American Dreams Podcast

American Dreams Trailer

Carrie Kaufman — Thu, 05 Jan 2023 10:11:19 -0800

As 2023 dawns, women in the U.S. look back on the last year and see one glaring issue: 2022 was the year their right to have an abortion was severely curtailed.

But many women did not have access to abortions even before the Dobbs decision. Women on Medicaid, in the same states that are outlawing abortion now. Women who live in rural areas. Women who don’t have access to good doctors, and good advice.

One thing the popular press doesn’t seem to talk about is how many women and trans men (anyone with a uterus) want to have children, but find that the systems as they are set up in this country mitigate against them.

You read that right: women want to have children, but don’t because it is so hard to do so.

How?

Well, first, you have to have a doctor. A doctor who knows you, and who is looking out for your health as well as your fetus’ health. As we will show in episodes 2 and 3 of this podcast, the U.S. medical system is more focused on the fetus than on the mother - leading to rising maternal mortality rates. Most of those occur after birth - when medical systems seem to shut down.

“You have a healthy baby. Goodbye.”

Women in urban areas - whether they are in poverty or not - have to solve the issue of transportation in order to even see a doctor. Some people live in what Chicago Foundation for Women executive director Felicia Davis Blakley calls “medical deserts,” where the closest OB is three busses away; where people have to take off a day of work, and find childcare, in order to get a monthly checkup.

As Make It Work Nevada executive director Erika Washington points out in episode 1, there is a corner in North Las Vegas that has five fast food restaurants - and a dialysis clinic. She noted they also have a grocery store, but it doesn’t sell healthy food. It sells, as Erika said, “a variety of covered and smothered meats.”

Sounds yummy.

Then there’s the challenge of finding a doctor who will listen to you, and not - as Brenda Zamora shares in episode 4 - yell at you. Or as midwife Jollina Simpson talks about in episode 2, talks down to you. Or just gets medical stuff wrong because they didn’t study your body type in med school.

Here’s a hint: Black skin doesn’t “pink up.” And if you’re a doctor looking for your patient to be “pale,” you’re going to miss “ashy” on your Black patients.

In 1994, a group of Black women had a sidebar meeting at a conference in Chicago. The conference was sponsored by the Ms. Foundation for Women and the Illinois Pro-Choice Alliance. A representative from the Clinton Administration came to talk to the 250 or so attendees about their proposed healthcare plan. Remember that? The one Hillary Clinton was putting together, which outraged members of Congress?

Anyway, there were 12 Black women at this conference, and they were struck by the fact that the Clinton health plan didn’t have anything about reproductive health. So they met, and they created a framework, which they called Reproductive Justice, which not only exists, but is growing as a movement today.

The four principles of Reproductive Justice are:

The right to have a child
The right to not have a child (which includes sterilization, which many doctors won’t do)
The right to have a child in a healthy environment and then raise them safely
The right to bodily autonomy and sexuality

These principles are repeated throughout this podcast, as well as homages to the 12 founders who “gave birth” to the Reproductive Justice movement.

Let’s look at what these principles mean. The right to have a child encompasses the ability to get pregnant and survive. It also means having a job that pays a living wage so you can take care of the child or children. It means living in a safe space - without mold, without fear of violence - so you can raise your child safely. It means, as many of our interviewees noted, having healthcare professionals examine their internalized biases.

Loretta Ross is one of the founders of the Reproductive Justice movement. Her body of work was recently recognized by the MacArthur Foundation with a “genius” grant. She noted in episode 1 how abortions could be avoided if we as a society cared more about women as whole people rather than as vessels for giving birth.

“If a woman is suffering from economic insecurity or poor housing or lack of health care or violence in her life, that’s going to affect her reproductive decision making. If she has bad answers to those human rights issues when she’s facing an unplanned pregnancy, she’s likely to terminate that pregnancy, if she can. If she has good answers to those issues - like housing, health care, the ability to stay in school - then she might turn an unplanned pregnancy into a wanted child. So isolating abortion from the pre-existing conditions in women’s lives did not make sense to us.”

