The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports Black women are also three to four times more likely than White women to die from pregnancy-related causes. For some, access to contraception and safe abortion care can mean the difference between life and death.
News
Who is the Body Positivity Movement Leaving Behind?
If you Google body positive, most of the images show white folks — even the cartoons. When spreading the message of body positivity, we have to be sure that we are including the voices of people of color. As a fat Black woman, this piece for me is very important. When fighting against body terrorism and oppression, we have to address racism and its impact on people’s self-esteem and body image.
Healing in the Midst of Tragedy: How Can Black Folks Keep Surviving in the Face of Constant Trauma?
It’s hard not to feel hopeless when thinking about the countless others around the world who are experiencing deep and murderous oppression while also living in our own oppression at the same time.
Shaming Women About Having Sex Doesn’t Stop Us From Having Sex
I ask about 100 people, either by phone or by knocking on doors, the…
New Abortion Laws Make Obtaining Safe, Affordable Procedures Increasingly Difficult for Women
HB 2 went into partial effect in 2013 and forced patients to endure a mandatory delay of 24 hours before their abortion procedure. It also required abortion clinics to undergo costly renovations to become ambulatory surgical centers (ASC). If the Supreme Court doesn’t intervene in this case, it is estimated that these restrictions will leave Texas with only 9 clinics for more than five million women of reproductive age.
Planned Parenthood Funding Comes Under Attack on Capitol Hill
During her statements, Rep. Brenda Lawrence called the hearing “exhausting” and “insulting” and reiterated that Planned Parenthood receives reimbursement for services to Medicaid patients and explained that if there weren’t Medicaid patients going to Planned Parenthood, there would not be reimbursements. Later, Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman expressed confusion over the purpose of the hearing, whether it was about the videos or the federal funding.
Learning to Love It, Yes Even That: Boob Sweat and More
Photo Credit: Charles Krupa/Associated Press At some point last year, I made a conscious…
Pretty Hurts: The Impact of Beauty Standards
here are so many stereotypes and societal expectations surrounding beauty and intelligence – expectations that make people believe that a beautiful person cannot be intelligent and that intelligent people aren’t attractive. Growing up, because I was a straight-A student, no one expected me to wear stylish clothes or be attractive in general.
I was a fat, dark-skinned black girl with a kinky hair texture, and if I weren’t smart, I wouldn’t have had much going for me in the eyes of most folks. I felt like the whole world was telling me that, because my body was neither desired nor wanted, my only contribution to society could be through my academic successes.
Dr. Ben Carson’s tall tales about abortion and black women
As a biracial black woman who has had an abortion, I find any implication that health clinics in black neighborhoods exist in order to push abortions on unwitting black women wildly offensive. To use factually incorrect rhetoric to render our healthcare needs and experiences irrelevant is an affront to our dignity.
Black Colleges Should Advocate for Breastfeeding Families
While many Black women do breastfeed, some unapologetically so, there is a running list as to why other Black mothers choose not to. For one, Black mothers are less likely to be encouraged by hospitals to breastfeed, typically the first point of contact for breastfeeding education. And many Black mothers are in under-resourced communities, where breastfeeding is discouraged or just outright impossible due to a lack of support.