Our Commitment to Birth Justice

We, the Board of Directors of the Hudson Valley Birth Network (HVBN), along with our membership of more than 100 birth workers across all disciplines, commit to confronting racial injustice in our homes, hearts, and communities. As we challenge our own implicitly racist beliefs, we commit to taking action to combat systemic racism, especially in the realm of childbirth. We know that our personal reckonings, along with active engagement in antiracist education and public work to advance equality, are long overdue.

We believe that change is not only possible, but critical. The very lives of the Black, Indigenous, and Families of Color we serve depend on our vigilance and our voices. The Hudson Valley Birth Network has always stood for a woman’s right to birth on her own terms. Now more than ever, we stand with our BIPOC colleagues to ensure that all women, babies, and families are equally and unfailingly supported.

We pledge to advocate for and advance the cause of Birth Justice. Implicit bias and structural and interpersonal racism make pregnancy and childbirth far more dangerous for Black and Brown women in the United States. BIPOC women are two to three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related complications than white women. More than one-third of Black and Brown women giving birth in hospitals report being mistreated or disrespected. These are not differences based on race. They are differences rooted in racism, and we will not stand idle.

We aim to use this moment as a turning point across the many fields in which we practice. It is an opportunity to support our members as they serve local families and advocate for maternal health and access to quality care in communities that need it most. It is a chance to spotlight vital community-based organizations doing field-changing work in racial and birth justice, including Ancient Song Doula, The Black Mamas Matter Alliance, Sister Song, and others.

We commit to this work so the deaths of Sha-Asia Washington, Amber Rose Isaac, and countless Black, Brown, and Indigenous mothers are never forgotten. We commit to channeling our collective anger into sustained and effective action to improve the futures of the children they left behind.

We are sharing a wonderful list of resources offered by Every Mother Counts.

We are listening to BIPOC communities, educators, and leaders. This will be an imperfect process, and our efforts may not always land as we intend. We will learn from our missteps. Two days before his death, Representative John Lewis penned one final missive, a plea for peaceful, persistent action. Recalling the work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Lewis wrote, “He said we are all complicit when we tolerate injustice. He said it is not enough to say it will get better by and by. He said each of us has a moral obligation to stand up, speak up and speak out.” We welcome and accept that obligation.

August 2020