This image was from the berlin wall protests.The berlin wall was known as an obvious obstruction of human freedom. The wall was a blank canvas so local artists started to paint their worries and their hopes of people standing together and fighting for their rights. Now we know this to be artistic activism. This eventually led to covering the entire wall of art to tell their government they did not approve of the wall’s existence. The people of west-berlin gathered to make art to show the world this was an unjust act to separate in a physical and political way. The wall was eventually was taken down on November of 1988.    

This week’s topic at hand is something that is remarkably close to my heart. Currently there is a war against women. I am incapable to fathom what is going on in the world today especially in the United States of America. I cannot help but think this is the land to control and keep people down, specifically women. After watching the video, the Abortion Helpline, this is Lisa with each woman that would call and ask for help because they have an unwanted pregnancy and due to their medical insurances not covering abortions because of one white man decided to make the Hyde Amendment, which prevents women with governmental insurance including Medicaid cannot use it to pay for abortions. Abortions were legal for centuries until again a white man decided to make it illegal. Why do men have any rights to make decisions on women’s bodies, I will never understand this. This documentary shows how all the Lisa’s try their best to work with what funding they have received for the week. This organization is one of a few that exist in the United States to help women receive some financial help with their abortions. It cost six hundred dollars at least to have an abortion in the us. We learned that the Hyde amendment supports the abortion of rich women but “saves” the lives of the poor woman’s baby. The rich women in America can afford and have access to abortion but the poor woman living paycheck to paycheck is punished in a way to keep an unwanted pregnancy because she cannot afford to pay for the procedure. All women deserve the right to having a safe abortion. 

Learning about The Dutch physician Rebecca Gomperts and her Aid Access was truly inspiring and goes to show that women are resilient and innovative human beings. Dr. Gomperts has provided women all over the world with safe abortion pills due to their countries ban and or unavailable access to abortions. I have to say I loved how she goes about charging women, she makes it so affordable and asks how much they can even afford. I love a woman in power who uses their power for a greater cause. She has even donated ten to fifteen percent of abortion pills due to women not being able to pay at all. She has also been on trump’s radar and was sent a written warning about sending abortion pills through the mail and was advised to stop. I found this hilarious. Obviously, Dr. Gomperts was unfazed and continues to provide access to affordable abortion pills.     

This week we read Why Artistic Activism: Nine reasons by: Stephen Duncombe and Steve Lambert. We dive into the nine reasons on why people have chosen art activism and how it impacts or has impacted our world and generation. 

Activism is known for creating an action and or a movement. When is come to artisic activism we learn how art  moves the mind body and soul. Artistic activism is another form of peacfully protesting. Art tends to lead people on to the measurable shifts in power. We learn to observe,annalyze and respond creatively. Artistic Activism has been used throughout history. Activist around the civil rights movement used songs and drew stories about their experiences as a form of peacful protesting. We are given examples of artistic activism and how it makes people more anntentive by naming it as such. This does not mean that there is not a down side to artistic activism, feeling daunting, the huge commintment most artist also feel, the huge risk you are taking putting your work out there. It is knowing your are going to cross boundaries that some people may not agree with.  

Now when I read about the 10 female performance artist and how it relates to artistic activism. These women have put themsleves out there since the 1960’s. Performing their acts as a way of protesting for women’s rights. We learn about the intistute of the arts feminist program. It was co founded by Judy Chicago and Miriam Schapiro in the 1970’s, which was one of the first feminist art programs in the united states. Public performances were later used as a form of advocatism for women. The story of Ana Mendieta was very impactful. At the early age of 12 to flee Havana with just your sister, leaving everything you know behind, she ends up in an orphanage in Iowa. She decides with the help of her sister and the other unoccompanied cuban children, created some of the most impactful performative pieces of art work. Her art expressed her displacement and ideology she expreinced as a child. These women have taken matters into there own hands and have stood up for causes that have matter most to them through their art. They have made a impact in the world that will last forever and that will inspire others as well. What I admire the most is that  these women came from humble beginnings and have been able to tell their experiences through art.  

This weeks reading were very heartbreaking and something i have read about and spoke about with family and friends.

I will start off with the article a birth story, which starts off by telling us the story of Leconte’s birth story, like her and many Black women she shares her experiences in the hospital. Leconte is 35 weeks (about 8 months) pregnant with serious health concerns and so the doctors want to induce her labor, which is understandable, she like many other mothers had created a birth plan, in her birth plan she expresses how she did Not want a c-section. She experienced something that no other woman on this planet should go through and is also known as Obstetric racism; doctors and nurses were annoyed with her. The nurses would prick and probe her like she was not a human with feelings. The doctor that gave her too much of an epidural was annoyed and commented she should just get a c-section with her being in the room. The part that really broke my heart was when she finally gave vaginal birth, after just a few hours they switched her to another room, and she had to walk and push her own baby! This shows us how little doctors and nurses neglect the Black women in this country in the most vulnerable time of their lives. Doctors are to Black women what police officers are to Black men neglectful and careless. 

Now with the 12 reasons it should be illegal for doctors not to treat trans people, this article explains how the department of health and human services want to create a new rule that consist of whether to effectively allow federally funded health providers and insurers to legally deny health care services to transgender people. Then we got to read some of the comments that trans women and American people do not want this to happen. This new rule is discriminatory and will cause major harm to the trans community. Even worse death!  

Now to end my discussion with the documentary Period. End of Sentence, I was shocked to see all the women, girls, boys, and men did not know what a period was. Also, that these women and girls did not have any access to a pad. They did not even know what a pad was. What I did enjoy was to see the women having support from a man making pads for them and the women of India having access to their own pad making machine. These women were truly inspiring working with what they have so that the young girls will not quit school because of their periods, have a better future and an education. 

Women are the true heroes of this world,we must protect and respect them all. 

The power of identity politics brings us to the realization that although we have changed in some ways like being more diverse and inclusive, however there are many things that are being ignored and pushed aside. Identity politics is both simple and hard to define because of American conservatives demonizing the term to their advantaged. White people have always had the power to change the narrative to benefit their beliefs or views. In this chapter we are introduced to the blond-haired woman in the bar who says I wish people would not say those things, can we all just be human in shorter words. Which is very dismissive of the experiences of Black communities and minorities groups. The fact is white people in power make the most important decisions. Whiteness is everywhere in the movies we watch, the make-up we wear, the band aids selection we have and even the down to the stockings that women of color had to pick from. White identity politics do exist, it is there to control the power of others and to make sure they stay ahead always. Never consider the experiences of others and the change that needs to happen to spread equal power to people (Black and minorities) in a more diverse America. Many white Americans do not want to remember the pain and suffering of the Black community, especially when it comes to Black women and the things, they were forced into doing, like for example breast feeding white babies while having not choice and neglect their own babies. That is why the Combahee River collective exist because Black feminist could no longer tend to the needs of white women and fight for their freedoms.  

America was built of off the backs of minorities and the genocide of the natives of this land. The white political parties invented class, race, politics, and power. They have reaped all the benefits from our suffering and things have not changed. They continue to dismiss and mention how we are all human and that we should just come together BS. At the end of the chapter the author writes about an article that a white man wrote about instead of finding what divides us let us find what unifies us. This within itself is white identity politics at work. This is doing a big injustice to the other communities because it is not that simple. We must dismantle the political system in order to make the actual change we want to see.