gnds380 zine by Lamia Bhuiyan

ZINE CENTERING REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE AND SCHOLARLY ACTIVISM

BEYOND THE IVORY TOWER

Lamia Bhuiyan

This zine created as the final creative project for GNDS380 was a reflection of the themes and texts that hit me the hardest throughout the term. It also gave me an opportunity to share interesting pieces I found on my own because of my desire to keep educating myself on reproductive justice. Many of the works intersect, and all were by woman of colour, including the mini articles I had wrote since I am included in that group. As seen in the quotations and images provided, along with the references that helped shaped the mini articles, all display the intersection of so many of the topics and themes we covered in the course. Scholarly activism and the use of grey literature was really important for me to include in this zine - most of the artwork and photagraphy sourced are from small creaters and even found on simple publishing sites. I did not want to solely include what can be found in a museum, I wanted to emphasize how it is the locals that advocate through art forms most, because of its accessability, which was a theme brought up in our first week of class. It also ties into the idea of how organizing is both a science and an art form, as explained in the article. I wanted to highlight the intersections of both qualities, and how the most effective initiatives included both. I included some of the quotes that struck me so intensely that I could not forget about them when completing this zine. Any piece that does not have a name or citation was either created by or written by me, the written works serve as additional justification for the way the content aligns with course themes. Throughout the zine, it is noticeable the only colour present is red, with everything either edited by me to only use red and white, or black and white. I chose to do this because I see red as a powerful symbol of reproductive justice, representing the physical experiences of reproductive health and wellness, as well as the passion, love, life force energy, and resistance that are integral to the movement's goals. The movement seeks to empower individuals to make their own decisions about their reproductive health and to ensure that they have access to the resources and support they need to live healthy, fulfilling lives. Thus, red emphasized in the zine is meant to serve as a symbol of the fight against these oppressive forces and the struggle for reproductive justice.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Zine Explained

Herstory

Dorothy Roberts and Reproductive Justice

Activism: an art and science

Collage of Corruption

Controlling Images

Art of Centering Black Narratives "Ain't I A Mother" "Family Pictures and Stories"

Women of Colour Activism Burden of Fixing Problems "The Crowning Series" "Next Minute Law"

HERSTORY

The history of Reproductive Justice is rooted in the struggles of Indigenous women, women of colour, and trans* individuals, who have always fought for the right to plan their own families. However, the term "Reproductive Justice" was coined in 1994 when a group of black women gathered in Chicago prior to attending the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo. They recognized that the women's rights movement, led by middle and upper-class white women, could not adequately represent the needs of marginalized communities. To uplift the most vulnerable and marginalized, Women of African Descent for Reproductive Justice was formed. Reproductive Justice goes beyond the individual right to choose and focuses on access, particularly for those who face systemic barriers to healthcare.

"Reproductive justice calls for an end to forced sterilization, coerced abortion, and other abuses of women's reproductive rights. It seeks to guarantee every woman the right to make informed decisions about her body, health, and future, and to ensure that she has the resources and support to act on those decisions" (p. 23 of Dorothy Roberts' Killing the Black Body).

WHAT DOES REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE LOOK LIKE? "Reproductive justice insists that all women have the human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, to have children, not to have children, and to parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities" (p. 22). Dorothy Roberts’ book “Killing the Black Body” is fundamental to understanding reproductive justice. The text goes from expanding on the value of Black women's fertility during slavery in the States to their historic exclusion of feminist movements, and discussions on reproductive technology promoting systems of oppression. She revisits 3 main themes in the book, that this zine will also consistently revisit; 1) regulation of Black women’s reproductive decisions as a central aspect of racial oppression in America 2) control of Black women’s reproductive rights, which has shaped the meaning of reproductive liberty 3) reconsideration of the meaning of reproductive liberty to take into account its relationship to racial oppression.

INTERSECTIO N OF SCIENCE AND ART IN ACTIVISM Organizing for activism and justice can be seen as both a science and an art because it requires both a systematic approach and creativity. As a science, organizing involves the use of data and evidence to inform strategy and tactics. It requires a clear understanding of the issues, the stakeholders involved, and the various levers of power that can be used to create change. Effective organizing often involves research, data analysis, and the use of metrics to track progress and measure impact. However, organizing is also an art because it involves working with people, building relationships, and inspiring action. It requires the -

ability to listen, empathize, and understand the perspectives and motivations of those who may be allies or opponents. Successful organizers often have strong communication and interpersonal skills, as well as the ability to think creatively and adapt to changing circumstances. Organizing often requires the ability to inspire and mobilize people around a shared vision or goal. This can involve storytelling, creating compelling narratives, and developing messages that resonate with a particular audience.

CONTRO

OLLING

MAGES

THE ART OF CENTERING BLACK NARRATIVES Portraying Black women as stereotypical Jezebels (sexually deviant, immoral), Mammies (obedient but negligent), Matriarchs (aggressive, unfeminine), and welfare recipients (exploit system) only promote and justify racial oppressive systems. The objective has been to make racism, sexism, and poverty to be normal and inevitable for the everyday life of Black women. Analyzing controlling images reveals more ways oppressions of race, gender, sexuality, and class intersect. "Ain't I A Mother", was a research project by Dr. Nicole Corley exploring the beauty, vulnerability, and strength of Black mothers, using collage as a medium to feature stories of 26 mothers in America. The process of collaging was to serve as a metaphor of allowing Black mothers to self-define and tell their own stories. Black women have resisted harmful narratives for decades through literature, media, protests, and legislation, and this exhibition is a smaller-scale recent example. Controlling images are larger than stereotypes, they are inherently part of power relations. It contributes to the racial dimensions of welfare, abortion funding, birth control (Norplant), and reproductive technologies. By empowering and providing platforms for Black women to showcase their identity as multifaceted, gives the public a chance to understand its harmful affects.

