We live in a moment when infotainment may be our readiest access to and avenue for expressing responses to political crises. But what is that doing for us? The more I look at these memes, the more I see them subsuming Penny’s story.
Roe v. Wade
ROE TO ABOLITION: AN URGENT CALL
We believe that the recent Supreme Court decision on abortion that overturned Roe v. Wade is a logical culmination of policing that surrounds and defines so much of everyday life in the United States. The end of Roe now permits states to criminalize all people.
The Post-Roe Police State: Reproductive Justice Demands Freedom
The attack on Roe and reproductive rights is an attack on democracy — connected and not dissimilar to the January 6 riot at the capitol. The assault on women’s bodies is central to the assault on the promise of democracy.
Overturning Roe v. Wade is Immoral and Dangerous
I no longer have a uterus. But I do have two daughters, 18 and 20. And I am horrified and enraged by the loss of the constitutional right to abortion. In 2022, according to a Supreme Court majority, states cannot regulate gun ownership, but they can — and should —...
Lovers, Baby: Reading the Landscape in Virginia
During my childhood, the only association I had with Virginia was cigarettes, as in Virginia Slims, a brand that promoted smoking as a form of glamorous liberation for women long after we knew cigarettes were deadly. That slogan was “You’ve come a long way, baby” and...
The Failures of Post-Roe Mainstream Media
The mainstream media have failed the public in their coverage of the historic overturning of Roe v. Wade. They have buried the lead and mislabeled the positions of the so-called warring sides. Here are some recent headlines: From a local CBS affiliate in Illinois,...
What to Do? Post-Roe Abortion Syllabus 2.0
Many friends and comrades have been asking for info on how to be present, and involved, and to donate money and skills. So it is important for us to find and respect the already established abortion and reproductive justice organizations and communities, and support...
Aria for Cindy and Lament for the Post-Roe United States
On Friday, June 24, in a 6-3 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. This day also marks exactly four months of fighting in Ukraine. Both are wars, entangled and unsettled. These conjunctions offer a way to fashion a mosaic of connections, rather than...
Damn the Court; This Is Not What Democracy Looks Like
I could wait to fully try to clear my head and calm my heart but that might not happen soon enough, and this moment “we” are in is urgent. For friends who say they have lost hope I am reminded of what I have said too often in these last few years. Hope is not an...
Until Black Bodies are Free, None of Us Are Free
This is an incredible moment — both dire and promissory. The right-wing zealots have taken power in the Republican party and the Court and have exposed themselves by doing so. Instead of mystifying their power, they have unveiled it for all to see.