Diamond Sadé and her BIPOC Doula journey bursary

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Hi, I’m Diamond Sadé Walker I am a Hard-working, courageous, generous, dedicated, and loving woman.

I am continuing my education in early childhood development at Texas State University. I am the middle child, I have an older brother and a younger brother. My younger brother and I are 15 years apart. My mother Misty raised me as a single mom, and her hard work and dedication made me the woman that I am today and for my mother, I am forever grateful. My mother never gave up on her dreams, and I am never going to give up on mine. I have had some rough patches, people have tried to hold me back because of my race, culture, and age, but I’ve never let any of that hold me back.

I wanted the scholarship because I’ve always been into birth and birth work. I have seen five people in my family deliver babies, I wasn’t there as a doula, I was there just like a family member watching. When I first saw my aunt give birth I was like omg this is the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. I have also always thought that home birth was so special. Also because I have seen it so many times I wanted to actually be able to be a doula and help someone through birth and not just a friend or family member that’s seeing someone give birth but actually be the one helping through the process with all the background to back it up.

I wanted to train with Bebo Mia because after talking with Michelle Cruz, and actually looking into you guys’ websites and social media pages I fell in love. I loved that you guys don’t discriminate. and love and help everybody for who they are.

As an African American woman, who has had a lot of discrimination stand in her way with getting jobs going to certain schools, and just doing certain things. It was like a breath of fresh air when I saw that you guys didn’t discriminate and you loved everybody and helped everyone for who they were. That’s when I was like yeah! this is what I want and need to be a part of. I need to be a part of these are the people that I need to work with, they are what I’ve been looking for. As well earlier this year I joined you guys’ birth worker business school and it was awesome the teachers and skills that I got from that session of classes were amazing. That is also why I wanted to train with you guys, I just love everything that you guys stand for.

I want to be a birth worker because from being in and seeing about 5 births and I saw how some of the nurses and doctors just would treat African American women like they are incompetent. Such as in this movie called Breathe this African-American lady was pregnant and she was complaining to her doctor of symptoms such as headaches, vision problems, water retention, nausea etc, the doctor made her feel like what she was experiencing was all in her head, then she went to deliver the baby and ended up in a coma because she ended up having preeclampsia but wasn’t being treated for it, she survived but her being in a coma and being sick could have all been avoided if her doctor would have just listened to her concerns like she had been begging him to. I feel that as an African American woman I can help with that by becoming a birth worker and change the way that African-American women or are treated and handled when they’re giving birth and preparing to give birth.

By just being able to make that the most relaxing, carefree, and gracious experience that they have…

And to know that they’re safe and someone’s listening to what they have to say and really just be there for them through this amazing experience. I plan to become a doula and have my own Doula business and work hard to give women a wonderful birth Journey.

Diamond Sadé.

Learn more about MSP Scholarship here!