Wednesday, February 29, 2012

As we come to the close of Black History Month

So this months TV show in honor of Black History Month is about Black People that have made their mark in the reproductive justice movement. So while going over information for the show Brittany which is the guest for tonight brought up a good point about how we as people forget about black history as February ends and that we should continue to care about it and become educated on it. I had to totally agree with her on this one, we don't really realize the importance of knowing our history and I am a firm believer that in order to know where your going,you have to know where you have been. We as black people have a rich history and have been significant change makers since the beginning of our existence. I think it is very important for us to remember this and the more you learn about our history it will be easier to remember. So I just want to say Thank you to all my sisters and brothers that have made history and dared to be different, so I can have the rights I have.

Friday, February 3, 2012

War on Contraceptive Discussion

So I know I'm late blogging about this, but I'm blogging now. So Monday we had this discussion about the current state of access to contraceptives. Of course the sneaky anti-choice found out about it and showed up and they were on edge. So this is what I don't get about the anti-choice/"pro-life" people,they are suppose to be so much for life but fail to tend to the services of the actual living. Like for instance this lady had the nerve to ask do we go into these communities we service and tell them that they are at high risk for being single mothers and not finishing high school. I was really thrown off guard by this question because for one it had nothing to do with the topic at hand and also why remind the poor of their slim chances they have in life to be successful because of their economic situation. This was a very asinine thing to ask,so i thought, especially coming from a white privileged woman.This is the exact reason why I do the work that I do because I am poor myself for now and I don't need anyone reminding me of that and adding to my oppression because that's in fact what your doing when you tell a poor black girl that instead of giving her the information to keep her from being that statistic and giving her the support to believe that she can rise above her circumstances.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

versus

In my hometown, Louisville, Kentucky-you're either a sports fan of  University of Kentucky  or University of Louisville.   If a U of L student wears a UK sweatshirt on U of L's campus: "They should have went to UK!"

The rivalry has broken up homes, pitted brother against brother and spouse against spouse. Not in the literal sense, but who ever wins the annual U of L/UK basketball game-wins big bets and most importantly bragging rights and reminders of how, "You´re team lost!" But, the sore loser will continually remind their foe of how the last time their team beat theirs, no matter how long ago it was.

The game between pro-life and pro-choice is not that simple and downright vicious at times.  An anti-choice protester at the door of the abortion clinic will use baby doll props, their own live children, Jesus pictures, statues of Mary and yell through a bullhorn to prove their point.

The anti-choice opposers will offer protection to the client as she enters the door.  But that´s only some of them, while the pro-lifers are trying to recruit the others of pro-choice to be on their team with a bible in hand or their own baby on their chest, hanging from a harness.

In the end, there are no losers or winners. But if their is a so-called winner, it is the woman who finds the way to do the best for her and/or her circumstances. But this decision could be unhealthy or deadly, depending on the means that are available.

"Abortion will not be stopped...the question becomes simply that of what kind of abortions society wants women to have," stated Shirley Chisholm, in her book: Unbought and Unbossed.  "clean, competent ones performed by licensed physicians or septic, dangerous ones done by incompetent practitioners."

It would be great if this debate was as simple as scoring points or getting personal fouls, but it is not. Unfortunately it seems in its current state of debate, there will never be "a side" that wins.