Hello classmates and professor it was a wonderful semester discussing different kinds of topics and learning new things. Seeing things from many different perspectives reading our weekly discussions. For some reason I had a feeling for the  grand Finale We was going to have a discussion about Abortions. As the professor asked, I will try to stay away from proselytizing. 

Well starting off with Roe vs Wade. According to Politico Information about Roe Vs Wade has been leaked. It’s not the best information either. Its information that could separate the people cause a lot of emotions like OPPRESSION. The leaked documents show that the Supreme court might overturn Roe vs Wade. According to the article “the 1973 decision guaranteed federal constitutional protections of abortion rights” this protects a pregnant woman’s liberty to choose to have an abortion without excessive government restriction.

                         My reaction to the leaked documents in the article is feeling Fear for women. I’m Surprised. I find it unfair that women are being oppressed and losing rights to make their own decisions about abortion. The things I learned in the Opinion of The Court it seems like they feel like ‘Roe was abusing Judicial Authority”. The court also feels like the constitution makes no reference to abortion. So now the Conversion of Roe vs Wade has to be brought back up. It’s basically Reviving old problems and making them worse to me. In 1973 I felt like they came to an understanding and slowly we made regulations to make things not as gruesome and inhumane to a Fetus life. Anyways these views from the court leaves things unsolved and still a hot topic in 2022. If Roe vs Wade get overturned things will not be good. I think a lot of women will be furious, it won’t really stop abortions as people will find a way. It will be illegal, but someone will open an office somewhere private and try to continue giving women Abortions. With that being said I don’t even think its a safe idea to go on with over turning abortions. 

I then went on to read another article that’s almost like a solution or another option to take.  A lady named “Rebecca Gomperts Gets Abortion Pills Into the Hands of Those Who Need Them.” She provided many women with apparently safe abortion pills. The organization is Australian based but works in the united states. It is affordable being 150 dollars. She has a long history of providing these abortion pills to many women.. Sadly as time went by in 2019”, the Trump administration’s FDA sent Dr. Gomperts a warning letter demanding that she stop mailing abortion pills to people in the U.S.” Now she has a problem but doesn’t wasn’t to stop helping people access to her product. Gomperts provided medication abortion to over 30,000 people in the U.S. since 2018.  Many people found her product beneficial and safe. Imagine the people who could need it in the future or how bigger it would have grown. Carrie Baker then proceeded to have an interview with Rebecca Gomperts. Asking her interesting questions to understand her intentions, goals and future plans and how her product works.

I found the 13 minute  Abortion Helpline video informing. Focusing on many sad aspects of not even being able to afford an abortion. How some try to help and how deep it can get when their only an amount of time. 

From reading all of these articles, watching the documentary and the announcement the professor wrote.  The government is trying to make decisions for what a female chooses to do with her uterus. Women are basically at risk of losing rights to certain options in healthcare. If one right is taken away, who knows what other things they can be stripped of. It’s important to keep in mind how women feel these decisions the government is trying to make is Oppressing women.  

I honestly always found  Rosie the Riveters “ We can Do it Poster “ bold and interesting. I also do have questions about it. This poster was made in 1943 by J. Howard Miller. It was made to boost female worker image & importance. This was also made around the time of WW2. Factories and shipyards during World War 2  had plenty of women helping and taking over positions and roles that men would be doing. I like that they are advertising the point women are capable and strong .. breaking them aways from being seen as a  housewife or not strong enough. I wonder though why the face of the famous advertisement is a white female. it makes me wonder Was only white females helping in the WW2 .. was their women of other race who helped ? 

This week’s reading is pretty eye opening and very informational. I like when we have discussions about things I wasn’t aware of. I read 2 articles. The first one was about  A Birth Story told by  LECONTÉ J. DILL (the birth giver ) and the author who wrote her story is  Dr. Dana-Ain Davis. The main concept of the writing is obstetric racism and the racism Leconte J . Dill encountered during giving birth. As far as I understand before reading this I wouldn’t think racism is a problem in the hospital while giving birth in this time and age. Sadly according to the story it is , it was a problem since Jim Crow Laws Its not about hospital Being disgusted with your baby being black or them calling a pregnant women derogatory terms, It’s more about how they were treated during the process or the actions take. The article lists some ways Obstetric Racism occurs. This can occur through  “Neglection” ( not paying attention to the needs of the person), “Intentionally causing pain”  is another one When medical professionals fail to appropriately manage pain “Coercion” is When medical professionals perform procedures without consent or intimidate patients to make decisions that is basically giving somebody medicine they might not want and need by force. Obstetric Racism can occur in many forms like peer pressure and mistreatment. Leconte then went to explain how she feel like her experience giving birth at a hospital in brooklyn wasn’t the best. She felt mistreated. She experienced what you would call Obesteric Racism. If you read her poem and story she felt violated. she felt like she wanted to do this at home i believe with a team of women She trust . Instead They kept her their where she was “poked and probed” . What I find crazy is when she explained at the end of her birth that she had to “ walk to another room, pushing her newborn in the mobile crib and her IV, with her husband trailing behind her, carrying all of their belongings”. That insane. How could anyone be treated like that black white chinese it don’t matter. When a woman is giving birth she must be treated with the most care. Professionals should be there to make sure the operation runs smoothly and the patient is in good hands. 