So in a post-Dobbs America, we are exploring what Reproductive Justice means. This means looking at the beginnings of the movement (Episode 1), the injustices people need to overcome (Episode 2) the history and current status of pregnancy criminalization and forced sterilization (Episode 3) women’s experiences with giving birth (Episode 4), the role of midwives and doulas (Episode 5) and the state legislation that affects women’s pregnancy decision making int he U.S. (Episode 6). We’ll end the series with a roundtable of some of the participants.

I would say “enjoy” - and this podcast is definitely enjoyable. But there are some hard things in here, too. People die in childbirth. Hopefully, this series will give people enough knowledge to make that number a rarity.

Each American Dreams: Reproductive Justice episode will drop every Saturday for six weeks starting January 7.

The Birth of a Movement

Erika Washington — Sat, 07 Jan 2023 07:03:39 -0800

In 1994, 12 women walked into a hotel room in Chicago. They came out with a blueprint for what would become the Reproductive Justice movement.

The Mothers of Reproductive Justice - as they are known now - were the only Black women at a conference on universal health care reform held by feminist groups. The meeting took place after a presentation by someone from the Clinton Administration on their universal health care plan. The plan didn't include any coverage of reproductive health.

As Founder Toni Bond told us, "It was as if women didn't exist."

We talk to two of those 12 women - Creators & Guests

Erika F. Washington - Producer
Erika F. Washington - Producer
Make It Work Nevada - Producer
Wil Black - Composer
Loretta J. Ross - Guest
Dr. Toni Bond Leonard - Guest
Felicia Davis Blakley - Guest
Chi Chi (Chinyere) Okwu - Guest
Mary Leung, MSM, CNM - Guest
Carrie Kaufman - Producer

Dr. Bond and Creators & Guests

Erika F. Washington - Producer
Erika F. Washington - Producer
Make It Work Nevada - Producer
Wil Black - Composer
Loretta J. Ross - Guest
Dr. Toni Bond Leonard - Guest
Felicia Davis Blakley - Guest
Chi Chi (Chinyere) Okwu - Guest
Mary Leung, MSM, CNM - Guest
Carrie Kaufman - Producer

Loretta Ross. And we talk to women working in the Reproductive Justice space now about what RJ is, what needs to be in place for it to work, and how the concept of Reproductive Justice touches every aspect of our society.

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American Dreams: Reproductive Justice is co-executive produced and hosted by Erika Washington, powered by Make It Work Nevada. The podcast is co-executive produced, written, and edited by Carrie Kaufman of Overthinking Media LLC. Music by Wil Black of Black Gypsy Music. Artwork by Brent Holmes.

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In our next episode, we will set our bearings by looking at the history of reproductive INjustice in the U.S.

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Links: International Declaration of Human Rights - which Loretta Ross talked about basing the framework on

Reproductive INjustice

Erika Washington — Sun, 15 Jan 2023 07:00:00 -0800

In this episode, we’re exploring medical systems in Black and Brown communities. The maternal mortality rate for Black women is THREE TIMES the rate than it is for white women. More surprisingly, the ALMOST mortality rate is higher than most of us realize.

Chi Chi Okwu, who you heard in episode 1, starts us off by pointing out that the likelihood that you will have a healthy pregnancy, which includes the postpartum experience, is embedded in the history of our country. And it can mostly really be described with one word: Racism.

"Like a lot of things in our country it was founded on racist ideology," said Okwu, executive director of EverThrive Illinois. "A lot of research was done on slaves, and in ways that were really harmful."

Historian Alicia Suarez of DePaw University in Indiana notes that Black women are - still - seen as being "obstetrically hardy" and that "they don't feel pain."

Tufts University researcher Ndidiamaka Amutah-Onukagha breaks it down even further, noting that almost every gynecological procedure we used today was "tested" on enslaved Black women, often without anesthesia.

We also talk to Wanda Irving, whose daughter, Shalon Irving died in January 2017, three weeks after she had given birth. Wanda was featured in an NPR segment by Renee Montagne and a ProPublica story by Nina Martin, and we talked to her for this podcast. Shalon Irving was a CDC researcher in pregnancy mortality. She had two PhDs and two master's degrees. "But yet and still," says her mother, "none of those degrees, experience, awards protected her.

