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She Breathes

Another world is possible…

Holding Our Own’s Statement on UAlbany Bus Students

Holding Our Own’s Statement on UAlbany Bus Students

Holding Our Own stands with the young women of color from UAlbany who reported an assault on a bus on January 30th, and who are now being prosecuted for false reporting and assault. It is our unwavering position in all instances of gender-based violence, sexual assault, and racist violence to support those who are systematically […]

Open Letter To UAlbany Bus Students – [#DefendBlackGirlsUAlbany]

Open Letter To UAlbany Bus Students – [#DefendBlackGirlsUAlbany]

From Capital Area Against Mass Incarceration’s People of Color Caucus. This is a cross-post from here: CAAMI.org Dear Alexis, Ariel, & Asha: While the circumstances compelling us to write this letter have no doubt been taxing to your well-being, we hope to find you all in good physical, emotional, and spiritual health. Late last month, […]

SAY HER NAME, Part II: Women, Violence, and Incarceration

SAY HER NAME, Part II: Women, Violence, and Incarceration

SAY HER NAME, Part II: Women, Violence, and Incarceration (Part I is here) “The greatest purveyor of violence in the world today is my own government.” – Martin Luther King, Jr., 1967 “I am convicted of murdering my ex-husband who abused me for years. I have done 33 years of my 25-to-life sentence. I am […]

Why We Need a Black Lives Matter Movement

Why We Need a Black Lives Matter Movement

Letter to the Editor Written in Response to Charlie’s Angle: Black lives don’t need movement, published in The Saratogian, and the Troy Record, Jan 31, 2016 Saratogian Article We were shocked and offended by the Opinion piece written by Charlie Kraebel denying the need for the Black Lives Matter movement. As managing editor of The […]

Say Her Name: Women, Mass Incarceration, and Violence – Part I

Say Her Name: Women, Mass Incarceration, and Violence – Part I

Fewer than 5% of those incarcerated in the prisons of New York State are women. Therefore, our movement for justice in the criminal justice system should devote less than 5% of its time, energy, and resources to issues of incarceration and women — right? Wrong. But it often seems like that’s what we do. Here […]

adaku utah: healing resources to support us as we rise up

adaku utah: healing resources to support us as we rise up

<3 “being oppressed in this world means endlessly having one’s heart break on many fronts simultaneously — yet a healed heart that reopens again and again after it has been broken is larger, stronger, and takes on the lessons of resilience.” ~ blkcowrie http://blkcowrie.wordpress.com <3 <3 “Contributed with fierce, magnanimous Black love from fellow Black healers […]

interstitial stitching: checkin’ for real womanist solidarity with trans kin

interstitial stitching: checkin’ for real womanist solidarity with trans kin

from genesissy & on the eighth day, God said let there be fierce & that’s the story about the first snap, the hand’s humble attempt at thunder, a small sky troubled by attitude // & on the ninth day, God said Bitch, werk & Adam learned to duck walk, dip, pose, death drop, Eve became […]

alla dem gag at serena’s brilliance & resilience

alla dem gag at serena’s brilliance & resilience

Serena-goddess, Serena-sis, please know i am still in a ruby red rage cloud over the racist, misogynistic, BESTIAL treatment you received on July 11, 2015 at the hands of The New York Times. fresh off the court where you left your latest historic notch, i can’t imagine how you must have felt to have to […]

intersectionality: weaving many roots into one tree

intersectionality: weaving many roots into one tree

a natural outgrowth of the groundbreaking Black feminism of the Combahee River Collective et.al. in the 1980s, intersectionality is a 30-year old concept developed by Kimberle Crenshaw and shared by many activists and organizers across and within multiple contemporary movements. i tend to think of it as the ability to think, walk, and chew gum […]

Police Surveillance & “anti-trafficking”: rally Monday March 16

Police Surveillance & “anti-trafficking”: rally Monday March 16

Letter to the Community: On Monday, March 16, NOW NYC will be coming to Albany to rally in support of the Trafficking Victims Protection and Justice Act (TVPJA). TVPJA has widespread support from the feminist community, but has raised concerns as it grants more authority to the police and criminal justice system– and at the […]

Help send a Capital Region Delegation to INCITE!

