Welcome to Repro Fight Back a podcast on all things related to sexual and reproductive health rights and justice. Hi repro. How's everybody doing? I'm your host Jenny Wetter , and my pronouns are she her . So y all everything has been chaotic. Like, honestly, that is the best word for everything right now, is it's feeling just really chaotic, starting with a really important mentor of mine passed away unexpectedly.
Um, I'll talk more about that in a different episode. I'm not quite in a place where I wanna have a longer conversation about that yet, 'cause I'm pretty sure I will cry through the whole thing.
But just so that I've been dealing with that and there's just been a lot of other things happening at work and I am getting ready for a work trip and I , but I'm gonna see my mom on that work trip, so that's super exciting.
Um, she's gonna drive up and meet me 'cause it's not incredibly far from where she lives, but it's like all these things I'm trying to get done before I go getting the podcast ready to be able to go out while I'm gone and all of the things and like trying to record stuff for right after I get back and just on and on and on. So there's just been so many things happening that it's just, it's been chaos.
It's been chaos y'all. But in a very exciting, good news, repro Fight Back is a finalist in another award, y'all. I, I can't believe it. It's so exciting. We are a fan finalist in the Anthem Awards again , um, in two categories. One , diversity, equity, and inclusion, and one human and civil rights. I am very excited. We won both of those categories last year.
A silver and human and civil rights, and a bronze and diversity, equity and inclusion. So I'm very excited to see that we're finalists again this year. I am just so, so incredibly proud of my team. They do such amazing work. And Rachel and Elena , they're just so wonderful and have done so much for this podcast. And I'm so proud to see all of our work recognized.
I am just so thankful for them and for my editor Meg, and for all of the guests who have been on the podcast, right? Like, because of them, we have these amazing episodes. I'm thankful to you, our wonderful audience. So again, if you want to support us in this endeavor, there is a , uh, people's choice version of the award for each of the categories.
So you can go and vote for repos, fight Back, we'll make sure to have the link in the show notes so you can vote for repro in , um, to win Anthem Awards in the People's Choice category. Very exciting. I am , um, I I'm just really excited. So thank you Anthem Awards. It's really exciting to be recognized as a finalist in these two categories. Let's see.
I mean, if you want to also show your support for re pros, we have really fun stickers that we have a giveaway for. If you donate $25 to support re Pros, fight Back, you get these really cute stickers designed by Liberal Jane. I love them. You can see them on our website. They're super cute. And if you get $50, you get the stickers. Plus this really, really fun bag that I personally absolutely love.
It says, abortion is a human right, not a dirty word. So if you donate $50, you get the bag and all the stickers. So if you want to wear your support for re pros, donate $50 and get a bag with all of the fun stickers. I think with that , um, let's just turn to this week's interview. I had so much fun talking to Anisha , so I'm so excited for y'all to listen to it. So our guest this week is Anisha Hardy.
She is a narrative strategist and she works for Alabama Values. So we talk about pervasive narratives and misinformation, particularly around black women. So it's a really wonderful conversation. I hope you all enjoy my conversation with Anisha . Hi Anisha , thank you so much for being here today. Hi,
Thank you so much for having me. I'm super excited.
I'm so excited to talk to you. But before we get started, and I tend to get excited and like jump right into the conversation. So let's, like, maybe would you like to introduce yourself first and include your pronouns?
Yes, yes, yes. For those who are listening , uh, my name is Anisha Hardy. Uh, she, her pronouns born and raised , uh, from Montgomery, Alabama. And , uh, you know , um, I consider myself a narrative strategist. That's exactly where my purpose and passion intersects. Um, I believe who controls the narrative controls the power. I believe that one way to keep groups disempowered is create barriers and information.
So I'm all about creating, you know, leveraging narrative and messaging and creating content to raise awareness around issues, close the knowledge gap and mobilize communities. So , um, that's me in a nutshell.
I am so excited for our conversation today to talk about misinformation. You're seeing lots of things, particularly in , in the black community, but I feel like we can't just jump in and like start with the misinformation, right? Like, this all has historical context behind it, and I feel like we should like, take some steps back and start with that kind of framing.
