So, funny how this small project of mine called school has taken over my life. I have a few blog posts in the works, but I have been noticing how quiet Bloody Show has been lately. It makes me a little sad. So until I get a few moments to finish the posts I have started, here’s a little light reading for the meantime. Over at The Unecessarean, there’s a lively discussion going on:
- Start with Mai’a William’s guest post about the necessity of making conversations about race and active anti-racism at the center of our birth work.
- Jill followed this up with a slide show titled Racism and Low Birth Weight 101.
- After that, if you’re still hungry for more, keep reading this post over at Mom’s Tinfoil Hat on this conversation at Alas a Blog.
- I’m sad I missed the recent blog carnival on Midwifery and Racism hosted by the Navelgazing Midwife but go check it out. Unfortunately, I think the poor turnout is due to a lot of factors mentioned by Mai’a in the post I linked to above.
- Finally, if you want a peek into some recent frustrations in my life, check out this post on a recent conversation (by which I mean outright brawl) on the MANA student discussion group as outlined by the Becoming Midwives blog.
Thanks for the link. I am just a future practitioner trying to be an ally. I find itcreally disheartening how many people have knee jerk denials of the documented true negative health outcomes due to institutional racism. Ironically, those common, predictable, tired rejections if reality reinforce the racism they are desperately fighting to ignore.
You’re exactly right, Hilary. I believe so strongly that we have to radically subvert the system in order to provide quality care to all women. And then you have conversations like sometimes crop up over at The Unnecesarean where people flat out refuse to acknowledge the way racism affects health outcomes – despite very well researched and documented evidence. It is one of the most frustrating and depressing aspects of birth work.
Yes it is frustrating and depressing. Thanks for caring.
BTW, I typed the above message on my phone while at the hospital, so please forgive the rampant typos.