Ep. 13: Black Women and the Struggle for Birth Justice, Bookworm Series, Pt 1 by Birth Bruja

You are listening to episode 13, part 1 of the Bookworm Series. We are reading chapters from Birthing Justice: Black Women, Pregnancy & Childbirth. Edited by Julia Chinyere Oparah & Alicia D. Bonaparte.

This book is a collection of articles that place black women’s voices at the center of the conversation around what should be done to fix the violent maternity system of this country. By placing black women’s agency at the foreground of the emerging birth justice movement, we are best able to identify the ways in which systemic oppression contribute to the modern birth experience within the US and what we can do to change the horrific Black maternal and infant mortality rates.

This book- and especially this episode’s chapter- is a MUST READ for any and all birthworkers. Birth affirmations and hip squeezes aren’t going to do shit in changing oppressive birth culture unless we pair it with critical thinking and action.

To support this process, I have joined up with Tabitha Thomas, a bi-racial politicized healer & somatic coach to launch the first session of the Birth Bruja BookClub. Starting in September 2019, we will join with folks across the country to dive into the featured book of this series- Birthing Justice. Go to BirthBruja.com to learn more.

The chapter covered in THIS episode is the opening to the book- entitled “Beyond Coercion & Malign Neglect: Black Women and the Struggle for Birth Justice. Written by Julia Chinyere Oparah with Black Women Birthing Justice.

It begins with the birth stories of two black women, a journey through history to outline the racist, sexist, & classist origins of obstetric medicine and the ways in which these systems have shaped todays birth culture, and continues with an exploration of the birth justice movement.

Without further delay… let us begin.

Music: “Lullaby’ by Tasha

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