Otherwise, it , some of the rest might be a little harder to explain.
Oh, yes. Oh yes , you're talking my language now you're talking about historical context. I always tell people we have to, we have to like ground ourselves in ourselves in like, where did all this come from?
And so, you know, often say like, the legacy of controlling, birthing people's bodies in this country, you know, goes back to slavery when we think about black women, where our bodies were treated as property used for labor and, you know, reproduction without our consent. And that dehumanization , um, is still felt today.
And policies that limit our reproductive choices in the criminalization of our bodies and the healthcare system that consistently fails. Um , black birthing people. This isn't just about, you know, this whole like, fight for reproductive, you know, rights. This isn't just about like individual choice. It's really about, you know, autonomy and who gets to control the future.
And, and I know I mentioned like, this dates back to like the legacy of slavery, but you know, that dehumanization is still alive today. You know, it didn't stop then. No, it didn't stop. And in fact, after the Dobbs decision, there was a report that just came out after the Dobbs, you know, decision.
Alabama led the nation in prosecuting pregnant people , uh, for pregnancy outcomes like miscarriages , um, substance abuse or birth, you know, related issues. Nearly half of the criminal charges filed nationally came from Alabama alone. And, and this report is from the Pregnancy Justice.
It's a nonprofit based in New York City, and it estimated that there were at least 210 prosecutions , um, related to conduct, you know, associated with pregnancy, you know, like pregnancy loss , um, or birth nationwide. And Alabama, you know, was the leading state in that with 104 of those cases, you know, coming from, you know, Alabama.
But I do wanna say, you know, that this history , uh, doesn't really, it isn't just about like black birthing people, like other birthing people of color, like indigenous, you know , um, Hispanic, Asian birthing people have also a long face , you know, reproductive violence, that's what we're gonna call it, you know, and control in the form of forced sterilization, you know, of course, like family planning programs and ,
um, you know, in restricted access to reproductive health services, for example , um, indigenous birthing people were sterilized without consent, you know, and government, government programs in the 1970s , um, you know, and Hispanic birthing people have, you know, been subject to similar abuses in the US and, you know, and across , um, you know, Latin America , uh, also, you know, Asian immigrant birthing people in detention
centers have also reported, you know, being , um, sterilized against their, their will and people with
Disabilities. I mean, buck
Bevel , yes . Oh, let's not get into eugenics. I'm gonna get there too. Like, you know, . And, and the common thread across these a abuses is that, you know, our bodies have been seen as something to control, regulate and exploit. And , uh, you know, and this is all rooted in systems of white supremacy and male patriarchal structures that view, you know, birthing people as less deserving of autonomy and freedom.
So, you know, I I think we can all agree that like our reproductive decisions have been tied to social and political agendas throughout time. And so , uh, you know, I often tell people that, you know, this fight for reproductive justice isn't just about abortion , um, or birth control. It is about challenging, you know, these systems that have sought to diminish, you know , our agency.
And then to your point, you know, even beyond just birthing people of color, you know, this issue of body autonomy is one that touches everyone. Trans men , um, non-binary, you know, people who, you know, can get pregnant, they face similar oppressive systems that restrict their right to choose .
And then also, you know, I do wanna bring into the space that we also saw, you know, white birthing people, particularly poor and disabled, white birthing people , um, have also been targeted. You know, in the early 20th centuries, you know, eugenic laws were used to , um, sterilize people deemed unfit, quote unquote , you know, unfit by society.
And, you know , um, many, many white birthing people, especially those from low income backgrounds, were swept into these efforts under the guise of improving, you know, the population. So, you know, I , I think it's important for us to understand that historical context, you know, as we look at the contemporary fights, you know, today. Yeah.
It , because it is all, it's the same conversation, even if it's, you know, changed its shape a little bit, it's still the same systems and the same things that are happening. Yeah . So what are some of the narratives you're seeing right now that, that you've been thinking about? Oh ,
Oh , honey. Um, lemme tell you, you know ,
There's so many the ,
Listen, I know there's so many, and I'm gonna try to pick the top, the ones that's just pervasive out there. Disinformation around reproductive rights is highly strategic. Um, it is designed to uphold systems of control by distorting the truth and creating, you know, division, right?