Help send a Capital Region Delegation to INCITE!

Black History Month 2015

Black History Month 2015

Within the month of February comes a few dates that are considered to be National holidays; whether it’s about love, dead white men, a big rodent who determine the weather to come, or most recently the viewing of a sport that only Americans understand, but there’s only one month that celebrates the memory, the achievement, […]

Dear Queers:  A love letter from Michigan

Dear Queers: A love letter from Michigan

“A wise woman wishes to be no one’s enemy; a wise woman refuses to be anyone’s victim.”  Maya Angelou “The connections between and among women are the most feared, the most problematic, and the most potentially transforming force on the planet.”  Adrienne Rich “Only by learning to live in harmony with your contradictions can you […]

LadyFest Artist Spotlight #7: DJ Goldee Dust

LadyFest Artist Spotlight #7: DJ Goldee Dust

The seventh  in a series of Artist Spotlights brought to you by Lady Fest Upstate! For details on Lady Fest Upstate go to their Facebook Page For the Schedule of Events Get Tickets! ARTIST SPOTLIGHT #7: DJ GOLDEE DUST Andrea has always been fascinated with creating soundtracks and setting a mood for any environment. She […]

LadyFest–the Artist Behind the Curtain–Sean,aka bell’s roar

LadyFest–the Artist Behind the Curtain–Sean,aka bell’s roar

The tenth  in a series of Artist Spotlights brought to you by Lady Fest Upstate! For details on Lady Fest Upstate go to their Facebook Page For the Schedule of Events Get Tickets! Ladyfest Upstate is brought to us by the visionary artist, Sean Desiree. When Sean is not organizing radical cultural events, she is […]

LadyFest Artist Spotlight #8:FREE CAKE FOR EVERY CREATURE

LadyFest Artist Spotlight #8:FREE CAKE FOR EVERY CREATURE

The eighth in a series of Artist Spotlights brought to you by Lady Fest Upstate! For details on Lady Fest Upstate go to their Facebook Page For the Schedule of Events Get Tickets! ARTIST SPOTLIGHT #8: FREE CAKE FOR EVERY CREATURE Free Cake For Every Creature is the project of Saratoga Springs-based Katie Bennett, who […]

LadyFest Artist Spotlight #6: Amani Olugbala

LadyFest Artist Spotlight #6: Amani Olugbala

The sixth  in a series of Artist Spotlights brought to you by Lady Fest Upstate! For details on Lady Fest Upstate go to their Facebook Page For the Schedule of Events Get Tickets!   ARTIST SPOTLIGHT #6: AMANI OLUGBALA A radical of the heart and pacifist of the mind, Amani spends much of her time […]

LadyFest Artist Spotlight #5: Sweet Chocolate

LadyFest Artist Spotlight #5: Sweet Chocolate

The fifth  in a series of Artist Spotlights brought to you by Lady Fest Upstate! For details on Lady Fest Upstate go to their Facebook Page For the Schedule of Events Get Tickets!   ARTIST SPOTLIGHT #5: SWEET CHOCOLATE Niroma Johnson a New York Native, resident of Albany, NY. When she appeared on the Amateur […]

LadyFest Artist Spotlight #4: Moor Mother Goddess

LadyFest Artist Spotlight #4: Moor Mother Goddess

The fourth in a series of Artist Spotlights brought to you by Lady Fest Upstate! For details on Lady Fest Upstate go to their Facebook Page For the Schedule of Events Get Tickets!     ARTIST SPOTLIGHT #4: MOOR MOTHER GODDESS Moor mother goddess is a musician, beat maker, event curator, poet,writer, and workshop facilitator […]

LadyFest Artist Spotlight #3: Evan Greer

LadyFest Artist Spotlight #3: Evan Greer

The third  in a series of Artist Spotlights brought to you by Lady Fest Upstate! For details on Lady Fest Upstate go to their Facebook Page For the Schedule of Events Get Tickets!   ARTIST SPOTLIGHT #3: EVAN GREER Evan Greer is a radical genderqueer singer/songwriter, parent, and community organizer based in Boston. (S)he writes […]