"I used to think the system failed Shalon," said Wanda. "It didn’t fail her, it operated exactly how it was set up to operate. And she was just one more victim of a system that does not value women, and especially does not value Black women."

This is echoed by Martin, who found Shalon Irving's story when she was writing about maternal mortality for ProPublica.

Two things struck Martin. One, the number of deaths that occur after childbirth far outpaced the number of deaths during pregnancy. And, the fact that over 60,000 people "nearly die" after pregnancy. "That’s a lot of people," said Martin.

Martin agrees that it's about race - Okwu and Suarez talk in this episode about the idea of "weathering" in Black women - but she notes "this is about gender."

"It’s about women being treated as if they are less than - less than men, less than doctors and nurses, less than babies. For women of color - particularly Black and indigenous women - it’s so much worse... In that intersectional way, there are profound disparities around race and class. But it starts for me as a gender issue."

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The voices you heard on today’s program are Chi Chi Okwu from Everthrive Illinois, Las Vegas midwife Jollina Simpson, historian Alicia Suarez, Dr. Toni Bond - who was one of the founders of the Reproductive Justice movement, Tufts researcher Ndidiamaka Amutah-Onukagha journalist Nina Martin, and Wanda Irving, who lost her daughter, Shalon to a postpartum infection that was preventable.

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In our next episodes, we'll look at how hard it is for women who want children to have them.

Related Links:
Our infant mortality rate is a national embarrassment, Washington Post. Sept. 2014
Maternal Mortality Rates in the U.S. - CDC

We also want to pay homage to the 12 women who were in the room in 1994:

Dr. Toni M. Bond
Rev. Alma Crawford
The late Evelyn S. Field
Terri James
Bisola Marignay
Cassandra McConnell
Cynthia Newbille
Loretta Ross
Elizabeth Terry
Rep. ‘Able’ Mable Thomas
Winnette P. Willis
Kim Youngblood

Nazis, Eugenicists and the History of Controlling "Deviance"

Erika Washington — Sun, 22 Jan 2023 07:00:00 -0800

In 1961, 44-year-old Fannie Lou Hamer went to Sunflower County Hospital in Mississippi to have a minor tumor removed. Instead, the doctor gave her a "Mississippi Appendectomy." In other words, they sterilized her. Without her knowledge or consent. A year later, Hamer attended her first Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee meeting, launching her civil and voting rights activist career. She has said her forced sterilization was the catalyst for her activism.

Hamer wasn't the only Black or Brown woman who faced forced sterilization in early and mid-20th century America. It was actually quite common, and purposefully put forward by many of the elite in the U.S. through the theory of Eugenics - or race supremacy - which the Nazis actually copied to formulate their own theories.

In this episode of American Dreams: Reproductive Justice, we look at how white America has tried to control women's bodies - both by keeping "undesirables" from getting pregnant, and keeping "desirable" pregnant women from having abortions.

Sociologist Alicia Suarez notes that anti-abortion sentiment was coopted by the religious right in the 1980s, but was actually propagated by early medical leaders who wanted to keep WASP women controlled by saddling them with children, and non-WASP women controlled by taking away their ability to procreate.

One of the ways the state of California forced sterilization on its residents was through the Sonoma County Children's home, where "deviants" were sent for punishment - for being poor, for not speaking English, for already having too many kids, for being a teenager raped by her father - and given a choice: stay imprisoned or get sterilized.

We talk to journalist Phil Barber about his stunning investigative piece in The Press Democrat in 2021. And with Alexandra Minna Stern and Natalie Lira, who help put our history in context. Hint: It doesn't reflect well on us.

Criminalization of Pregnancy

Erika Washington — Sun, 29 Jan 2023 07:01:00 -0800

In 2014, Tammy Loertscher got pregnant. A few years before, her thyroid had been removed. She lost her job. She lost her insurance. Her state, Wisconsin, had turned down the Medicaid expansion associated with the Affordable Care Act. So she didn't have access to meds. So she self-medicated, just to keep herself stable. When she realized she was pregnant, she went to a doctor to help her get back on a better regimen, so she could be healthy for her fetus. Instead, she was arrested. We talk to filmmaker Jo Ardinger about her film, "Personhood," which follows Loertscher's story, and the personhood movement - which posits that a fetus is a person with rights, at the expense of the rights of the mother.

