This story is part of the “Proximity Project,” created by the Peale in Baltimore, a collection of location-based stories about civil rights and social justice that will become part of a self-guided Baltimore walking tour, accessible to anyone with a mobile phone. This project has been possible through a grant from the Baltimore National Heritage Area.
Shindreia Chase (00:00:) Hi, guys. I'm Shindreia Chase, also known as Shindoula of Mpenzi Tundae Doula Care located here in Baltimore, Maryland. The question that arose was did or do I have to deal with anything in relativeness of social justice? My doula care business, it's the framework is around social and reproductive justice for women, especially women of color and Brown descent. My recent experience as a doula working for clients, we were in a hospital in downtown Baltimore, one of the few that are in downtown Baltimore. We were in the hospital. She was laboring and my client had been laboring for a pretty long time.
Shindreia Chase (00:49): We were having our suspicions about what was going on, but instead of listening to my client and listening to her needs, and her wants and her discomfort, a lot of it was placated with maybe this is what's happening. I tried suggesting some things that may be going on. About almost 44 hours, we labored and maybe around the 43rd and a half, I finally had to advocate and had to say, 'Hey, something is not right and that is a issue.'
Shindreia Chase (01:26): A lot of modern medicine, when it comes down to Black and Brown women, especially in urban areas where their needs and their concerns are not being met responsibly or respectfully. That is just a part of being the doula and working in the childbirth field, and working in women's health and having in correlation to social justice, as well as reproductive justice. Being able to give women back the power to take back their voices.
Shindreia Chase (01:59): In that particular moment, had I not advocated, I don't believe that mom or the baby would've made it, but we're grateful that they both were here, and they're healthy and they're beautiful, but that as a doula, as my experience with dealing with social justice on top of reproductive justice framework and the disadvantages that happen here in Baltimore.
Asset ID: 2021.08.01
