MY COMMITMENT TO ANTI-RACISM

With anger and grief over the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, Rayshard Brooks, and too many others, I, Lauren Miller Brown, unequivocally affirm that Black Lives Matter. I also affirm that Black Mamas Matter and acknowledge that racism and violence harm maternal health. I uplift the lives of Amber Rose Isaac, Erica Garner, Shalon Irving, and all the mothers we have lost due to racism.

I offer my words of action to support the development of a long overdue conversation about how to walk into a space of healing justice through practicing deliberate intention to acknowledge the feelings of anger, pain, and trauma surrounding the events happening in the Black community. As a doula that supports, uplifts, and amplifies racial justice and equity, I am calling in those who seek to make a difference and serve Black communities. Racism is a public health crisis. We must work together to actively dismantle racism in our society, in our health care systems, and in midwifery.

As a birth and postpartum doula, childbirth educator and trained midwife, my commitment to being an anti-racist is central to my mission for improving maternal and child health through doula and midwifery services. Midwifery and obstetrics in the United States, like all of our institutions, are built on a legacy of racism. I uplift the work and legacy of the Grand midwives. I uplift the lives of Anarcha, Betsey, and Lucy, the mothers of American gynecology. I uplift the Black midwives, midwifery students, and aspiring midwives who serve their communities and still face discrimination and structural barriers to the profession due to racism today. The midwifery profession in the U.S. today is disproportionately white, yet we so urgently need Black midwives whose holistic, culturally relevant, and community-based care promotes healthy outcomes. Justice requires us to build an equitable and high quality maternity care system that values the lives, dignity, and health of Black mothers and their families.

As a member of the birth community, I commit to continuing to invest in equity in doula and midwifery education. I support the work of grassroots and community-based organizations founded by and for Black and Indigenous midwives and communities and am proud to uplift such groups as: National Black Midwives Alliance, Birth From The Earth, Birthing People Foundation, Commonsense Childbirth, Center for Indigenous Midwifery, Changing Woman Initiative, Uzazi Village, Mamatoto Village, Ancient Song Doula Services, SisterWeb, Black Mamas Matter Alliance.

To be anti-racist is a journey that must be persistent and purposeful. We must always strive to learn and do better, as individuals and collectively. For further reading and learning, I am sharing a list of anti-racist resources assembled by esteemed author and poet Cleo Wade: https://www.cleowade.com/antiracism

The National Black Midwives Alliance membership drive is still open. Not a Black midwife? Join as an ally member to support advocacy, education, and mentorship. Blackmidwivesalliance.org

In solidarity, Lauren Miller Brown