Personhood also shows up in the bizarre use of a law in Alabama intended to keep children safe in their homes. The Meth Lab Law was passed to criminalize people who were, say, cooking meth in their kitchens while their kids were watching TV in the next room. But, according to journalists Nina Martin and Amy Yurkinan, it was immediately used against pregnant women. Lawmakers, Martin told us, defined a "lab where drugs are manufactured" as a woman's womb. Thus, women who took meth, who smoked pot, who took prescription anxiety meds their doctors approved, were arrested - and got hefty sentences - under this law.

Birth Stories

Erika Washington — Sun, 05 Feb 2023 07:00:00 -0800

Amy Courts Koopman wanted a natural birth, despite a family history of pregnancy complications. She was in good health, but the pregnancy was tricky. Her birthing in-hospital midwife didn't read the notes in her chart. She was at one of the premiere hospitals in the U.S.

Brenda Zamora got pregnant at 18 with no insurance and working two jobs. She knew her diabetes was a complication to her pregnancy, but the high-risk clinic didn't flag anything. She gave birth at 30 weeks. Her daughter was born with a litany of issues, and would face multiple surgeries.

Erika Washington was giving birth to her second child. She went to the hospital and told the doctor to call her regular OB. They didn't. Instead they disbelieved she was in labor and sent her home with Ambien. She gave birth delirious and, as a 23-year-old Black woman on Medicaid, was accused of taking drugs and assumed to have no prenatal care.

These stories are told as one, with no narration. Might wanna grab your Kleenex.

Midwives and Reproductive Justice

Erika Washington — Sun, 12 Feb 2023 07:01:00 -0800

Ashlee Hernanz Alvarez was 18 when she had her first daughter, Mimi. She was on Medicaid, and went to the only public hospital in Southern Nevada. She was not treated well. The labor and delivery nurses were understaffed, her doctor was not around, and when a fill-in doctor walked in, he treated her as if she was disturbing his night. Ashlee describes the birth as "savage." For her second birth four years later, Ashlee turned to a midwife. Her experience was far better. She got to watch comedy when her labor started, so she would be distracted by laughter. She got to use her oils and her birthing ball. And she caught her baby herself, as the midwife was cupping her hands as a back-up.

These choices are not ideal for everyone, but birthing at home used to be the norm. Until professional medicine took over. We talk to Ashlee, her midwife, Jollina Simpson, and sociologist Alicia Suarez about the history of home birth, and why and how it's making a comeback.

Best Practices

Erika Washington — Sun, 26 Feb 2023 07:00:00 -0800

This last episode of American Dreams: Reproductive Justice is about the best practices for achieving healthy pregnancies and births, and that involves working together.

We spoke to Dr. Saraswathi Vedam with The Birth Place Lab, a division of the University of British Columbia. This lab conducts research and helps provide equitable access to reproductive care. As stated on their website, the lab focuses on four sections of reproductive care: person-centered measurement of equity, quality, and safety; (2) designing and implementing accountability tools and systems; (3) improving health professional education on anti-oppression, anti-racism, and cultural safety; and (4) expanding representation in the perinatal research and clinical workforce.

We also spoke to Rosanna Davis, the President of CAL Midwives. CAL Midwives is an association of licensed midwives who provide reproductive care to patients and fight for reproductive justice in the state of California.

This Can't Be Our Destiny

Erika Washington — Sat, 12 Oct 2024 14:54:15 -0700

This season we are following stories of people touched by incarceration, all pushing forward to find their way into a better space. Episode one introduces you to Marcus, a 28 year old serving a life sentence in prison. How does an aspiring actor, who can play the piano by ear and have such a desire to help and inspire people end up serving a life sentence. He told us his story over the course of dozens of prison calls.

American Dreams: Reproductive Justice is a podcast that will explore exactly what Reproductive Justice means. A thoughtful framework born in 1994, by 12 Black women in Chicago.

