February 18th, 2021
Our 2021 Anti-Racism Pledge at Doula Training Canada Inc.
(updated from the 2020 pledge, first posted June 25/2020)
We will recruit and amplify Indigenous, Black and other racialized (IBR) persons as contributors, members and employees.
We will work with more IBR writers, expert sources, illustrators, and photographers, to create and enhance our content—not just on isolated topics of race, but across our full organization’s representation on all topics.
By the end of 2021 our current and new materials will be culturally relevant and appropriate and created in consultation with the appropriate communities.
We will make intentional efforts to not engage in cultural appropriation.
We will commit to greater representation of Indigenous, Black and other racialized people in our visual assets.
This includes our original assets such as illustrations, photography, and videos, as well as those sourced by stock photography resources.
By the end of 2021, we pledge that a minimum of 25% of our materials will contain visual assets inclusive of IBR people. We will continue to update our existing materials regularly to ensure they are representative, culturally appropriate, and inclusive.
We commit to including anti-racism education across our curriculum.
At Doula Canada, we will promote knowledge, values and skills that help members to identify, critically analyze and intervene against the insidious and lethal effects of racism. We believe in the power of self-reflection and ongoing discussion about how issues of systemic racism influence birth work practice.
By the end of 2020, anti-racism education was incorporated into our core programs and we will continue to update, add, and adjust curriculum to continue ARO work.
We will prioritize the diversity of our in-house team and commit to continued anti-racism education.
By the end of 2021, our entire team will have participated in and actively engage with anti-racist and anti-oppression training.
We will rigorously examine the recruitment processes we have in place and work to improve representation amongst our staff. We will look to external consultants to assist in this endeavour and to provide feedback to our organization on its processes and staffing.
We will not feature products, brands, writers, experts, influencers, or other sources with a known history of racist or other oppressive practices.
If we have unknowingly done so, we’ll work to immediately correct our mistakes.
We approach this pledge as our commitment to an ongoing process built on a foundation of empathy. We promise to listen to, learn from, and support our IBR members in ways that are important to them.
In order to best do so, our team is dedicated to educating ourselves on anti-racism and anti-oppression, and recognizing how racial inequalities impact our profession and the core content we have created. We will work hard to understand how these injustices impact our members, our communities, and the birth and postpartum environments we work within.
We will acknowledge that we have done and work to unlearn thoughts, habits, or beliefs that do not support others.
We invite you to hold us accountable and trust we are doing the same within our team. Please share feedback about how we can continue to improve and grow. We want to hear how you feel you are, or are not, represented in what you see across Doula Canada . You can reach us at info@doulatraining.ca
Shaunacy King
Director
Doula Canada
Sondra Marcon
Education Director
Doula Canada
Doula Canada Staff
Jessica Palmquist – Fertility Program Coordinator
Carissa Marks Thomson – Instructor (all programs)
Anna Penner, Inclusion and Engagement Lead – LGBTQ2S+ Community
Milly Friedman – Instructor, Western Canada (all programs)
Sara Beckel – Instructor, Western Canada (all programs)
Monika Goodluck, Inclusion and Engagement Lead – Racialized Communities
Jillian Hand – Lead Instructor, Atlantic Canada
Samantha Whitman – Communications and internal resources
Shandelle Ferguson – Student and Alumni Relations Coordinator
