Racial Equity & Cultural Inclusion
Perinatal equity is the starting point to eliminating racial and societal injustices
We are a multicultural organization focused on tackling anti-Black racism and global cultural oppression.
What does this mean?
Our programs serve all races, backgrounds, and cultures of people, yet our spaces, strategies, and communications aim to center Black and global majority birthing people.
Supporting those most harmed by injustices supports positive change for all.
Our Commitment to Dismantling Oppression
Racism and anti-Blackness increase the risk for preterm birth, perinatal mortality, infant mortality, bodyfeeding challenges, perinatal mental health issues, and long term infant and parent health outcomes.
Within our vision of perinatal equity, tackling racism and anti-Blackness are non-negotiable components of our work
We work to dismantle these barriers and systems of oppression first through ourselves and our internal policies, and next externally through how we conduct our work and interact with the community. To ensure that we are upholding a culture of anti-racism, equity, and inclusion both internally and externally, all members of the Nurturely team, including staff, volunteers, board of directors, interns, families, and partners agree to upholding the following standards of action and accountability within ourselves, within our organization, and within our communities:
Honoring Intersectionality
Experiences outside of cookie-cutter conventional can be a source of discrimination and oppression as individuals embark on their journey to build a family. Gender diversity, same-sex or solo conception, loss, infertility, adoption, surrogacy, and foster parenting can all be barriers to inclusion, quality service, and responsive care. When these layers of experience and identity intersect with racism, we know outcomes and experiences can be even worse.
Nurturely's commitment to honoring intersectionality of identity and experience is woven through all of our programs, which starts with an acknowledgment that there is no "right" way to build a family and that every body and journey should be honored.
Caregiving + Culture
Caregiving & Cultural Appropriation
Nurturely’s goal is to uplift lived experience and cultural wisdom alongside research evidence. In many cases, the practices that we aim to uplift through education and research and community-based amplification have a long history of being misunderstood, erased, commodified, and appropriated.
We acknowledge the colonial history of taking, claiming, and commodifying traditional wellness modalities. We are committed to prioritizing the voices of the original holders of these practices, while also honoring, understanding and representing the cultural roots of these practices. We celebrate cultural variation in perinatal beliefs and practices and believe that members of each culture know best how to care for their babies.
People + Planet
Planetary Wellness = Perinatal Wellness
Environmental degradation, toxic chemicals, and climate change have direct effects on the health and wellbeing of pregnant and postpartum parents and their babies.
Environmental racism at both local and global scales has created conditions where those least responsible for the problems of climate change and toxic environments face disproportionate exposure to these risks.