The four principles of Reproductive Justice are:

1. The right to have a child

2. The right to not have a child (which includes sterilization, which many doctors won’t do)

3. The right to have a child in a healthy environment and then raise them safely free from violence and with access to resources

4. The right to bodily autonomy and sexual pleasure

Season 2 of American Dreams will expand upon last season’s exploration of reproductive justice, centering stories of those touched by incarceration. Highlighting the effects of the carceral system and its effects on the directly and indirectly impacted people through the lens of reproductive justice.

American Dreams: Reproductive Justice Season 2 is executive produced and hosted by Erika Washington, powered by Make It Work Nevada. The podcast is associate produced, written and edited by Simone Endress. Music by Wil Black for Black Gypsy Music. Graphic designs by Mingo Collaso. A special thanks to Flobots for the use of their song ‘American Dreams’.

Special thanks to KUNV 91.5

This podcast is empowered by Make it Work Nevada, a Project of Tides Advocacy

For more information please visit Make It Work Nevada.org and find us on all the socials to learn more about our work to create a world we all can thrive in.

–

Information in this episode found on:

Websites:

Childrensrights.org

sciencedirect.org

Dreaming of the Day I Wake Up

Erika Washington — Sat, 19 Oct 2024 10:00:00 -0700

This season we are following stories of people touched by incarceration, all pushing forward to find their way into a better space. Is it possible to live through tragedy, addiction and incarceration and become an elected official?

In this episode of American Dreams: Reproductive Justice, we’re continuing the conversation of how the carceral system affects families and communities. Today I’d like you to meet Jovan Jackson. He’s 32, born and raised in Las Vegas, and comes from a family with two loving parents. He’s been an entrepreneur, community advocate and has committed himself to staying both civically and politically engaged in his community. He’s also a convicted felon.

American Dreams: Reproductive Justice is a podcast that will explore exactly what Reproductive Justice means. A thoughtful framework born in 1994, by 12 Black women in Chicago.

The four principles of Reproductive Justice are:

1. The right to have a child

2. The right to not have a child (which includes sterilization, which many doctors won’t do)

3. The right to have a child in a healthy environment and then raise them safely free from violence and with access to resources

4. The right to bodily autonomy and sexual pleasure

Special thanks to KUNV 91.5

This podcast is empowered by Make it Work Nevada, a Project of Tides Advocacy

For more information please visit Make It Work Nevada.org and find us on all the socials to learn more about our work to create a world we all can thrive in.

–

Information in this episode found on:

Websites:

Childrensrights.org

sciencedirect.org

The Injustice System Cannot Break Us

Erika Washington — Sat, 26 Oct 2024 10:00:00 -0700

Is this a case of being a criminal or being gay?

In this episode of American Dreams: Reproductive Justice we continue the conversation of incarceration and what can happen when women are incarcerated while pregnant. We want to introduce you to Sammy Werkheiser. A wife, mother, and former dance teacher in New York who loved working with children and lost everything after being accused of molesting her own daughter. She spent years in prison fighting for rights to be free and to be a mother.

We later hear from Dr. Mike Koeings, Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin Madison and Aaron Hicks, a formerly incarcerated man who is now a reentry coordinator, who are working together to change how mental health issues caused by incarceration are approached and studied.

This episode discusses domestic and intimate partner violence and sexual assault. If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse, call 1 800 799 SAFE.

American Dreams: Reproductive Justice is hosted, created and executive produced by Erika Washington

Associate Producer Simone Endress

Edited by: Erika Washington, Simone Endress and Wil Black

Researcher: Simone Endress

Editing and Music Supervision by Wil Black for Black Gypsy Music

Graphic Design by Mingo Collaso

American Dreams courtesy of Flobots

Special thanks to KUNV 91.5

This podcast is empowered by Make it Work Nevada, a Project of Tides Advocacy

For more information please visit Make It Work Nevada.org and find us on all the socials to learn more about our work to create a world we all can thrive in.

The Other Side of a Dollar

Erika Washington — Sat, 02 Nov 2024 10:00:00 -0700

In this episode of American Dreams: Reproductive Justice we introduce you to three men whose individual stories intersect through violence, struggle and ultimately success and investment into the community that shaped them.

