Support people will be your daily sounding board, offering coping strategies, providing comfort, and a sense of belonging. Peer networks of Indigenous health care professionals and students allow for social connection, validation of your experiences as well as healing outlets for collective action.

Connect with an Elder, auntie, or friend who understands the daily challenges and impacts of racism. If you are experiencing racial trauma, professional support can be helpful. Look for someone with specific identities and background who can best address your needs. Look after your body by eating regularly, getting adequate rest and physical movement. Make time to do things you enjoy: being outside, working on a project, cooking, or participating in community events. Consider defining new boundaries with your exposure to social media and news, as these can be sources of distressing information.

An Indigenous midwife mentor can offer shared experience and navigation through the political and bureaucratic obstacles. They are role models that believe in you and facilitate relationship building. Non-Indigenous mentors who speak up against injustices and lift you up into new leadership spaces are also beneficial.

Mentoring invites you into the circle of responsibility of growing and sustaining your profession. You can help mitigate racial trauma and injustice, increase self-awareness and comfort discussing racial content, and be a safe and trusting advocate to support healing. Together you are redefining the necessary support to innovate within reproductive care and justice. These unique perspectives will undoubtedly improve the standards of client care.

Internalizing rather than addressing racism is damaging and does not advance necessary change. Reach out to your mentor or association about how to handle these issues. Learn about safe ways to address your colleagues’ biases to improve healthcare. Report racism to leadership and/or regulatory bodies. Consider seeking legal advice.

It is the responsibility of institutions to have a policy regarding expressions of racism and discrimination. These systemic policies underpin cultural safety and diversity training and are a mechanism to address racism, power, and privilege on individual or institutional levels. The implementation of such policies requires a desire to change the status quo as well as develop the skills and capacity to address the racist behavior. It is imperative that these policies include mental health and additional supports to address the harms to those affected.

It is not reasonable or ok to have only Indigenous people doing the work to address anti-Indigenous racism work.  We need allies who step into shifting social consciousness, understand the harms related to inaction, do the work and demand accountability. We need everyone. These injustices are denying our basic human rights as Indigenous peoples. It is time for Indigenous people, including Indigenous midwifery students and midwives, to be valued and respected.