And one of the most, you know, damaging, you know , um, false narratives is that reproductive rights are separate from racial justice or merely a , uh, a woman's, you know, issue. Um, you know, or even
Just separate from healthcare.
Oh, oh, yes. Like, you know, it is healthcare. It's a form of healthcare.
But, and I'm gonna get there also, like, I think starting with that layer, that intersectionality, like, you know, a common statement might be abortion only affects, you know, just women , um, you know , uh, not communities of color, which ignores the dis, you know, disproportionate impact of abortion bans on black and brown and low income birthing communities who often face systemic barriers to healthcare and economic
stability. And so these bans disproportionately push these communities deeper into poverty and limit their ability to make decisions , um, about their bodies. And then there's this narrative that abortion bans are pro-life and about protecting babies.
And that's misleading because it really oversimplifies like a complex, this very complex issue , um, you know , complex issue and fails to address the real harm that these bans cause rather than protecting life. And I use air quotes when I say that, you know, these restrictions, you know , severely limit access to necessary healthcare, like you said, like abortion is a form of healthcare.
And that, you know, that leads to higher maternal mortality rates.
I mean, Alabama has one of the highest , um, you know, maternal mortality rates , um, particularly among black and brown, you know, communities, you know, birthing people of color already face significant barriers of healthcare, you know, to healthcare and , and abortion bans , um, really exacerbate these disparities often, you know, forcing these, you know, marginalized communities into unsafe conditions.
I also wanna point out that the term pro-life is often used to invoke like this moral outrage, right? But it really ignores the lives of, you know, these people and , and , and their families who are directly, you know , affected by, you know , these , um, these laws.
Because a lot of these communities , um, you know, they are more likely to live in areas , um, you know, with limited healthcare access , um, and fewer resources to travel for services. And studies have shown that abortion bans, they lead to an increase , you know, in maternal mortality, and that this impacts us all. So instead of saving lives, these bans put birthing people at a greater risk of harm.
And then additionally, I do wanna point out that, you know, this narrative conveniently overlooks the fact that many of the same pro-life advocates are often silent on issues that truly support life. And, you know what I mean? Like, such as, you know, affordable healthcare or, you know, maternal support policies that address poverty inequality as of September, 2024.
You know, we think about like my state, like Alabama's poverty rate is , um, estimate to be about 15, a little bit over 15 , um, 0.5 , 0.6% , um, which it was, you know, it was 16 last year, but Alabama is one of eight states with a poverty rate above 15%. And we can say that about states across the south.
And so the lack of support of these critical services, like for the highlights, the goal of the real goal of abortion bans, like it's not, this is not about protecting life. It's really about maintaining control , um, you know, over people's bodies.
And then I think the last, you know, narrative that's out there that I really wanna point out, and it's a very strong one, you know, and we really hear it among like, conservative rhetoric, right? And it's the religious narrative, right? The religious argument, you know, that is often used in debate over, you know, over abortion. Like it's framed as this moral and imperative, right?
Claiming that life begins at conception and that, you know, abortion is this affront to religious values. I mean, if you've heard it , uh, however, this argument is very problematic because it imposes one set of religious beliefs onto public policy. You know, ignoring the fact that not all religions , um, or individuals hold the same views on when life begins and what constitutes, you know, more responsibility.
And, and this, you know, it , it really contradicts the principle of religious freedom, right? Which, you know, our country pride , you know, religious freedom, democracy, but this contradicts that by enforcing a singular religious viewpoint on a diverse population.
And then also, you know, the pro-life stance selectively applies religious principles to justify controlling women's bodies and birthing people's bodies while conveniently neglecting, like I mentioned before, other aspects of life and wellbeing that many religious traditions uphold.
Like for example, many religious texts empathize, compassion care for, you know, the vulnerable and equity and social justice, yet advocates of this religious argument, you know, against abortion, the often fail to address like the broader systemic issues that affect life, such as poverty, healthcare, access, racial equity, right?