High unemployment rates, broken infrastructure, crack cocaine and gang violence plagued the inner city of Detroit during the 1980’s. Families struggled to piece together any resemblance of an American Dream without the resources or the comfort needed to rest well or long enough to dream.

Alvin Hill, Cinceré Al’Talet, and Phillip Sample give us a glimpse into what it’s like to walk in their shoes. Their experiences are laid out in a raw and unapologetic way that gives space for us to understand how you could end up incarcerated and how you can also become powerful educated community leaders.

Their story continues in episode 5.

American Dreams: Reproductive Justice is hosted, created and executive produced by Erika Washington

Associate Producer Simone Endress

Edited by: Erika Washington, Simone Endress and Wil Black

Researcher: Simone Endress

Editing and Music Supervision by Wil Black for Black Gypsy Music

Graphic Design by Mingo Collaso

American Dreams courtesy of Flobots

Special thanks to KUNV 91.5

This podcast is empowered by Make it Work Nevada, a Project of Tides Advocacy

For more information please visit Make It Work Nevada.org and find us on all the socials to learn more about our work to create a world we all can thrive in.

A Different Kind Of Pedestal

Erika Washington — Sat, 16 Nov 2024 10:00:00 -0800

“A Different Kind Of Pedestal”

You’re out of prison, now what?

As we wrap up our journey with Phillip Sample, Alvin Hill and Cincere Al’Talet and this season of American Dreams, we hear directly from them what prison was like and how they navigated their day to day in both state and federal lockup.

How has their family and community ties affected their journey through their newest chapter as advocates for the community? Is this pedestal harder to to stay on and is there a safety net that will protect them.

Many formerly incarcerated individuals with felony convictions now have access to vote but that doesn’t mean they feel obligated or motivated to cast a ballot. We talk about how they feel about voting and what change could really mean.

In this episode we also hear from Assemblyman Howard Watts on what the passing of Nevada's question 4 could mean for Nevada.

Plus, hear the hit song, “Black Exploitation” in its entiretity–the song inspired by season 2 of American Dreams Reproductive Justice. Available on all streaming platforms.

https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/wilblack/black-exploitation-feat-coop-da-real-project-logic-kaliq-sayyid-cierra-nikole--grov-gt-tigue-iv

American Dreams: Reproductive Justice is hosted, created and executive produced by Erika Washington

Associate Producer Simone Endress

Edited by: Erika Washington, Simone Endress and Wil Black

Researcher: Simone Endress

Editing and Music Supervision by Wil Black for Black Gypsy Music

Graphic Design by Mingo Collaso

American Dreams courtesy of Flobots

Special thanks to KUNV 91.5

This podcast is empowered by Make it Work Nevada, a Project of Tides Advocacy

For more information please visit Make It Work Nevada.org and find us on all the socials to learn more about our work to create a world we all can thrive in.

Reflections

Erika Washington — Sat, 23 Nov 2024 10:00:00 -0800

Reflecting on Season 2 of American Dreams: Behind the Journey

In this wrap-up episode of 'American Dreams' season 2, the team reflects on the creation and emotional journey of the podcast, featuring insights from team members Erika, Simone, and Will. They revisit significant episodes, share behind-the-scenes moments, and explore compelling stories of resilience and injustice, from Marcus Alston's controversial conviction to Sammy's wrongful imprisonment. The conversation broadens to touch on systemic issues within the prison system, the impact on families, and the enduring quest for justice and humanity. Tune in to understand the profound takeaway and mission behind Season 2 of 'American Dreams.'

American Dreams: Reproductive Justice is hosted, created and executive produced by Erika Washington.

Associate Producer Simone Endress

Edited by: Erika Washington, Simone Endress and Wil Black

Researcher: Simone Endress

Editing and Music Supervision by Wil Black for Black Gypsy Music

Graphic Design by Mingo Collaso

American Dreams courtesy of Flobots

Special thanks to KUNV 91.5

This podcast is empowered by Make it Work Nevada, a Project of Tides Advocacy

For more information please visit Make It Work Nevada.org and find us on all the socials to learn more about our work to create a world we all can thrive in.