At Developing Doulas, we believe that every woman or birthing person and their families deserve compassionate, culturally safe, and equitable care. We recognise that this belief must be backed by ongoing, active commitment to anti-racism in everything we do.
We acknowledge that the birth world in the UK has historically centred whiteness—often marginalising and excluding Black and Brown people, both as doulas and as families accessing support. We are not exempt from this history. Developing Doulas began as a predominantly white organisation, and we know that representation alone is not enough to dismantle the deeper systems of inequity we are all shaped by.
We are committed to the long-term, uncomfortable, and necessary practice of anti-racism.
DD has taken deliberate steps to grow in our awareness and practice, including organisational training and deep internal reflection. But we understand that training is not transformation. We host regular anti-racism working sessions within the facilitators team to ensure we stay accountable and keep learning. Our facilitator, Vicky Walker, has launched her Decolonising Conversations workshop, and this will become a required part of DD’s training from August 2025. Our graduate, Dee Pinnock, has created a space for DDs of colour called The Black and Brown Doula Collective. We are committed to listening when harm is named, and to prioritising repair over defensiveness.
We also acknowledge that this practice is not linear. We have made mistakes, and we will again. We are learning how to stay in the conversation even when it is hard. We are learning that intention does not erase impact. And we are learning that anti-racism is not about proving we are “good people”—it is about showing up, over and over again, for justice, equity and care.
We reject racism in all its forms—including interpersonal, institutional, and systemic. We also understand that anti-racism cannot be separated from wider struggles for justice, including those faced by marginalised communities across the globe. We strive to respond to these complexities with compassion, humility, and an open heart.
This statement is not a box-ticking exercise. It is a living commitment to hold ourselves accountable to the values we claim.
We invite current and future doulas, especially those from the Global Majority, to help shape the future of Developing Doulas. You are not just welcome—you are needed. We know that true change only happens when power is shared, when harm is addressed, and when every person in our community can speak freely and be met with care.
We will keep listening. We will keep learning. We will not turn away.