LadyFest Artist Spotlight #2: CIHUATL CE

LadyFest Artist Spotlight #2: CIHUATL CE

The second  in a series of Artist Spotlights brought to you by Lady Fest Upstate! For details on Lady Fest Upstate go to their Facebook Page For the Schedule of Events Get Tickets!   ARTIST SPOTLIGHT #2: CIHUATL CE Back again for the 2nd year, Cihuatl Ce has been spitting truth to power in the […]

Lady Fest Artist Spotlight #1: GARMIN

Lady Fest Artist Spotlight #1: GARMIN

The first in a series of Artist Spotlights brought to you by Lady Fest Upstate! For details on Lady Fest Upstate go to their Facebook Page For the Schedule of Events Get Tickets! ARTIST SPOTLIGHT #1: GARMIN right here. be here now. is an installation that exists somewhere between performance and social practice. The project […]

Everything Lady Fest!

Everything Lady Fest!

Get Tickets to LadyFest Upstate Festival! Saturday-Sunday, November 22  1pm-1am At the Low Beat 335 Central Avenue, Albany NY  Upstate LadyFest On Facebook LadyFest Upstate is a 1 day music and arts festival featuring women-identified, trans and gender nonconforming artists. This is its 2nd year in Albany and it’s not to be missed! It’s all […]

Caterpillar For Rachel Corrie

Caterpillar For Rachel Corrie

Caterpillar For Rachel Corrie by Victorio Reyes Sometimes I sit down to dinner and I imagine that you’re sitting with me. We’re talking about the history of capitalism and the connections between Marx and Adam Smith. My partner chimes in about the sexist and Euro-centric implications of such discussions.        We nod in agreement. You […]

Cutting the Umbilical Cord: My Departure from the Mainstream Movement for Reproductive Rights

Cutting the Umbilical Cord: My Departure from the Mainstream Movement for Reproductive Rights

My upcoming birthday brings with the usual set of mixed emotions: happiness as I reflect on all that filled this last year, and all that may be in next; trepidation, as I recognize that the steps I have left to walk have become fewer. This year, however, it carries a greater weight, as I think […]

Join Us at the Annual Picnic!

Join Us at the Annual Picnic!

Saturday, August 30th at 12 noon Lyon’s Lake, Nassau Bring the whole family! We provide the music, the beautiful location, the paper products, beverages and protein — hamburgers, hotdogs, veggie burgers, etc. You bring fruit or a dessert to share with friends and any extras you like. Come as early as 12pm to claim your […]

The Newest Chapter in the “War on Drugs”: The Pregnancy Criminalization Law (SB 1391)

The Newest Chapter in the “War on Drugs”: The Pregnancy Criminalization Law (SB 1391)

On Tuesday, April 29th, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam, signed into law the first law in the United States that authorizes the arrest and incarceration of women who use drugs while pregnant. Women in Tennessee can now be prosecuted for assault if they take a narcotic drug while pregnant and the baby is born addicted, is […]

Very Young Girls–Movie Screening and Discussion

Very Young Girls–Movie Screening and Discussion

  “Very Young Girls”: A Film and Discussion Friday, May 23rd, 7pm at the WB, 373 Central Avenue, Albany On Facebook Sponsored by Holding Our Own,  NYS Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Patty’s Place The screening will be followed by a facilitated discussion. Very Young Girls is an expose of human trafficking that follows thirteen […]

Spotlight on Barbara Sutton

Spotlight on Barbara Sutton

In an effort to give Holding Our Own network members an opportunity to get to know each other just a little better, we will be spotlighting a couple of local feminists each month. We hope that this will help give you more opportunities to connect, collaborate and leverage your resources. Do you want to be next, […]

Spotlight on Jessica Pino

Spotlight on Jessica Pino

In an effort to give Holding Our Own’s network members an opportunity to get to know each other just a little better, we will be spotlighting a couple of local feminists each month. We hope that this will help give you more opportunities to connect, collaborate and leverage your resources. Do you want to be next, or […]

Albany Casino Public Input Opportunities

Albany Casino Public Input Opportunities

For those of you who have been following this story, it isn’t news that the City of Albany is one of several possibilities for the siting of a new casino. We have gathered information from several different sources (thanks go out to Richard Conti, 6th Ward Council Member, Cathy Fahey, 7th Ward Council Member, and […]

Casino in Albany: Yay or Nay?

