What Can We Do to Uplift Birth Justice?
In June and July of 2021, we hosted a series called Uplifting Birth Justice. With 15+ speakers and partner networks, this unprecedented series taught us that the fight for birth justice requires all of us. Now is our chance to transform institutions and improve outcomes for birthing people around the world.
What Can We Do to Uplift Birth Justice?
With our support, birth justice movement leaders can strengthen community birth infrastructure for generations to come.
- Divest from large institutions and invest in grassroots, community-led organizations, like the Black Mamas Matter Alliance and other Groundswell Birth Justice Fund grantees.
- Take risks. Organizers with new and innovative solutions struggle to build the infrastructure necessary for change due to a lack of investment and funders’ desire for a return. Consider what a “return on investment” means to you and whether your desired metrics are consistent with decolonization.
- Shift funding models from a top-down approach to one that is less restrictive and more people-centered. Use the From Silos to Synergy ecosystem diagram (p.29) to inform your process.
- Fund the movement. The issues Black and Indigenous birth workers face are insurmountable without adequate resources. Contribute to our speakers’ organizations using this link.
Watch the Webinars & Read the Resources
Session 1: Investing in Birth Centers & Positive Outcomes
Watch session 1 (pw: BirthJustice12021)
A resource sheet for session 1
Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities and birth workers know precisely what solutions communities need for positive birth outcomes and culturally competent care, yet their work remains grossly underfunded. This does not have to be the case. We discovered what it means to build a vibrant, community-centered birth infrastructure led by BIPOC people. We also learned about improving birth outcomes through deep investment and movement-building.
Speakers:
- Nashira Baril, Co-Founder/Co-Director, Birth Center Equity
- Leseliey Welch, Co-Founder/Co-Director, Birth Center Equity
- Jennie Joseph, Midwife and Founder of Commonsense Childbirth
- Taj James, Founding Partner, Full Spectrum Capital Partners
Session 2: Our Bodies, Our Futures: Organizing for Birth Justice
Watch session 2 (pw: BirthJustice22021)
A resource sheet for session 2
We listened to the stories of organizers implementing innovative models, mentoring and training birth workers of color, and organizing to change policies and systemic practices that harm marginalized communities.
Speakers:
- Naa Hammond, Senior Program Officer, Groundswell Fund
- Jamarah Amani, Founder and Executive Director, Southern Birth Justice Network and National Black Midwives Alliance
- Indra Lusero, Founder and Executive Director, Elephant Circle; Founder, Birth Rights Bar Association
Session 3: From Silos to Synergy: Funding Maternal and Newborn Health Justice, and Equity
Watch session 3 (pw: BirthJustice32021)
A resource sheet for session 3
We concluded our series by identifying our unique role in the birth justice landscape. Movement partners like us need to intentionally eliminate structural oppression outside of our organizations while shifting power and resources to communities of color, recognizing that their capacity-building, power building, and leadership are critical to a more equitable and just society for all.
Speakers:
- Kelly Davis, Vice President, National Birth Equity Collaborative
- Dr. Joia Crear-Perry, MD, FACOG, Founder and President, National Birth Equity Collaborative
- Susannah Canfield Hurd, Vice President,
Global Health Visions - Kay Sandberg, Founder and Director, Global Force for Healing
Special thanks to WDN’s Opportunity & Equality Impact Collective and co-hosts Funders for Reproductive Equity, Groundswell Fund, Midwifery Funders Group, Resource Generation, Solidaire, Tara Health Foundation, and Tides.