How to be a Birth Worker who Uses Your Privilege to Uplift Others
As I reflect on the ways society creates and perpetuates unnecessary barriers--to healthcare and other basic needs--I’m reminded of the doula’s calling, especially through the lens of reproductive justice: to make space for more awareness of and empathy for another person’s experience.
As Nigerian-American author Ijeoma Oluo wisely stated in a recent social media post, “you can’t heal from what keeps happening.”
Can we heal as a larger community and make strides to eliminate the inequities still present today?
Reflecting on Our Privileges
As a white, cisgender woman, there’s both a personal journey of coming to terms with my privilege, as well as awareness of how I affect the systems and organizations of which I’m a member. As I go to my keyboard to write about this, Ijeoma’s words echo in my mind.
Policing, politics, the pandemic, and health disparities have renewed our focus on solutions. As reproductive health workers, we have unique opportunities to examine how this persistent trauma from all sides affects our communities from the very beginning of life and even before it, when access to birth control or other forms of related support are blocked or severely restricted.
How do we participate in our communities as disruptors of these vicious cycles rather than perpetuating them?
I have ongoing choices to make about what to do with the advantages given to me by society because of my race, class, sexuality, nationality, or body type. Many of you may be joining me in these reflections. If we merely think about privilege or "sit" with it for too long, it has the potential to stifle our growth and accountability. But if we choose to take small steps in our daily lives to turn these realizations into quiet, intentional action, they can create momentum within our homes, our communities and our world.
Using Your Privilege to Uplift Others
I am by no means an expert in how we can each use the intersections of our own privileges to uplift others; I am joining you in this work of growing and learning. Part of this process is staying aware of the line between support and saviorism. These are a few of the practices I have been engaging in as a Doula Trainings International (DTI) doula, working with families in two different major metropolitan areas (Atlanta and DC).
Take the time to do our own reading and research so others don’t have to do it for us. Enough said.
Enter a process of “unlearning” intentionally. This is an opportunity to check in daily and ask ourselves if we’re incorporating what we’ve learned.
Listen to understand. Take a moment before interactions with anyone in your social or professional networks to consider how they might be feeling today, based on current events or other personal circumstances. Before entering into conversations, understand that your privilege may give you a very different perspective than your friend or colleague has. Listen first to understand before offering any feedback.
Financial support and mutual aid. Make periodic, anonymous donations to organizations working to cover the cost of training or education for BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ doulas or other healthcare professionals (midwives, nurses, infant feeding specialists)
Support colleagues intentionally with resources. Consider how even exchanges can sometimes help more than “freebies.” (“Freebies" don’t always feel good for the recipient. Ask the recipient how it feels and respect their answer and their feelings.)
Invest in your own continued learning. This can take the form of compensating BIPOC and LGBTQ+ educators who offer us their time and educational resources. You are Radical with Jen Sarduy is one awesome option.
Prioritize making space for other voices to be heard. Let go of the need to hear your own voice in a space, while continuing to practice speaking up against injustice. Pay attention to which voices may still be missing in a space, and take steps to bring new voices into the mix.
These suggestions, though broad, may be a starting point for you today. Remember to find a trusted friend who’s willing to hold you accountable when you’ve felt the call-to-action. Our work as doulas must continue evolving. The safety and livelihood of each other and our clients depends on it.
Check out the BADT values on the blog to dig even deeper into this conversation!
Jenny Bennett (she/her), CD (DTI) is a childbirth and doula educator in the greater Washington DC area. You can learn more about her practice here and here. Jenny is co-founder of HelloBirth, a new approach to hypnotherapy in birth, launching in early 2022. For updates, follow @hellobirthclass