About / Anti-Racism Commitment

Spinning Babies® Commitment

to Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression

We at Spinning Babies® are committed to ensuring all pregnant individuals have the opportunity to have a normal physiological birth and their right to birth with respectful care and treatment for themselves and their babies. 

Spinning Babies® acknowledges that access to normal physiological birth can be blocked by oppression of non-dominant groups and by institutional and individual racism.

Spinning Babies® will work to champion access to normal physiological birth to all parents and providers to reduce disparities in outcomes among non-dominant communities. Respectful care before, during, and after childbirth is a human right and includes support and physiological solutions for complications and challenges, such as those addressed by Spinning Babies® approach.

Spinning Babies® as an organization commits to continuously engage in the examination of our own methods by inviting feedback from communities we serve.

We recently have decided not to include the 2-3 rebozo techniques we were offering in the first 20 years of Spinning Babies®. The background of our use and why we changed are written on the Rebozo page.

We changed the name, Three Sisters of Balance to the Three BalancesSM. The back ground of our use and why we changed are written on the Three Ways to Body Balance page describing The Three BalancesSM.

We will be making changes on over 200 emails, products and webpages during 2021. It will take time.

Today, maternal and infant mortality rates, especially within the United States, continue to rise. African American women and babies are dying at over double the rate of white women and babies. The CDC’s 2019 data shows a mortality rate of 18.0 per 100,000, higher than in many other developed countries (D’Alton). Native American women endure dire consequences from high mortality rates as well. This travesty and severe inequity is a result of both direct and indirect acts of racism.

Stresses of racism result in preterm birth, low birth weight, and the deaths of mothers and babies across the economic strata. Spinning Babies® recognizes that racism includes inadvertent as well as blatant acts by individuals, groups, and institutions in both mainstream and alternative birth cultures.

In our commitment to improving birth outcomes and addressing the health crisis of disparate maternal and infant outcomes, we engage in ongoing examination of our practices.  We realize that this is a process without an end through which we are committed to working against discrimination or oppression of people due to their race, religion, nationality, or sexual orientation.

How can Spinning Babies® take action to be part of the solution?

  1. Engaging in on-going examinations of Spinning Babies® internal and external practices.
  2. Requiring continuing cultural awareness education for Spinning Babies® Approved Trainers.
  3. Providing no or low cost workshop access to Black and Indigenous People of Color.
  4. Creating access to our information for Communities of Color; and training access for Black and Indigenous Birthworkers, including education by Black and Indigenous Trainers.
  5. Reviewing our curriculum to root out racism.

Gratitude

We wish to publicly express gratitude to the late Ms. Claudia Booker for her gracious direction in the content of our statement, and her wise advice for Spinning Babies® improvements in serving all Peoples.

Spinning Babies® Approved Trainer, Nicole Morales led the creation of this document and continues to be a leader in awareness of the diversity of cultural knowledge that enhances birth and Spinning Babies® application in the world of birth.

We have an Equity Team of BIPOC and Spinning Babies leadership that meets quarterly to review internal structure and make decisions about how Spinning Babies® can be a positive member of the larger community.

Access for Black and Indigenous Professionals

Our Approved Trainers and Gail Tully commit to providing seats in our Spinning Babies® Workshops, including our Aware Practitioner Training for pregnancy bodyworkers and midwives; and our Certified Parent Educator Workshop for BIPOC childbirth educators. Read more about general eligibility before applying on this form.

Black Birth Workers may not need a form to receive access (an equity seat) to our 1- or 2-day Spinning Babies® Workshop. Simply, find out if a seat is available by emailing the Approved Trainer teaching the workshop. The Approved Trainer will let you know if there is a spot available and how to get registered and continuing education credits.

Link to Aware Practitioner Workshop BWOC Equity Seat form for a pregnancy bodyworker of color.

Black childbirth educators hoping to attend the Certified Parent Educator Training will receive an Equity Seat form included in the Acceptance Letter after submitting their application. Application fees are waived, no need to pay to apply.

Priority goes to a qualifying member of a community with statistical disparities and within driving distance (local area) of the workshop. Those flying into the workshop location are eligible after adequate time or opportunity has been given to the local community without an applicant coming forward.

Attendance at the 1- or 2-day Spinning Babies® Workshop is required before attending the advanced training, but an Equity Seat may potentially be given for both.

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