NEDA's Anti-Racism & Inclusivity Statements

​Anti-Racism Statement
Racism and discrimination have no place within the National End of Life Doula Alliance (NEDA) membership or its partners. We believe that Black lives matter, recognizing silence is complacency, that the impact of systemic racism is vast, and action is crucial. Working for greater racial equity and justice, we at NEDA support the actions necessary to bring about such change.  ​

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Statement of Inclusivity and Intercultural Development 
The National End-of-Life Doula Alliance (NEDA) stands in solidarity with Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, as well as others who denounce systemic racism and injustices that negatively impact the lives and deaths of so many of our fellow citizens in America and elsewhere.

As a non-profit business league of community leaders the end-of-life doula (EOLD) movement, and the only international body representing this interest, NEDA is dedicated to supporting more compassionate choices made by our constituent groups in ways that help reduce suffering at the end-of-life. Our entire mission is based on the premise that every human being—irrespective of, but not limited to their race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and other cultural attributes—has a right to die with dignity, surrounded by love, compassion, and grace. Regrettably, there are still too many who are not provided the opportunity to receive necessary and humane treatment at the end of their lives.

We know we have work to do, within and beyond this organizational body, to sustain a more inclusive environment that is welcoming to all, and where each member feels safely accepted, seen, heard, and valued. NEDA strives to be an inclusive and transparent network that welcomes all EOLD practitioners, trainers, and other interested parties who come together to honor both what we have in common and what sets us apart. But to accomplish this, our intent must translate into meaningful and deliberate action. To that end, we commit to:

Listen: We will tune into the underrepresented voices and the perspectives of those who are working to equitably develop the emerging EOLD field, providing end-of-life care for people of color and other marginalized individuals living among the global communities that NEDA serves.

Learn & Unlearn: We will continue to educate ourselves about racism and how our personal and cultural beliefs and actions have helped to sustain long-standing institutional discrimination and injustice. As board members, we agree to expand our awareness of multicultural issues for greater competency. We will work to unpack historical wrongdoings and our own biases so that we may recognize how our individual and organizational perspectives on end-of-life practices have contributed to the inequities in health-care and death-care systems, as well as within our own organization.

Advocate: We will commit to the principles of inclusion and diversity by creating a healthier organization where all members are treated respectfully, assuring equal access to opportunities, resources, and participation. Using NEDA’s platform, we commit to amplify the diverse voices of its wisdom keepers.

Speak Up: We will use our voices against racial injustice, without sitting in the complicity of silence or inaction. We resolutely commit to breaking down the dysfunctional systems, as they exist within our own organization that have disproportionally affected others at the end-of-life.

Mobilize: We will explore the ways that NEDA can manifest transformative changes by:

• Creating a leadership council that will provide guidance while holding our board and members accountable to the basic principles of diversity and inclusion.  
• Improving our organizational policies, processes, and procedures that reflect fair and equal practices.
• Providing more resources and continuing education on racial equality that adds to EOLD best practices, industry standards, and provider services. 
• Promoting opportunities for EOLD professional development and training on personal biases, beliefs and the transformative ways of building equitable organizations in service to meeting broader community end-of-life needs.
• Seeking opportunities to network and collaborate with other organizations and institutions that share our goal to eliminate disparities in the provision of end-of-life care.​

Together, we will be part of the systems change. Our promise is to ensure that the leadership of NEDA, and by extension, the entire membership, consistently remain aware of our responsibility to bring awareness to injustice. Because awareness leads to dialogue, dialogue leads to understanding, and understanding leads to meaningful change.