Reclaiming the Word "Doula":
Service, Care & Liberation in BIPOC Communities

The word "doula" comes from the ancient Greek doulē (δούλη), meaning "female servant" “woman that serves” or "slave." While today the role of a doula is one of deep emotional, physical, and spiritual support during life’s most profound transitions, it is crucial to acknowledge the complexities of its etymology—especially within Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities, where servitude, caregiving, and labor have historically been racialized and undervalued.

For many, the term doula carries the weight of systemic oppression, reinforcing structures that have long exploited women of color as caretakers, healers, and birth workers—often without fair recognition, agency, or compensation. As we continue the work of supporting others through life, birth, death, and grief, we must also reflect on how language upholds or challenges these histories.

Honoring the Many Names of This Work

While doula is widely used, many professionals in this field prefer titles that more accurately reflect the sacred, empowering, and reciprocal nature of this work—without reinforcing outdated notions of servitude. Some alternative names include:

• End-of-Life Practitioner
• Death Midwife
• Transition Guide
• Sacred Passage Facilitator
• Death Consultant
• Grief Companion
• Life & Death Caregiver

Each of these titles acknowledges the wisdom, training, and profound emotional labor involved in this work, honoring the role of practitioners not as servants, but as skilled guides and facilitators of transformation.

A Radical Act of Healing & Liberation

For BIPOC communities, reclaiming this work is an act of self-determination, resistance, and cultural healing. Historically, Black midwives, Indigenous healers, and community caregivers have provided essential care despite systemic barriers, ensuring that birth and death remained sacred, community-centered, and culturally rooted. Today, BIPOC practitioners continue this legacy—not as an extension of servitude, but as a pathway to liberation, justice, and reclaiming ancestral wisdom.

How do we ensure we are not perpetuating servitude?

• Language Matters – Choose a title that reflects the depth and dignity of this work.
• Economic Justice – Ensure BIPOC practitioners are fairly compensated, valued, and supported.
• Cultural Reclamation – Honor the traditions and knowledge of BIPOC communities in birth, death, and healing spaces.
• Community-Led Care – Center collective care models that uplift and empower, rather than exploit.

By broadening the language we use and centering care as an act of sovereignty rather than servitude, we shape a future where birth, life, death, and grief are honored with dignity, reciprocity, and deep respect.

Honoring the Past, Healing the Future

Whether we call ourselves doulas, end-of-life practitioners, or sacred transition guides, our work is about restoring balance, breaking cycles of oppression, and ensuring that no one must navigate life’s transitions alone.

Through ancestral wisdom, collective care, and a commitment to justice, we are shaping a world where caregiving is not a burden, but a path to liberation.