CAM Conference

The California Association of Midwives is having their annual conference this coming weekend. It will be held in Santa Rosa but it will also be streamed live, which is what I chose to do. I could use the CEUs but there's one presenter in particular that I'm super excited to hear. When I went to the website to register, this is a message I found:

The California Association of Midwives recognizes the contribution that midwives of color make to the improvement on infant mortality rates, prematurity rates, breast feeding rates, and maternal mental health for families within California.  We recognize the dedication midwives of color have to their clients who often live in underserved, marginalized, and disenfranchised communities.  CAM is committed to furthering the professional development of midwives and students of color and as such are pleased to offer full scholarships for the 2015 Conference.

I talked to Louis about whether to accept the free rate or pay the full price. We both went back and forth a few times. For one thing, our family isn't low-income, so it feels a bit unfair to accept it. On the other hand, it's not about midwives being disadvanteged, but about serving families that are, which I totally have done/am doing/will do. Also, since there are pathetically few licensed midwives of color in the state (I'm the only one in the county), it's not like I would be cheating the organization out of major profits. But then there's my pride...

In the end, I decided to take the full scholarship, with the understanding that I will pay it forward.  Every little bit helps. It will be my first ever midwifery conference. I kinda wish I could be there in person, but while I'm streaming it I'll be cleaning my office and getting lots of work done at the same time. I'm looking forward to it.