We acknowledge the land on which we sit and which we occupy at Doula Love. "The Portland Metro area rests on traditional village sites of the Multnomah, Wasco, Cowlitz, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Bands of Chinook, Tualatin, Kalapuya, Molalla, and many other tribes who made their homes along the Columbia River creating communities and summer encampments to harvest and use the plentiful natural resources of the area" (Portland Indian Leaders Roundtable, 2018). We take this opportunity to thank the original caretakers of this land. Please read Leading with Tradition, a document created by the Portland Indian Leaders Roundtable.
We want to recognize that Portland is now a community of many diverse Native peoples who continue to live and work here. Doula Love respectfully acknowledges and honors all Indigenous communities and are grateful for their ongoing and vibrant presence.
We also acknowledge the systemic policies of genocide, relocation, and assimilation that still impact many Indigenous/Native American families today. As settlers and guests on these lands, we respect the work of Indigenous leaders and families and pledge to make ongoing efforts to recognize their knowledge, creativity, and resilience.
Doula Love is committed to supporting the growth and development of community-based doula programs designed to support naive doulas supporting native birthing families.

Land Acknowledgment Resources
https://www.portlandpf.org/land-acknowledgement
https://www.freeformportland.org/landback/
Doula Love Training Center - Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Statement
The term doula was first used in a 1969 anthropological study conducted by Dana Raphael in the 1970s.[20] The “Doula Profession” began in the United States in the 1970’s as the natural birth movement took hold. Birthing families found themselves lacking community support as birth became more medicalized. In 1992, Doulas of North America (later DONA International) was co-founded by Klaus, Kennell, Phyllis Klaus, Penny Simkin, and Annie Kennedy, becoming the first organization to train and certify doulas.[25][26] The organization with the backing of the research of Klaus and Kennell helped lend credibility and professionalize doulas.[27]
Women have dominated the doula workforce in the United States. As “women's” work the doula profession has always struggled with becoming a “legitimate profession and receiving equitable pay.
Doula Love Training Center (DLTC) is dedicated to supporting the growth of the doula profession. Our number one goal is to make the doula profession a viable career option for all professional and community based doulas. We believe that by supporting equitable pay for doulas it will prevent early burn out in the profession. This will allow us to grow a workforce that can truly change birth outcomes for all birthing individuals in the United States with the largest impact needed in the Black Maternal Mortality and Morbidity rates . At DLTC we prioritize diversity among the doula profession and are dedicated to training and supporting the professional growth of historically marginalized groups*. Although the DLTC is located in Portland Metro Area ( See our Land Acknowledgment Below) we have a special interest in training professional and community based doulas in rural communities of Oregon and Washington.
* We define historically marginalized groups as anyone who has experienced inequities as a result of their class, race, ethnicity, citizenship status, nationality, disability, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or age. We recognize that this list is not comprehensive and strive to prioritize all groups that experience inequities as a result of how they identify or are identified by others. https://www.racialequitytools.org/glossary
* Community-based doulas work with underserved communities (racial, ethnic, linguistic, LGBTQ+, and/or lived experience (addictions, homelessness, DV/IPV, teen pregnancy, refugee, military, incarcerated, etc.) of which they are often members of to provide a sense of cultural humility that fosters trust and strengthens relationships between the doula and their client. The services provided are often low cost, and expand in the amount of support offered compared to traditional doulas and consider physical, social, spiritual and emotional needs. Services include an increased amount of home visits, preparation for the birthing experience, education, guidance navigating health care systems, language support, screening for mental health, and food security needs.[87]
Additionally, community-based doula models provide insight in the creation of policies that will support those families and underserved communities.[87] These doulas also actively engage policy makers by recommendations on certification and Medicaid coverage, integration into medical care, and participating on advisory boards.[88] ( Wikipedia Definition)

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