So I think reproductive rights should be really grounded in , in the principles of bodily autonomy, you know, equity injustice, regardless of your religious affiliation, right? So, because again, it is a form of healthcare ,
All, all of that. And like, yeah, I think like the, it gives up the lie when you see, like, they're not gonna stop at abortion, right? You're already seeing those attacks turning towards birth control. So it's not just about contraception,
Like
Right. Not killing babies or whatever their like pro-life argument is. Like, it is completely about control when they don't want people to be able to decide if and when to get pregnant. Mm-Hmm,
. Yeah. No, no, that's true. Um, I think, you know, we saw in Alabama with the IVF ruling Yeah. Like people started to see how these laws, how that , how that adopts decision, how it is , how it's creating a pathway for all, you know, for these legislators across, you know, in these states to come out with these very aggressive , um, laws that really strikes like our body autonomy.
I mean, again, like the, the life argument just, it doesn't hold water for so many reasons. First of all, being how many pregnant people are we talking about that have not been able to get an abor a needed a needed abortion because they were miscarrying or something, and, and they were waiting until their life was at risk. We've already heard about women who have died because of that.
Like, this is just, it's so wild to me.
Yeah, it's wild, you know? But we have to stay informed. We have to continue to advocate for what we know is what we know, you know, what we know is right. You know, this fight is tied to, it is tied to our freedom. It's tied to the wider, like, movement for freedom and liberation. Like, it's sad that we're still fighting this fight in 2024. Like, I had a friend that just washed the hands made tale , right?
What was, it was , I think that's the name of that show, and called me and was like, oh my gosh, like, we could be here like . You know, it was, that was like, it was like, we could, we could be here. Like just how things are going.
And like Margaret Atwood was clear when she wrote the book. Like, this was based on things that were already happening, right? Like that was what inspired her, was things that had already taken place. Yeah. Let's speak more about how all of this is part of the bigger fight for, for liberation and social justice.
I think, again, part of that like, argument of like trying to silo off abortion and repro as separate makes some people like, miss this part where this is part of this broader fight.
No, but you are absolutely right. Body autonomy is freedom. Like, it is the ability to decide what happens to your body, your future, your life. And when we think about liberations and communities that have been oppressed or, you know, mod marginalized, this is fundamental to our struggle for liberation, like having control over our bodies. Like if we can't control our bodies, how can we truly be free?
Like, so you see the fight for , um, reproductive justice, it really intersects with so many other issues like voting rights, economic justice, healthcare, racial justice, like, for example, without the ability to , um, control our bodies, we can't fully participate in democracy. You know, this includes decisions about our healthcare and reproductive rights. We think about , um, economic justice is tied .
It's similarly, you know, tied when , um, when reproductive choices are restricted, it disproportionately affects by birthing people's ability. Um, it , you know, it limits their economic mobility and opportunities. Additionally, like lack of access to reproductive healthcare is often, you know, linked to broader healthcare inequities that oftentimes a lot of black and brown communities face already .
And , and that, you know, exacerbates the racial disparities in maternal health and outcomes that exist. And so you see these, you know, these issues are interwoven in the fight for reproductive justice, you know, is part of a larger, you know, a larger movement. I I said this before, like to dismantle systems that have long restricted, like our freedoms and and rights.
So when we are fighting for reproductive rights, we are simultaneously , you know, fighting for the right to vote, to have economic opportunity to access , uh, healthcare and to be free from, you know , um, racial discrimination and disparities.
And, you know, in each of these battles, you know, is part of a collective and holistic struggle, you know, for liberation, because we cannot achieve freedom in one area without addressing the others. And so, reproductive justice touches every aspect of our lives. And until we secure body autonomy, we cannot have true control over our futures. And I just, you know, I think that's important to note.
Like, when we look at this fight for , um, you know , reproductive , uh, justice and body autonomy, like it is literally tied to the fight for freedom and liberation.
And you've seen it become part of a political fight, right? And now used to like, make everything political and make it harder to access this care. How do we combat these narratives and, and the politicization of basic fundamental human rights? Like how do we fight back against that?
