Radical Love in Action: Celebrating the 4th CoCo Doula Graduating Class

This summer, the CoCo Doula program proudly celebrated a powerful milestone. Eighteen new community-based doulas completed their training, bringing the total number of graduates to 60 since the program’s launch in 2021. Each graduate represents more than just a new professional stepping into the birth space. They embody healing, advocacy, and a collective commitment to ensuring that Black moms and birthing people in Contra Costa County receive the care and dignity they deserve.

For Oni Jahmora, CoCo Doula Program Assistant, the graduation was nothing short of sacred. She described it as witnessing “a prayer answered, a dream realized not just for me, but for our ancestors, our babies, and every Black birthing person who’s ever felt unseen in the system.” To Oni, these doulas are not simply finishing a program. They are stepping into legacy, into power, and into the deep responsibility of protecting Black life.

The CoCo Doula program has grown rapidly in just four years, and reaching 60 trained doulas is a monumental achievement! Each one extends the program’s reach and strengthens the community’s safety net. As Oni explained, “It means more hands, more hearts, more warriors at the bedside. Each doula represents a ripple of radical love, education, and advocacy that challenges the statistics and reclaims our right to birth with dignity.”

From Clients to Caregivers

This year’s class was particularly special because many of the graduates were once CoCo Doula clients themselves. Their decision to step into this work reflects not only the impact of the support they received but also the transformative nature of the program. Oni described it as a full-circle moment of healing, resistance, and leadership: “There is nothing more powerful than seeing someone go from being supported to becoming the support.”

Transforming Birth Experiences

The impact of these doulas is already being felt. They are entering hospital rooms, birthing centers, and homes with advocacy, ancestral wisdom, and fierce love. They are shifting atmospheres, challenging systems, and creating space for Black families to feel safe and respected in one of the most important moments of their lives. As Oni put it, “That changes outcomes. It changes how people feel about their birth stories. And ultimately, it saves lives.”

Some moments from the training will stay with this cohort forever. Oni recalled a powerful testimony from a graduate who shared, “I didn’t think I was meant to survive my last birth. But now I know I was meant to be here to make sure someone else does.” That kind of resilience and determination underscores the deeper purpose of CoCo Doulas. This work is not only about learning new skills, but about healing and soul.

Doulas as Birth Justice Warriors

Oni also reminds us that doulas are much more than companions at birth. They are, in her words, “birth justice warriors.” In a system that has too often devalued Black lives, doulas are critical advocates, standing for consent, safety, and respect. Their presence can be the difference between trauma and triumph.

This milestone also arrives during FIERCE Advocates’ 20th anniversary year, which makes the graduation even more meaningful. The CoCo Doula program is an extension of FIERCE’s long-standing commitment to supporting families and advancing racial equity. Oni sees it as one of the organization’s boldest declarations yet that Black families deserve more care, more love, and more power.

If she had to describe the program in just a few words, Oni knows exactly what to say. CoCo Doulas, she shared, is “radical love in action.” Love that listens. Love that heals. Love that protects. Love that refuses to let Black birthing people be an afterthought.

Learn More and Get Support

The CoCo Doula program offers free services to birthing families in Contra Costa County, including prenatal education, labor and delivery support, postpartum care, and connections to community resources.

If you are seeking support from a CoCo Doula, please fill out our CoCo Doula Services Interest Form.

To learn more about the program and its impact, visit our CoCo Doula Program page.

Together, we are building a community where every Black family has the opportunity to experience birth with safety, dignity, and joy.