AABC's Equity Work
AABC is engaged in, and committed to, the hard work needed to live as an organization that is actively anti-racist and advancing intersectional equity. We recognize that the current healthcare system is founded in structural racism and white supremacy. We are a historically white organization and hold ourselves accountable for the pain that has occurred as a result of systemic racism in our organization.
In June 2020, AABC released a Statement on Racial Justice and formed a Task Force to Address Systemic Racism. We retained DEI consultants, the EnterChange Group, to help us develop a strategic DEI roadmap and infuse intersectional equity in the Standards for Birth Centers. We plan to accomplish this through a 4-phase plan:
- Preparation - Facilitated conversations and environmental scan. (read the report)
- Discovery - Equity assessment through survey and discussion groups (read the report)
- Planning - Integrating the equity indicators with the AABC Strategic Priorities
- Implementation - Implementing the AABC Strategic Priorities which are rooted diversity, equity and inclusion.
Diversity & Inclusion Scholarships
We offer Diversity + Inclusion Scholarships to Members of the Global Majority*, LGBTQIA+ folks, and people with disabilities. AABC seeks to expand access and lower barriers to entry through these scholarships for the annual AABC Birth Institute, How to Start a Birth Center Workshops (in-person and online), and Community Birth Assistant Training.
As an organization, we know it's our responsibility to disrupt the norms that center white, affluent, straight, able-bodied people as patients and providers in the birth center setting. We intend to make education more accessible to a greater number of individuals in order to ensure that all families have the opportunity to receive culturally concordant birth center care.
DEI Foundations Training
An AABC member benefit
Led by EnterChange consultants Sarah Hansen and Amanda Neatrour, this course introduces the concepts of diversity, equity, and inclusion, providing definitions of each, as well as how they relate to equality, ethics, and social justice. It emphasizes how applying DEI principles will support AABC’s mission and vision. Participants learn about why DEI matters, particularly in workforce and service-based contexts. It also introduces participants to concepts of intersectionality, the cycle of socialization, power and privilege, and implicit bias.
Learn more about DEI Foundations Training
Affinity Circle Online Communities
An AABC member benefit
The AABC Diversity + Inclusion Committee invites members to join our online Affinity Circles to connect and create community with people of similar identities, cultural values, and lived experiences in the birth center world. We are excited to offer these communities as an extension of our Affinity Circle sessions held at the Birth Institute each year in order to allow members to connect with each other year-round.
These forums are designed to create a safe space for members to explore identity, areas of concern, and community change.
Three community circles will be offered:
- Members of the Global Majority*
- LGBTQIA+
- White Allyship/Accompliceship
- LGBTQIA+ Allyship/Accompliceship
Learn more about AABC Affinity Circles
* The Global Majority includes Asian American (or of Asian descent) or Pacific Islander, Black or of African descent (African American, Afro-Caribbean, etc.), Indigenous to Americas (Alaskan Native, American Indian, Native American), Latinx or Hispanic, Southwest Asian or Northern African, or a person who is of multiple races)
Inclusive Language Guidelines
In an effort to continue doing work that aligns with our mission and values, AABC has enthusiastically decided to adopt and expand upon the American Psychological Association’s Inclusive Language Guidelines. We believe in the profound relationship between language and our beliefs, practices, and well-being. The aim of our Inclusive Language Guidelines is to provide community members with an up-to-date, living document for learning and implementing inclusive language. We believe that utilizing these guidelines empowers all of us to offer the most equitable, accessible, and competent birth center care with the widest reach to our communities.