Prejudicial and discriminatory practices and policies remain deeply entrenched in our nation. These structural forces perpetuate racism and race-based disparities in midwifery and contribute to inequities in reproductive health and negative health outcomes for Black, Brown, Indigenous, and people of color. ACNM stands accountable for the pain that has occurred as a result of racism in our history, our midwifery programs, and our organization. ACNM is committed to the work of dismantling structural racism by recognizing and addressing historical and current racism within midwifery education, clinical practice, and institutions including ACNM.

We call on our organization, midwifery programs, and members to prioritize supporting our friends, families, students, colleagues, communities, each other, and most especially, those who do not have the privilege of looking away from the fear, the trauma, and the grief. We are all created equal. We must all hold ourselves accountable and fervently defend the basic human right of all people to be treated with dignity, decency, and respect in environments and through interactions characterized by mutual trust, fairness, and the absence of intimidation, oppression, and exploitation.

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ACNM: ACKNOWLEDGING OUR PAST AND CORRECTING THE PATH INTO OUR FUTURE

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The ACNM Board charged three respective committees, the Ethics Committee, Midwives of Color Committee (MOCC), and Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Belonging Committee (DIEB), with jointly developing a resolution of truth and reconciliation regarding ACNM's history of racism. This critically mindful work will require time and consensus to address our history and outline guiding principles for the way forward.

As this work progresses, ACNM will continue to recognize our desire and commitment to do better than our past. We will begin to step into our truth; a truth that has caused pain as a result of racism in our history, in our midwifery programs, and in our organization. A truth that created a hierarchical system which continues to perpetuate harm and marginalization. A truth that has hindered us from acknowledging our racist past and from caring for all our members equally and equitably. A truth that has delayed the urgent need to address the issues and experiences that students of color are having in midwifery education programs.

The road to reconciliation and recovery is not an easy one, but it is imperative if we are to care for our communities, the people we serve, and our profession. It is imperative if we are to live up to the standards of midwifery care, a commitment to providing the highest levels of compassionate care to another human soul. We will face challenges related to implementing changes that must be made if we are to truly become an antiracist, open organization that welcomes all midwives. There will be pushback from some members that don’t understand or are not willing to understand concepts such as white privilege, microaggression, systemic racism, discrimination, and bias. We may stumble in our attempts to find the right path, but we will get back up and carry on.

If you have never cared to understand why anti-racism work is everyone’s responsibility, we urge you to understand now. It is only through each of us doing the work of learning what has brought us to this place and what we need to do to move forward, that the process of healing past and current harms can begin. Only then can we as an organization realize harmony in order to center our shared goals to deliver optimal, accessible, and equitable midwifery care to women, individuals, and families. Reconciliation must be an inclusive and equitable commitment. We are all created equal. We must all hold ourselves accountable and fervently defend these basic human rights, and ACNM commits to doing so as an organization.

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ACNM ACTION PLAN

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2020

• Complete a Truth and Reconciliation Statement. The Ethics Committee is leading this effort with representatives from the Midwives of Color Committee (MOCC) and the Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Belonging Committee (DIEB) to develop a resolution of truth and reconciliation regarding ACNM’s history of racism and resolve for a future of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

• Host a Listening Session every two months to check in with members and gather feedback on our progress regarding anti-racism work and anything else members want to discuss.

• Establish a Racism in Midwifery Education Task Force to develop strategies to facilitate a more diverse midwifery student population, improve the student experience for students of color, and support the overall need to diversify the midwifery workforce to better reflect the demographics of our country and our patient population.

• Implement an Equity Lens Tool for use when reviewing policies, documents, publications, programs, and decisions within ACNM.

• Host an anti-racism webinar series, beginning with “What is Race and Why Does It Matter to Me?” for ACNM members.

• Engage the ACNM Board in anti-racism self-development work.

• Increase visibility of our diversity & inclusion work on our website, via our Diversification and Inclusion webpage.

• Ensure mutual understanding among our members by defining key terms such as systemic racism, oppression, white privilege, and microaggression.

• Develop a set of beliefs around race, anti-racism, and equity that members can adopt and stakeholders can embrace. View our Call to Action.

• Host an Inclusion Conference, in collaboration with D&I experts and input from ACNM Committees such as the MOCC, DIEB Committee, and BIPOC groups.

• Develop a book list for Board members and membership to educate and enlighten them in developing anti-racism actions both professionally and personally.

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2021

• Published "Honoring Black Grand Midwives and Supporting Black Midwives Today" article

• Hosted three free webinars during Black History Month:

  • Know Black Midwifery History in America: It Matters!

  • Honoring Black Midwives Through Philanthropy and Partnerships

  • Understanding the History of Slavery & American Gynecology

• In March, the ACNM Board released an apology letter and Truth and Reconciliation Resolution, acknowledging harms caused by its perpetuation of systemic racism and establishing a set of resolutions in response.

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2022

• ACNM held the Diversity & Inclusion Conference in August 2022, bringing together experts and maternal healthcare providers to strengthen understanding of DEIB and learn how to reduce health disparities by building culturally congruent teams to provide care for diverse patient populations. Creating an environment that embraces and promotes inclusivity by leveraging the latest DEIB trends and ideas, the conference content provides an amazing educational experience for all those involved in patient care, education and research: midwives, advanced practice nurses, physician assistants, medical assistants, nurses, health educators, administrative staff, and support staff. Interested in getting access to education sessions? You can get On-Demand access now. 

• The Addressing Racism and Advancing Equity in Midwifery Education: A Program Content Toolkit for Action was created by the Program Content Subgroup of the Racism in Midwifery Education Task Force. The purpose of the Toolkit is to provide faculty with resources for addressing the historical racism in American midwifery and preparing faculty and future midwives to be aware of racism and bias in themselves, in institutions, and in the health care system. Click to download the PDF.

• The ACNM Midwives of Color Committee (MOCC) in consultation with SHIFT Consulting, created Unpacking our Birth Bag: Anti-Racism Toolkit for Midwives. The "Birth Bag" is part of midwives’ identity and a history inseparable from racism. This toolkit should be used to unpack racism and privilege from your “birth bag” in hopes of restoring culturally competent care and making the midwifery profession more inclusive to all. Click here  to download.

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