Casino in Albany: Yay or Nay?

Note: This post will be followed quickly by another detailing the schedule of opportunities for public input (that we know about). There has been surprisingly little public debate to date over the proposition of a new casino in the Albany area considering the huge impact it will have on the community.  The proposal for the […]

Why we should care about college education programs for prisoners

Why we should care about college education programs for prisoners

Prison education programs, particularly those that provide college-level courses are important to everyone, not just the prisoners who participate in them. Governor Cuomo’s proposed initiative to fund – with state money – college programs in 10 prisons has sparked some very interesting dialogue surrounding this topic. Although it is looking like the program will not […]

Spotlight on Blue Carreker

Spotlight on Blue Carreker

In an effort to give Holding Our Own’s network members an opportunity to get to know each other just a little better, we will be spotlighting a couple of local feminists each month. We hope that this will help give you more opportunities to connect, collaborate and leverage your resources. Do you want to be next, or […]

Women and Incarceration: Letter-Writing as Resistance

Women and Incarceration: Letter-Writing as Resistance

“You asked, ‘What’s on your mind today?’ The whole time I’ve been in prison not one person has asked me that question. Thank you. …I’m still alive and it doesn’t matter how many times I have fallen. It’s how many times I get back up that counts.” The quote above is taken from a letter […]

In Memory of Adrienne Rich

In Memory of Adrienne Rich

Victorio Reyes is a poet and Executive Director of the The Social Justice Center of Albany. Three years ago, I decided to return to school to pursue an MFA in creative writing. As a poet, who came from the spoken word and Hip Hop schools, I was surprised by how many corners of the literary […]

communityLAB: community organizing is for everyone

communityLAB: community organizing is for everyone

There’s a new and exciting project brewing in the Capital Region called communityLAB (Leadership and Action Building), which is about offering community organizing training, for everyone. We want to build leaders in every neighborhood, starting with our Troy Fellows Project. Our goal is to help build grassroots power and hope in the neighborhoods of the […]

Towards Eliminating the Wedge Part 2: Continuing the Conversation on Prison Justice and Gender-based Violence

Towards Eliminating the Wedge Part 2: Continuing the Conversation on Prison Justice and Gender-based Violence

Join in the conversation. We began this dialogue on November 21st, 2013. This is part 2, but don’t hesitate to join in! RSVP on Facebook Download, print or share the flyer There is a conflict between the mainstream movement to eliminate gender-based violence and the movement to end mass incarceration. But here are some basic […]

Spotlight on Victoria Kereszi

Spotlight on Victoria Kereszi

In an effort to give Holding Our Own’s network members an opportunity to get to know each other just a little better, we will be spotlighting a couple of our members each month. We hope that this will help provide you with more opportunities to connect, collaborate and leverage your resources. Do you want to be next, […]

Listen to What I Have to Say: Why Teenage Feminists are Important

Listen to What I Have to Say: Why Teenage Feminists are Important

Every so often when I have a conversation with girls I know and feminism comes up, they’ll say something along the lines of “I don’t need feminism,” or “feminism isn’t relevant.” This obviously upsets me, not just because something I’m passionate about has pretty much been put down, but because of the fact that young […]

Spotlight on Chrys Ballerano

Spotlight on Chrys Ballerano

In an effort to give Holding Our Own’s network members an opportunity to get to know each other just a little better, we will be spotlighting a couple of our members each month. We hope that this will help provide you with more opportunities to connect, collaborate and leverage your resources. Do you want to be next, […]

Capital Area Against Mass Incarceration

Capital Area Against Mass Incarceration

Tuesday, March 11th, 2014 at 6:30pm The Campaign for Alternatives to Isolated Confinement: Solitary Confinement in New York and the Statewide Movement to Challenge It at the Social Justice Center 33 Central Avenue, Albany, NY Capital Area Against Mass Incarceration (CAAMI) would like to invite you to join them for a presentation provided by The […]

A Kiss for Gabriela: A Film and Discussion

A Kiss for Gabriela: A Film and Discussion

Friday, March 7th at 7pm @ the WB, 373 Central Avenue Albany, NY Come join Holding Our Own on Friday, March 7th at 7:00 pm at The Women’s Building, 373 Central Avenue location for a screening of the documentary, “A Kiss for Gabriela.”  Following the film there will be a thought-provoking, open discussion about sex […]

Sing Your Heart Out for the Love of HOO!

