Ageism
“Though she be but little she is fierce”- William Shakespeare. Amanda Goman, Greta Thunberg, Malala Yousafzai, Rebekah Bruesehoff. These are just a few names of young women who are changing the world. Young women who have the commonality that they are constantly underestimated because of being just that, young. Our age, just as our race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, ability, or weight can not determine our worth or our expertise. It is not indicative of our knowledge or lived experiences. But what does all of this have to do with birth work?
Recently we shared that our Statement of Inclusivity and Beliefs had been plagiarized on other websites. This was really upsetting to us in so many ways. Firstly because we put so much thought and care into crafting those words to reflect our personal values. Secondly because over the past year and a half we have been putting so much into our agency to make sure we not only are reciting these words, but we are taking actions to make sure that we are genuinely reflecting them.
And while making sure that our agency and our team members are being held accountable and protecting the rights of our clients, these words also mean that we expect our clients to hold the same amount of respect and inclusivity toward our team members. Our promise to you is that we will abide by our words and make sure, to the best of our ability, that you and your families feel safe and heard. That your personal beliefs and values are respected. And in return we ask you to do the same when working with our agency. Our team members range in race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, ability, age, and weight. What does not vary is our confidence in picking people whose values align with our own. Doulas of Capitol Hill knows that birth work is some of the most personal and intimate work there is and we do not take that lightly. You can trust that each member of our team is meticulously chosen to represent our agency. That they have the knowledge and expertise to do the work. We understand that choosing someone to walk alongside you in this journey is a very personal choice and we respect that, just as long as your reasoning to not work with someone on our team is not discriminatory. Please keep this in mind when choosing to work with our agency. If our Statement of Inclusivity and Beliefs does not resonate with you, perhaps we might not be the proper fit.
We Believe:
In inclusivity, respect for every family, and participating in dialogue and education to engage in growth and understanding of those in our communities.
That for our business to thrive we must embrace diversity in our staff and our clientele.
In non-judgmental support of every family, including but not limited to people who identify as LGBTQIA and/or gender non-binary.
Black Lives Do Matter.
Racism, bigotry, discriminations or hate on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, ability, religion, age, weight, or relationship will not be tolerated or ignored.
All faiths (or lack thereof) are welcome.
A person with disabilities, either physical or mental, has the right and ability to parent.
No human is illegal.
Every person has the right to bodily autonomy and informed consent.
Our job is supporting every family to help them feel confident and empowered with their choices.