World Doula Week - Ensuring Representation

 

Hey all, it's World Doula Week and there's so much I want to unpack about the importance of advocacy and representation in the birth working space.

I've been BLESSED to have been able to receive an outpouring of support from my local, Black doula community in Virginia. Listen, representation matters so much. When I began researching birth working and doula spaces, so much of what I found was geared to women that didn't look like me.

I saw that spaces (which included websites, Facebook pages, and Facebook groups) didn't even have marketing materials that reflected Black women. I saw websites that boasted about how the doula, midwife etc. running it supported Black Lives Matter or were 'culturally aware,' but the language that they used on these platforms wasn't inclusive of all. Under their use of medical and whimsical/New Age jargon, I found a lot of spaces that felt empty. Void. Despite their 'fearless' mantras, 'radical,' and 'badass' philosophies, I found a lot of spaces that were whitewashed, mainstream and fallacious. Everything about the platforms and the women behind them were phony. I mean, you can write all day on your Facebook page about how you embrace Indigenous, native, holistic, Eastern, radical (the list goes on) birth working practices, but if all you do is light sage before a birth - then please reevaluate your life and your message! 

I also found that a lot of birth working spaces dedicated to women of color lacked depth as well. Many of our own spaces are institutionalized and reflect the White, western world's ideology of birthing and have no ounce of culture, heritage or representation either (except the fact that the doula, birth worker, OB, midwife, etc. behind the platform was Black or a person of color). Is that all? 

Advocacy should be at the top of our list of priorities when it comes to birth working. Do NOT hesitate to inform your clients of the nuances they might face. Do NOT hesitate to call out spaces that aren't conducive to women of color. Do NOT hesitate to protect and support your client in unsafe spaces. Do NOT get lost in the world of 'influencing' online. If your platform glosses over the true realities of Black maternal health, then you need to do better at providing representation. 

You can do this by working with Black student doulas and midwives, sharing stats on your platform about Black maternal health disparities, and by showing up for your Black clients by respecting their autonomy (it can be as simple as asking what sort of music they like rather than defaulting to your favorite meditation playlist during births). 

I'd love to see more spaces that reflect the most vulnerable birthing population (Black women). 

This World Doula Week, the Holy Spirit led me to some birth working tea that actually transpired in my hometown, where I currently practice as an aspiring doula. A midwife, who is licensed in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia and who was a board member of the Virginia Midwives Alliance, went on a racist rant a few months ago. Screenshots and receipts of her rant were plastered all over social media. I mean this woman was going in! She shared (in what she thought was a private setting) about how she only wanted to work with White clients, how Black midwives can be held to the lowest standards, how she would rather refer high-risk Black clients to other midwives, how she's choosing to no longer be 'anti-racist,' and how she's tired of taking the blame for traumas that Black people face in birthing.

This is the same woman whose website says that she's a supporter of Black Lives Matter (I don't even support BLM, but the fact that people think that adding this to their marketing makes them an ally is ridiculous).

These are the realities of Birthing While Black. Imagine booking a midwife that would rather see you or your baby suffer than provide lifesaving support. Imagine booking a midwife that told you to your face that she was culturally informed but behind your back, she was in a group chat talking about your PRIVATE medical needs in a derogatory manner. Imagine shadowing or being mentored by a midwife that said on a public platform that you would never be successful, and that people would die in your care (she really said this) because you're Black and are held to 'low standards.'

This woman is still licensed to practice as a midwife. 

Up until two months after her rant, her prestigious organization ALLOWED her to continue to be a board member despite numerous complaints and screenshots from the community. And when they did make a public statement on Facebook, they only responded to commenters that were White. 

This is the current landscape of midwifery in Virginia. 

And this is why advocacy, no matter who is tired of doulas advocating for their clients, is so important and this is why EVERY doula/birth worker must ensure representation for women of color.