Atlanta March for Social Justice and Women
It was a rainy, muddy day in Atlanta. But over 60,000 people showed up downtown to speak up for human rights. I walked with my mom, a badass feminist wearing her ERA sash and walking with her girlfriend. I walked with friends, neighbors, strangers, other birth workers. And I walked with my two sons--who will be men before I know it.
My boys were not thrilled about going to a march in the rain. But my heart fluttered a bit when my 11 year old turned to me toward the end of the march and said, "this is pretty cool." This was after he and others walked down a line of police officers giving high fives. It was after he noticed people on top of a building, and asked with fear in his voice what they were doing up there.
It was very cool. Thousands of people, there for so many different reasons, gathering in a peaceful demonstration. Speaking out against the hateful rhetoric spewed by our president, and demanding human rights for all humans.
I believe that birth rights are human rights, and that every birthing person deserves respect. That's why I loved the email sent out by DTI (Doula Trainings International) last night about the Women's Marches all over the world, and how it relates to our work as Doulas. Among other things, the email read:
"DTI birth workers around the world marched yesterday with the acknowledgement that our work is intersectional and that we’ve still got so much work to do. This means recognizing that historical oppression not only affects gender, but also race and sexuality. Being honest about how feminism has been exclusive to our most marginalized in the past while still believing in the movement’s purest, most powerful form. Knowing when to speak and when to listen. Lifting up our most vulnerable, but not by deciding what we think is best for them. These values are weaved into our work, as DTI doulas recognize the context of factors impacting birth culture around the world while maintaining a firm commitment to respecting the wishes of the birthing person, first and foremost."
This is what Democracy looks like!
xoxo