The second article on vice by Diana Tourjee opened up a discussion about the passage of a rule to legalize discrimination against trans people in health care would harm & effect the lives of trans people in the united states . They let some people open up about how they feel being trans and about to lose rights to health care. Many of them good working citizens  like taxpayers, pediatricians, people in the military, college students talk about why they need health care , how much they oppose this rule , talk about the discrimination they face. Some go in very sick and don’t get the help they need because of the medical history they have. In general this is right because they are still human beings at the end of the day like straight men and women. They need medical support too. It  should be equal for everybody without much discrimantion for the choices people make.

The documentary period : the end of sentence was interesting. I find it bizarre how they feel about menstruation. The women seem like they feel like it is a week of shame and being impure. They can’t pray to their god or be around people. I find it odd how they don’t have access to good pads. I feel like that’s almost a necessity at this point of life most women shouldn’t be walking around bleeding and it being visible/ leaving spots on their clothes. Although they state pads exist they are just hard to get ahold of it just shouldn’t be. The girls seemed a little curious to what a pad even is when the interview asked and showed them . Hopefully things are getting better for them and they have more access to pad and materials to take care of themselves now that the concern has been put out their.

Hello classmates and Professor …I think this week’s reading did help further my understanding of identity politics.  THE power of identity politics explains why black women have to have their own political group I believe for example the Combahee River Collective. The Collective feel like white feminist movement and many other civil rights movements were not addressing their particular needs as Black women or even Black lesbians. So, it explains the importance of black femist groups strictly supporting themselves. Interlocking oppression explains how differences amongst peoples (sexual orientation, class, race, age, etc.) creates oppression for black women.

The second story Too Latina to Be Black, Too Black to Be Latina shows a good example of discrimination within your own people. Aleichia Williams the author has a darker complexion then most of the Hispanic people in her school. In her school there is a little gang war going on between the black people and Hispanic. She is not really picking a side, she is neutral. I like how she understands she is black and Hispanic and just because her skin isn’t as light as all the other Spanish girls she is still just as Hispanic and isn’t ashamed to be brown skin. To me it sets the Spanish and black people behind so much to have a gang war against each other. In general, we are supposed to find ways to work together and make things better for one another and learn new things. 

Something that would be interesting to talk about are gender studies on sports like in the Olympics, NBA , or soccer. What do women dominate the most in as a sport … why do transgender men compete with women in sports sometimes. I recognize in some sports mix teams are okay like tennis. A man and women can team up to defeat another mixed team. Was things always fair in sports for women? Is Soft ball the women’s version of  baseball? Do women get the same amount of respect in the WNBA than men? Are they taken care of as much as the men in the NBA. Every year there is a NBA finals why don’t we hear about the WNBA finals.  

This week the importance of identity politics was introduced to me by black feminism I believe. I read A statement or article by THE COMBAHEE RIVER COLLECTIVE. They are A group of Black feminists who have been meeting together since 1974.  They speak out together about struggles like racial, sexual, heterosexual, and class oppression.  Although they are a group of black women, they represent all women and the problems they face. I find this interesting because they are like the black panthers of feminism. I also like that they are speaking up for other women while also dealing with racial oppression. I’d like to think that a white woman goes through the same oppression as black women in 1970 but that was probably not the case.  Black Chinese Indian white it don’t matter I’m sure all women and men have felt oppression. The matter is who is going To speak out for the black women and be about them. A group of black feminist will do so , The Combahee is trying to do so. Throughout reading the statement, they talk about 4 different aspects the Group worries about or covers. I go over a few According to the author “ Issues and projects that collective members have actually worked on are sterilization abuse, abortion rights, battered women, rape and health care”. The need for proper Heathcare , and better abortion rights is very important for any women black or white it should be equal , accessible and fair. Justice should be served to battered and raped women. The genesis of Contemporary Black Feminism is a very informing beginning  after reading the intro.  It gave a little analysis about the history of black women standing up for survival and liberation, and its connection to the American political system that is not really built to support them. A system built off white  male rule. I like that they bring the point that there were many Black women activists even before 1970 … even around the end of the 1800s women like Sojourner Truth , Harriet Tubman showed personal sacrifice, militancy for what they believed in and wanted for others. 

Paris is burning an interesting short film about ball culture and its community. They presented the beautiful things about life like the fashion, how they dance etc and the downfalls like oppression, how they are seen by others outside the ballroom.  the African American, Latino, gay, and transgender communities where basically the people involved in it. This seemed almost like an underground thing at first. People like Pepper LA Beija Angie Extravaganza, and Willi Ninja Dorian Corey are interviewed throughout the short film to get an understanding of what it is like who are such major influences “voguing” and drag balls and turned these small celebrations into a powerful expression of personal pride. The house as they would call it allowed freedom of expression for young teens and adults. They get to go their dressed up as they please. Sadly, when these same people are outside dressed this way, they are seen as completely different and almost odd.  The drag queens honestly started seeing this like winning a Grammy. So basically, over time something so small became bigger and bigger and helpful to many who wanted to dress up differently and be themselves with others and have rewards for how beautiful they look.