This interdisciplinary research project showcases a form of scholarly activism that does not include reference to any previous scholarly work. Dr. Corley designed the project to include an art exhibit because of how traditional modalities of creating manuscripts cannot effectively embody the experiences of a storyteller. As a researcher, it is necessary to go beyond methodologies that include peerreviewed texts, because frankly, many of these marginalized voices do not have access to journals and resources. She integrated justice focused methodologies and emphasized accessablity in completing her research. These are the ways meaningful impacts can be made and genuine reproductive justice can be promoted. The particular project of "Ain't I A Mother" also serves as a perfect display of how organizing is both an art and science. The only way this project was created to become meaningful was using elements of both.

"AIN'T I A MOTHER"

CARRIE MAE WEEMS Family Pictures and Stories, 1981–1982

WOMEN OF COLOUR CARRY THE BURDEN OF TRYING TO FIX PROBLEMS THEY DID NOT CREATE "The lack of attention to women of color's reproductive health and rights issues in the feminist movement led women of color to form their own organizations" (p. 20 of Undivided Rights: Women of Color Organizing for Reproductive Justice.) Broader understandings of reproductive rights must encompass the race, class, gender, and immigration experiences of each group. Scholars like Dorothy Roberts, Linda Gordon, and Jennifer Nelson redefined reproductive rights by establishing racially and ethnically relevant organizations. Their journeys were not easy, and often lacked support from communities, and put themselves at risk. Organizing means you must be willing to be the only one standing at times. It is important to consider though these examples of WOC leaders are not the subjects of a single experience or history of racism. Each addresses their own history of reproductive oppression, defining their work in the context of political and cultural struggles. Their experiences in education, profession, family life, culture, interests, etc. shape their unique forms of activism.

Tsedaye Makonnen, featured on the next page had her artistic and political practice shaped by her experiences as an Ethiopian American, a doula, and a mother. Her body of work encompasses the communal care of Black women in environments where their needs are routinely erased. The ongoing collection of her Crowning Series involves performance, sculpture, and photography revolving around a gilded cast of pelvic bones that Makonnen wears as a crown. By wearing the pelvis as a crown, she elevates, in her words, the “womb as wound.” The intersection of not only her race and gender, but her profession as a doula advocating for Black families and mothers serve as a critical intervention to contest colonial practices. Similarly to Indigenous midwifery in Canada, the common moral of protecting your community is at the forefront of their work, and it is even more interesting to see how this translate in artwork.

TSEDAYE MAKONNEN, THE CROWNING SERIES: NSUKKA MARKET I, 2018.

NEXT MINUTE LAW'

Illustration series for a piece about a Brazilian law that states that the word of the woman is enough to get her free and anonymous health assistance in public hospitals after she has suffered sexual violence. Published by Universa UOL, 2018.

References Allen, Shaonta’ E. “The Black Feminist Roots of Scholar-Activism: Lessons From Ida B. Wells-Barnett.” In Black Feminist Sociology: Perspectives and Praxis, edited by Zakiya Luna and Whitney N. Laster Pirtle, 32-44. New York: Routledge, 2022. Collins, Patricia Hill. “truth-telling and intellectual activism.” Contexts 12, no. 1 (Winter 2013): 36-39, 41. Corey, N. (2022) Ain't I A Mother. [Art Exhibition]. Deomampo, Daisy. “Constrained Agency and Power in Surrogates’ Everyday Lives.” In Transnational Reproduction: Race, Kinship, and Commercial Surrogacy in India, 195-222. New York: New York University Press, 2016. Fried, Marlene Gerber, Elena Gutiérrez, Loretta Ross, and Jael Silliman. Undivided Rights: Women of Color Organizing for Reproductive Justice. 2nd edition. Chicago: Haymarket Books, 2016. Makonnen, T. (2018). The Crowning Series: Nsukka Market I [Artwork]. Retrieved from https://www.tsedayemakonnen.com/the-crowning-series Next Minute Law. [Artwork]. Published by Universal UOL, 2018. Ross, Loretta J. “Conceptualizing Reproductive Justice Theory: A Manifesto for Activism.” In Radical Reproductive Justice: Foundation, Theory, Practice, Critique, edited by Loretta Ross, Lynn Roberts, Erika Derkas, Whitney Peoples, and Pamela Bridgewater, 170-232. New York: The Feminist Press at the City University of New York, 2017. Roberts, Dorothy. “Reproductive Justice, Not Just Rights.” Dissent Magazine, Fall 2015. https://www.dissentmagazine.org/article/reproductive-justice-not-just-rights. Roberts, Dorothy. Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty. 2nd Vintage Books edition. New York: Vintage Books, 2017. Roberts, Dorothy. Torn Apart: How the Child Welfare System Destroys Black Families-and How Abolition Can Build a Safer World. New York: Basic Books, 2022. Sistersong. (n.d.). Reproductive Justice. Retrieved from https://www.sistersong.net/reproductive-justice Weems, M.C. (1982) Family Pictures and Stories. [Photography].