Yeah, I mean, you know, reproductive rights are , you know, is absolutely, you know, we're seeing it being used as a political tool, like the whole, you know, the fight a tool to galvanize, like galvanize or divide voting blocks, you know? But the consequences of these political games are very, very real and dire, you know, people's
Lives,
Man . Yeah . Like , you know, when, when laws restrict reproductive access , this impacts us all, you know, but what's even more insidious, I'm gonna use that term, is how, you know, but, but seriously, like, but what's even more, it's worse. It's just how these tactics are often rooted in fear and control.
Like politicians use disinformation to divide us, to pick communities against each other when we should be working together to get towards, you know, solutions. When in reality, reproductive justice benefits everyone. So to push back , we have to, you know, stay informed. We have to stay connected, and we have to vote.
Like we need to amplify the voices of those most affected , keep fighting for policies that protect, you know, our rights and really call out the tactics that aim to silence us. You know, kind of like how we're doing on this call, on this episode today. You know, this fight is about survival, you know, and we need to approach it with that urgency.
And I think, you know, as we think about, you know, moving forward, like we need to like recognize that the fight isn't just about the courts or policy makers , like it is about all of us, you know? And that advocacy around this, you know, starts at the community level. So again, you know, educating ourselves and, and , and our families and our neighbors about what's really at stake so we can push back.
We have to, I also shout out to all, you know, birthing people, like we have to continue to lead this fight , as we've always done, by organizing and voting and using our voice, our voices, to demand policies that protect our bodies and our futures. We also need to support and uplift organizations that are doing the work.
And I think centering the voices of those who are mostly in disproportionate impacted and centering, I wanna say like centering the voices , uh, does not just, you know, it's not just about highlighting the stories, right, but making sure that those voices are at the decision making table. And
Like, from the beginning, right? Like, don't bring them in and like, Hey, this is our plan. Can you, is it okay? Like, does, does this look good to you? Like, we're good. Okay. We consulted like they need to be there day one,
Day one. They need to be your A one. Like, they need to just be there like, and, and you know, in building solidarity and this, so this is important. And I think, you know, building solidarity across racial and social economic lines is gonna be essential to dismantling these like, interconnected systems of control. And, and that's important in this fight.
And so, again, like, you know, the path ahead really includes pushing for policies that protect like our body autonomy, like for everyone regardless of race, gender, you know, identity or income. Like we have to support, you know, legislation or do education around, you know , um, policies that ensure access to healthcare , including reproductive services.
Because as we said before, abortion is a form of what healthcare, let's say it all together. Like this is healthcare. And so, you know, I think while doing that education, you know, while also addressing the broader issues like social justice issues , um, like , um, voter suppression, economic inequality, like reproductive justice is not just an isolated issue.
It is really about securing the ability for all women and, you know, birthing people to make decisions about their bodies without interference.
And so I think, you know, I'm really happy that we're having this discussion because you know, myself, you know, being the executive director of a grassroots communications organization that, you know, launches, you know, narrative campaigns , um, we have one called It's My Body Period.
Um, where, you know, it's a narrative campaign centered around leveraging art culture and content to really shift the pervasive narratives that are out there around, you know, this reproductive justice fight. And to also, because we know this is a very touchy subject for some, to create an on ramp for folks who might not see themselves involved in the fight.
So we use like art, we use culture, community conversations, peer-to-peer discussions to really stir up public discourse around this. I can remember , um, we had a art, a archivism , um, event that was centered around the repro , uh, fight . It was like an art popup, and it was art that , uh, dealt with the issue.
And I'll never forget, it was an older couple that came up to me and said, you know, I saw the promo for this event, and we thought we were just coming to . You know, we thought we were coming to a community art exhibit and we're gonna have like heavy hor d's and music and talk and , um, you know, so we thought this looked like a cool event to come to.
But when we came and we saw the art, and we started hearing, you know, the topics that, you know on the panel, well , the fireside chat, we realized that, oh wait, this is a , a community education event. And then she held my hand and she said, keep doing them like this. She said, I never would've come you had , she said, just keep doing them like this.
