Following Through on Our Promises

by Henry Fersko-Weiss

In the June issue of INELDA Monthly we outlined some of the concrete steps we were planning to take to begin addressing issues of white privilege in our organization. We want to let you know how we are following through on those promises so far. We also know that these steps are only the first actions we need to take to create an equitable and inclusive organization.

1. On Wednesday, August 26, all of INELDA’s staff and Board of Trustees began a two-month workshop on Deconstructing Allyship: White Privilege and Accountability. The presenter of this workshop, Aimee Brill, has begun to lead us into a deep exploration of how our whiteness—individually and as an organization—perpetuates and is complicit in maintaining racism and disparity in end of life care and in the doula field. Through what we learn we will start to identify further steps we can take toward becoming anti-racist.
2. On July 29 we presented an extremely well received webinar with Pastor Corey Kennard. In the hour-long, free conversation that was open to anyone, Pastor Kennard discussed issues of disparity in health care and end of life care. He also explored how we begin to change this deplorable situation. Well over 500 people registered for this workshop and found the conversation revealing and thought provoking. This was the first in a series of webinars to address issues related to racism, disparity in the health care system for the BIPOC and LGBTQIA communities, as well as on cultural competency. We will announce upcoming webinars in this series as we finalize our plans.
3. In an effort to bring greater diversity to our Board of Trustees, we are excited to announce that Pastor Cory Kennard has agreed to join the INELDA Board as of January 2021. Due to commitments he already has, Pastor Corey won’t be able to join our organization before then. However, he will start to serve on the INELDA Advisory Council that will begin its work in September. Pastor Corey is the first, but not the last addition to our Board from the BIPOC community. We will continue our efforts over the next six months, and beyond, to expand the INELDA Board of Trustees so it includes more people from the BIPOC and LGBTQIA communities.
4. We have added a segment to our Doula Training program that deals with bias, disparity and culture. We also changed images throughout our doula training PowerPoints to include more people of color. These are the first steps in a more comprehensive overhaul of our training and other offerings that will educate our doulas on serving diverse populations.
5. The advisory council we decided to establish will begin meeting in September. To start with the council will be called: Council on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (CEDI). This name may be changed by the council, if it feels that a different name would better capture its mission. The CEDI will have 12 members, led by two BIPOC doulas who have trained through INELDA. The structure and functioning of the CEDI will be finalized by the CEDI itself in its inaugural meeting. The co-leaders of the CEDI will be paid for their work. We are still determining how the other members of the CEDI will be compensated.
6. We have revamped our scholarship program so it’s focused on people from the BIPOC community who want to become doulas and bring this work to people of color. Since relaunching the program last month we have issued 7 scholarships. In addition, we are offering certification scholarships for BIPOC people who already trained with INELDA. People who are awarded a training scholarship in this newly revamped program, will also be eligible to receive a certification scholarship without the need to reapply.

As we discussed in the June issue of INELDA Monthly, these steps are the beginning of our efforts to fully incorporate an anti-racist, more equitable orientation into the structure of INELDA and all its activities. Making continual progress on these issues is now a core value of the organization. We will keep you informed about future steps as they occur.