Sing Your Heart Out for the Love of HOO!

Sing Your Heart Out for the Love of HOO! a karaoke fundraiser Thursday, February 20th, 8pm at McGeary’s Come join Holding Our Own for a fun night of pub grub & shameless singing! Not only will you get to show off your inner Celine Dion, you’ll also have a chance to indulge in one-of-a-kind drink […]

Finding Feminism in the Dominican Republic

Finding Feminism in the Dominican Republic

Over the course of my fifteen-day community service trip in the Dominican Republic, a recurring theme was the insistence that women take special precautions due to the country’s gender dynamics. “When two women are dancing together in the club,” we were told, “it means they are asking for a man to come take them.” Similarly, we […]

Call to Action

Call to Action

During the past week couple of weeks, the media noted and had much to say about the 50th Anniversary of the ‘War on Poverty’. Here’s an article from the LA Times: LA Times New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/09/opinion/kristof-progress-in-the-war-on-poverty.html And the Atlantic: http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/01/what-america-won-in-the-war-on-poverty/283006/ Many of the opinions expressed and statistics quoted are at odds with each other. […]

Wednesday Rant–the “War on Christmas”

Wednesday Rant–the “War on Christmas”

Another holiday season has come and gone, but even a few days into this new year I can’t help but be haunted by something that’s been bugging me for the past few months: The War on Christmas. Basically, some extremely religious people are convinced that the world is out to end the Christmas holiday. The […]

Port of Albany and more…

Port of Albany and more…

Note: This post is a follow up to Grace Nichols’ post yesterday, “Environmental Defense.”  As promised, we will share links and resource information on the Albany Port issues. On Monday night, January 6th I attended a meeting of the Albany Common Council. My main reason for going was that I had heard via social media […]

Environmental Defense by Grace Nichols

Environmental Defense by Grace Nichols

Editor’s Note: We will post additional resources, references and article links in a separate post tomorrow, Wednesday,  January 8th. Please feel free to comment (be patient, all comments are moderated and you must be logged in to comment) or log in and Submit a Post of your own on this issue. There are numerous threats […]

Hidden injustice

Hidden injustice

Every year in New York State hundreds of people sign over their homes in order to receive welfare assistance. This is a little known requirement, since most people who have homes do not receive welfare benefits, and those that do, certainly do not want to talk about it. I have had first hand experience with […]

Minus Pause by Doreen Perrine

Minus Pause by Doreen Perrine

Menopause meets me, pistols drawn and gunning for a showdown, in the middle ground of life. I prefer to mount my horse, gallop in reverse, slam on the brakes, and stop the clock. Mix metaphors and juggle words tossed into thin air. Whatever does the trick. Meno? Minus? Hopefully not a Minotaur charging through the […]

Ending Violence Against Sex Workers

Ending Violence Against Sex Workers

December 17th, International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers, was created to address the ubiquity of crimes against this marginalized population that too often go ignored. Following the statements by the “Green River Killer” in Seattle, Washington, who claimed to have chosen sex workers as his target because he knew too few people would […]

Food Cuts as Violence Against Women

Food Cuts as Violence Against Women

Hunger and Human Rights: Budget Cutbacks as Violence against Women By Cody Cabrera December 10, 2013 The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence—a call to action to raise awareness of the multi-faceted forms of violence women face in the context of  human rights—ends today on International Human Rights Day.  As I reflect on today […]

Cathy Rojas responds with her thoughts on gender violence

Cathy Rojas responds with her thoughts on gender violence

Overcoming trans* and gender-based oppression by Jac Mautner

Overcoming trans* and gender-based oppression by Jac Mautner

Jac Mautner is an activist and member of Women Organized to Resist and Defend (WORD) – a grassroots women’s rights organization. She has worked on a wide number of campaigns and actions including those for queer and trans liberation, for women’s rights, and against police brutality. Violence towards trans and gender non-conforming people is pervasive […]

Where have all the respectable-boys gone?