She said, when you got me in here, she said, you got me in here, and when you got me in here, I learned some things. And she said some things that I'm gonna take back and have discussions with, you know, my circles about. And so, and that's, that's really what it was about. That was the goal for the event.
And so I make , I give that example to say that we all can have these kitchen table conversations, these nail salon conversations. Yes . Even look, even men, like you all can have these conversations because this fight impacts you too. So, you know, I just, you know , I wanna encourage those to let's get out and raise awareness.
Let's, let's push back at some of, you know, this, this info mis info , these myths that are out here. And just remember that this fight is attached to liberation. It's attached to our freedom, you know , um, it's attached to collective liberation. You know, we use that term and say, you know, when one has an issue, you know, we all have an issue and no one's free to, everyone is free.
And you may notice that I, I really approach, you know, my work and , and , and a lot of the work I , I do through the framing of black liberation, because, you know, when we say no one's free until we all free until we're all free, I often say that we all won't be free until black folks are free.
And the reason I say that is because of this country's roots and history and anti-blackness, and a lot of those tactics are interwoven into all of our social institutions. And those same tactics are now being used to oppress and marginalize other groups, right? And so we have to address these root issues.
And that's why I kinda look at this work through that black liberation framework, because I'm able to identify, going back to it , how we started the discussion, the historical context, and the legacy that a lot of these tactics are rooted in.
I really love that you brought up having like the kitchen table conversation and, and like the art exhibit as like ways to bring people in. There are people whose minds we may never change, right? And like, that's fine , but there are people who are not as steeped in this as we are.
And so they just hear, there should be a 24 hour waiting period before you can get an abortion and think, well, I mean, that seems reasonable, but don't know all of the details. So like, you start to have a conversation with those people and explain what that really means in terms of people's lives.
And you can change minds because they haven't had to think about it in that more nuanced way, because this isn't their day to day . They're just trying to live their lives and get by every day. And so those simple basic conversations can do so much.
Oh my gosh, yes. Like meeting people where they are, you know, and even when you talk about, just even an example that you used , like I know we just remember Amber, Nicole, north Thurman. Yeah. Like who, whose death was preventable, like completely preventable, 28 years old, died after being denied treatment for 24 hours due to Georgia's strict abortion laws.
You know, Georgia has, the state of Georgia has a six week abortion ban that prevented thermo from being able to access abortion care in our state . So six weeks is, you know, is is so early, you know, it's before, I mean six week , I mean, it is , it's before many even realize that they are pregnant.
And , you know, and due to the, due to Georgia's laws , um, she was forced to make a journey across state lines to access care. And in North Carolina was able to have a medication abortion and return home. But unfortunately, she was, you know, one of those where cases, you know, where complications where she didn't expel all the fetal tissue.
So she eventually, you know, sought treatment at , um, Piedmont , um, Henry Hospital. Um, but in Georgia, but however, due to, like I said, Georgia's like strict, like abortion laws, doctors did not proceed with a dilation. Um, and coverage , which is commonly known as A DNC. And for those who might not know what that is , um, A DNC is a procedure to remove tissue from inside your, your uterus.
And so instead, doctors waited for 20 hours to operate. And while they monitored Thurman's infection, you know, during which that time like her blood pressure dropped, her organs failed. And so pretty much doctors watched her die, and the blame begins, you know, with the politicians and forced birth groups who created like these policies and these barriers.
But however, this was a lot like you had hospitals, you had doctors who take an oath to protect life first, but you know, in this case, because of this ban and because, you know, you know, just the , the chilling climate that it set, you know, we saw a hospital who chose to protect, like, you know, whether it be their profit over patients or, or who just really felt like they were hands were tied, but this just the
death was unpreventable. So when you think about when we say abortion is a form of healthcare , like because of this law, like literally they watch her die in a hospital where we should be able to access care.
So, you know, being able to like have those conversations and kind of push back on, you know, have those kitchen table conversations and give these type of type of examples and say, Hey, look, this happened here in our state, or hey, this happened in a neighboring state, or Hey, this happened to someone who was your age 28 years old.
