Established in 2017, The Birthing People Foundation’s mission has been to empower Women and People of Color (POC) by providing free and low cost training, education and certification for birthworkers. The program offers training for birth and postpartum doulas, childbirth educators, lactation consultants, and midwives. The Birthing People Foundation is intended  to address the maternal and infant health disparities in communities of color and other marginalized communities around the world.   

Mothers of color and their babies suffer the highest rates of maternal & infant morbidity and mortality, dying at 3-12 x the rate of white women, before, during, and after birth.  Research is showing systemic racism, lack of midwifery care options, and lack of midwives & doulas of color as the causes for these shocking disparities. 

Over the years, Allegra Hill, CPM, LM, IBCLC and Kimberly Durdin, CPM, LM, IBCLC have been aware of these disparities and strived to use their skills, knowledge, talents, and passion to create a solution. After attending the Midwives Association of North America in 2017, they were reminded again that mothers and babies of color are dying. They realized that creating more midwives and doulas with the cultural origins of these neglected groups was the key to lowering infant and maternal mortality rates.

Their mission became clear. Allegra and Kimberly created a non-profit educational program designed to train people of color to become Doulas, Childbirth Educators, Breastfeeding Peer Educators, Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultants, and Midwives making that care more acessable to Black birthing people and people of color. In 2018 they opened the original Kindred Space LA location, building and nurturing community until deciding to close during the pandemic. In 2020 their complete dream became a reality when they opened the only Black owned birthing center in Los Angeles. Located in South Los Angeles, Kindred Space LA is a fully operational birthing center and clinical training site for students serving the community of color.  To date the Birthing  People Foundation has trained more than 250 eager POC women and men to support and protect black families in pregnancy, birth and beyond, and this is just the beginning.