Where have all the respectable-boys gone?

Over the course of the past few months I started wondering why it seems that sexism has taken a step in the wrong direction in recent years. Why does it seem that women are spending way too much time and money trying to look good and attract men, and men are taking women less seriously? […]

State Terrorism and Violence Against Women

State Terrorism and Violence Against Women

By Barbara Sutton The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence symbolically link the multiple forms of violence that women around the world experience (November 25) with the question of human rights (December 10). In Argentina, my country of origin, the specter of human rights abuses has particular connotations, reminding of a time in which […]

Reimagining the ‘John’

Reimagining the ‘John’

Victim-blaming has become a catchphrase among feminists of all schools of thought, addressing the repercussions of burdening people (usually women) with the responsibility of remaining unharmed by others. An example of this can be found in the dialogue of Zerlina Maxwell, who earlier this year spoke out against the right-wingers suddenly ‘taking a stand’ against […]

Towards Eliminating the Wedge: a Conversation on Prison Justice and Gender-based Violence

Towards Eliminating the Wedge: a Conversation on Prison Justice and Gender-based Violence

  Thursday, November 21, 2013 at 6pm 1199 SEIU, 155 Washington Avenue, Albany, NY Join in the conversation. There is a conflict between the mainstream movement to eliminate gender-based violence and the movement to end mass incarceration. But here are some basic truths: *We need to be safe from gender-based violence, *Current public policy about […]

Fabulous Feminists 2013 Awards Bash–Tickets Now Available!

Fabulous Feminists 2013 Awards Bash–Tickets Now Available!

Sell Tickets Online through Eventbrite

Nominate a Fabulous Feminist!

Nominate a Fabulous Feminist!

Holding Our Own and the Women’s Building are again jointly celebrating women’s community building and feminist social change organizing in the Capital Region. We invite you to nominate your local feminist heroes, visionaries, builders, pillars of resistance and community, etc.!  Read more on this year’s awards categories here. Celebrate with us on Saturday, December 7th […]

Malalai Joya Speaking in Albany

Malalai Joya Speaking in Albany

Tomorrow Night! Malalai Joya Renowned Afghan Activist and Author Wednesday, October 9th at 7pm Emerson Hall, FUUSA, 405 Washington Ave, Albany Co-sponsored by Women Against War, Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace and Holding Our Own along with many others (see flyer). By special arrangement, free parking will be available in the U Albany Hawley lot, across […]

On Syria by Fatma Ozdemir

On Syria by Fatma Ozdemir

I assume that everyone agrees that there must be something to do for Syrian people. However, the solution should not be ‘bombing’ or killing more and more people to stop the current civil war. This sounds to me as weird as saying that the U.S. has to kill people in Syria just because Syrians kill […]

An Amazing and Historic Week by Sheila Healy

An Amazing and Historic Week by Sheila Healy

What an amazing and historic week just transpired. Monday, the nation marked Women’s Equality Day with the commemoration of the passage 93 years ago of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution granting women the right to vote. It’s hard to believe today that women’s enfranchisement didn’t occur until the early part of the 20th century. […]

Chelsea Manning, Identity Control & Government Violence by Drew Cordes

Chelsea Manning, Identity Control & Government Violence by Drew Cordes

This article re-posted from the Bilerico Project with the permission of the author. “Discipline” may be identified neither with an institution nor with an apparatus; it is a type of power, a modality for its exercise, comprising a whole set of instruments, techniques, procedures, levels of application, targets; … an essential instrument for a particular […]

Watch the Albany City Mayoral Candidate Forum

Watch the Albany City Mayoral Candidate Forum

Thanks to Seantel Chamberlain for the video.

Listen in on Albany City Mayoral Candidate Forum

Listen in on Albany City Mayoral Candidate Forum

If you missed the forum on Wednesday, July 24th at the Rockefeller Institute, you can listen to the unedited audio here. We are still waiting on the video. We will add it in a new post as soon as possible.

