulas of Color Boston https://doulasofcolorboston.wordpress.com/page/
Here is a great piece of the legacy of Black midwives in America from National Black Midwives Alliance
Now that you understand the history of Black birth workers in America, I want to explain how I as a white birth worker will be using my privilege, and encourage others in similar positions to use theirs.
The first step I will take is monthly donations. Each month I will donate to an organization, movement, or campaign lead by Black birth workers, for Black birth workers, or promoting Black maternal health in our country. I will be donating because it is a way to directly support birth workers who are doing work that I cannot do to promote safety, health, and peace in communities of color. My business is very new, and I do not make a lot of money, so why I am donating? Because I am using knowledge and wisdom that Black birth workers carried through the medicalization of birth. The least I can do is donate a small amount of money monthly to support their work.
I plan on printing out a list of donation recipient options and asking my clients to choose where they would like the money to go. I hope by doing this I can continue to education white families and other white birth workers about the history of violence and racism that we now benefit from.
This leads me to the second way I will be using my privilege. I will share information about specific practices or pieces of knowledge that white women did not invent and give credit to the communities they come from. For example, the use of the Mexican rebozo (separate post to follow). I can work to educate my fellow white birth workers and families of the disparities in reproductive health care and outcomes between white birthing people and birthing people of color. I am not going to inundate my clients with political commentary, but it is vitally important that I work hard to stop the appropriation of birth practices white doulas use daily.
If you are a pregnant person looking for a doula, and that’s how you found this article, welcome! I hope you share similar goals to me or want to learn more. Please reach out!
If you are a fellow white doula, please consider doing something similar to me to create awareness and use your privilege. Call me and let’s talk.
I want to make it clear I am not doing these things just to post about them on social media, or to get “woke” points from friends and colleagues. I am making these choices for my business so I can grow my business with these principles and goals. Working to be anti-racist and undo the harms of colonization and suppression is not easy or fast, it is a lifelong process, and I intend to do this work for years to come.
“Black Mamas Matter Alliance is a Black women-led cross-sectoral alliance. We center Black mamas to advocate, drive research, build power, and shift culture for Black maternal health, rights, and justice.”
Black Women’s Health Imperative
“We target the most pressing health issues that affect Black women and girls in the U.S. through investments in evidence based strategies, bold programs and advocacy outreach on health policies.”
National Black Doulas Association
“The NBDA connects Black birth families with Black Doulas nationwide. Our overall mission at NBDA is to help fight the Black Maternal Mortality rate in this country and beyond, through educational development and empowerment.”
National Black Midwives Alliance
“We train and organize midwives to serve as advocates to address disparities in maternal health care that impact black birthing people. Our central goal is to have a representative voice at the national level that clearly outlines and supports the various needs and interests of Black midwives.”
National Association to Advance Black Birth
“A world in which Black women and persons achieve their full birthing potential and thrive during the child bearing years, and have autonomy over their bodies; with optimal birth outcomes for Black women, babies and their communities, and increased options and opportunities for birth; and in which system change has brought about equitable healthcare.”