Our Commitment to Anti-Racism

Trigger warning: This blog references the loss of life of black Americans as a result of decades of police brutality.  It also references birth loss within the black community.  If these subjects hit too close to home, please skip this and instead do something that makes you feel nurtured.  

As an organization that strives to enhance health for mothers and infants, Calm Birth stands with the Black Lives Matter movement.  

The fact is, African-American mothers and infants are far more likely to die than their white counterparts in America. This is a direct result of systemic racism, and the stress of experiencing racism is a large factor contributing to these deaths. The system creating and perpetuating these stresses needs to change in a fundamental way, and this is a change we all need to be working toward. The Calm Birth practices may alleviate some of this stress in the meantime. We want to ensure that this technique is equitably accessible in communities that experience more stress than others, including and especially the Black community. We are committed to our own continued learning and listening in order to be the best support we can. 

Yet providing a stress-reduction technique is not enough. It is past time for us to state we are actively committed to becoming an anti-racist organization. It's been a conversation for a while and we regret not explicitly taking this stance sooner. This plan is a work in progress, and working toward anti-racism is a lifelong commitment. For now, we are focusing on three major areas. 

The first is prioritizing Black birth professionals for scholarships to our teacher training courses. We will also establish a fund to provide scholarships to meditation classes for African-American people who are pregnant and in need of financial assistance. 

Second, we plan to form or join a coalition of childbirth organizations working toward anti-racism. This coalition will hold each other accountable to our commitment to anti-racism and collaborate to provide the best care possible for African-American communities. We will also work on policy change supporting pregnant people within the Black community to receive quality care of their choice, and make funds available to train aspiring Black birth professionals.  

Finally, as we continue to educate ourselves, we will use our public platform to share information about how birth professionals and community members can work toward anti-racism in their own practices and lives. Until now, we have danced around these issues with the intention of helping this program appeal across demographics and political lines. Yet one of our practices, Giving and Receiving, is based in compassion. Compassion only makes a difference if it is applied to action.  

What we are doing with anti-racist work aligns with the traditions Calm Birth is based in, and it is the only way forward. We make this commitment to show up for communities of color to listen, learn, and support as needed as part of the essence of our program moving forward. 

If you'd like to join us in coalition, make a donation for training black birth professionals or learn more about our program, please email info@calmbirth.org.