Like, you know, being able to have those type of conversations and show people like, Hey, this fight is critical. And it's often these laws are often a death sentence for some,
And like, they're gonna tell you that there are exceptions, right? They tell people, they tell people that there are exceptions to make them feel better. Exceptions do not work, whether that's a rape exception, whether that's life. We saw this, right? How how much does your life have to be in danger? Is it just health? Is it one organ system failing?
Like they do not work in practice because you cannot legislate all of the things that you need to put in place.
Yeah. And then like systems of power and privilege comes in when you think about the exceptions, like exceptions for who. Yeah. You know , um, like you
Said, I mean Medicaid, right? Yes. Like if you're on Medicaid, there's the Hyde Amendment, it says it's not gonna pay for your abortion, so you have to be able to pay for it out of pocket .
Yeah, yeah, yeah. And, and let's be clear, these exceptions, like you said, they're difficult to assess and they force, they force, you know, birthing people to prove their trauma or meet impossible standards like set by policymakers who are often not impacted by this , you know, this issue. And I think these exceptions , um, suggest that only some people are deserving of bodily autonomy while others are not.
And again, we are calling for true reproductive justice. This means full bodily autonomy for all, you know, all people, all without restrictions based on criteria or certain rules that are set. And again, that body autonomy is tied to liberation, freedom, like tying it back all to that.
Okay, so while I feel like I could talk to you forever and would love to,
Girl me too,
Let's maybe like wrap it up. And I always love to end with not just having people feeling hopeless, but giving them something they can do . So what can our audience do to get involved in this fight?
Uh , definitely tap in with organizations that are advocating for this fight. Like volunteer, tap in, give your time or your treasure resources. Also spread the word. You are trusted messengers in communities that I'm not a trusted messenger in, or, you know, that we are not, you know, trusted messengers in. And so, you know, take this information back and have those kitchen table conversations.
I think, you know, while the challenge we face in the fight for reproductive justice is , is , you know, it's significant. There is hope for our like, collective strength, right? Every step towards, you know, body autonomy, every push against an unjust law brings us closer to that true freedom and liberation.
And I think that, you know, just understanding that together, like we can really build a future where people have the power to make the decisions about their bodies and free from interference and control. And, and this work is about just securing like the dignity that we deserve. And so I encourage folks to like use their radical imagination about, you know , uh, what this change could and should look like.
And the reason I use that term, you know, radical imagination, you know, it's really rooted in like in the sixties, the radical black imagination where, you know, these communities, regardless of the political and cultural climate that they were facing, they continued to march towards progress towards a dream, right? And so we have to do that. We have to tap into that and leverage the power of the collective.
So for folks who are listening, stay engaged, stay informed, and tap in also definitely, you know, connect with me, you know, at anisha hardy.com also , um, I do wanna shout out, you know, yellow Herma Fund, which is an organization that is doing some great , uh, reproductive justice , um, and mutual aid work, particularly across the south. So I just wanted to put that out there.
Uh , thank you. Always love supporting abortion funds. Anisha , thank you so much for being here today. I had so much fun talking to you. Yes,
Likewise. I had fun, you know, sharing this information and, and really just, I hope people took away from this. Um, I hope they have tools and resources to go and educate their community because that's what it's about. And you know , that's my passion. I leverage narrative and messaging to do that. Okay,
Y'all, I hope you liked my conversation with Anisha. Like I said, I had so much fun talking to her. It was so wonderful. Um, and again, I'm just so excited for our being finalists and the Anthem Awards that is so exciting. Again, just huge, huge, huge congratulations and thank you to my team. The entire repos team is so wonderful. I am so lucky to have them. And , uh, yeah , uh, I will see all of you next week.
If you have any questions, comments, or topics you would like us to cover, always feel free to shoot me an email. You can reach me at jenny jn n [email protected] , or you can find us on social media. We're at Repro Fight Back on Facebook and Twitter or re Pros FB on Instagram. If you love our podcast and wanna make sure more people find it, take the time to rate and review us on your favorite podcast platform.
Or if you wanna make sure to support the podcast, you can also donate on our [email protected]. Thanks all .