Albany City Mayoral Candidate Forum

Albany City Mayoral Candidate Forum

Albany City Mayoral Candidate Forum Wednesday, July 24th at 7pm RSVP on Facebook Rockefeller Institute of Government 411 State Street, Albany NY This past election cycle, it seemed every politician wanted to be seen as the “pro-woman” candidate. So what does it mean to be a “pro-woman” candidate? The purpose of these forums, the second […]

Listen in on the Albany County Family Court Candidate Forum

Listen in on the Albany County Family Court Candidate Forum

If you weren’t able to come to the Albany County Family Court Judge Candidate Forum on Thursday last week, you can listen in to the recording here. Hope you will join us on Wednesday, July 24th at 7pm at the Rockefeller Institute, 411 State Street, Albany for the City of Albany Mayoral Candidates Forum!

trayvon martin/lynne stewart

trayvon martin/lynne stewart

trayvon martin/lynne stewart (naomi)   they talk of terror they who have all the drones but to kill you trayvon is not a crime they call it the land of the free but we the 2.3 million unfree, what land do we live in? terror, lynne, is when you aid and abet the escape of […]

What does it mean to be a “pro-woman” candidate?

What does it mean to be a “pro-woman” candidate?

Albany County Family Court Judge Candidate Forum Thursday, July 18th at 7pm RSVP on Facebook City of Albany Mayoral Candidate Forum Wednesday, July 24th at 7pm RSVP on Facebook Both events held at: Rockefeller Institute of Government 411 State Street, Albany NY This past election cycle, it seemed every politician wanted to be seen as […]

Celebrating DOMA, forgetting all else, same stuff, different decade

Celebrating DOMA, forgetting all else, same stuff, different decade

I really wish that, in the midst of all the rejoicing about DOMA being overturned, the local LGBT community leadership had paused for just a second to also acknowledge that the Supreme Court also issued some decisions disastrous to the civil rights of people of color and women by gutting the Voting Rights Act and […]

Close Guantanamo by Mabel Leon

Close Guantanamo by Mabel Leon

  Our Constitution is based on simple and powerful principles of justice and law as in due Process( Amendment 5 ), right to a speedy trial(Amendment 6) and no cruel or unusual punishment(Amendment 8). Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions guarantees that detainees  be treated humanely and prohibits cruel treatment and torture. Guantanamo prison violates […]

How Are Our Struggles Related?

How Are Our Struggles Related?

Address to May Day Rally Academy Park, Albany, NY May 1, 2013 How Are Our Struggles Related? People often talk about the intersection of oppressions. I propose that it is the intersections of violence that reveal the oppressed and best show how our struggles are the same. In the past five months the United States […]

Register Now for Holding Our Own’s Network Event!

Register Now for Holding Our Own’s Network Event!

Sell Tickets through Eventbrite

Mother Earth by Doreen Perrine

Mother Earth by Doreen Perrine

A few years back, I watched a movie, the title of which I can no longer recall, about a physicist who quit the field. But I’ve never forgotten the movie’s heartfelt message. The physicist moved to an island, a quiet, nearly deserted, place beside the sea, to raise her only child, a daughter. A male […]

Solidarity Fast with Guantanamo Prisoners

Solidarity Fast with Guantanamo Prisoners

Online Ticketing for Fast for Justice for Guantanamo Detainees powered by Eventbrite

Ladyfest Schedule of Events

Ladyfest Schedule of Events

What is Ladyfest you ask? Ladyfest is a community based, not-for-profit global music and arts festival for women identified, trans, gender queer and gender nonconforming artists. For the first time, local organizers are bringing Ladyfest to us here in the Capital Region! Below is the schedule of events. For more information go to www.ladyfestupstate.com You […]

Ladyfest is What’s Happening this Weekend!

Ladyfest is What’s Happening this Weekend!

“she, until then” by blkcowrie

“she, until then” by blkcowrie

(***trigger warning: references to sexual violence) * she envies spider webs their transparency, forever moist.  their embrace of gaps, corners and the forgotten, held within a network of countless delicate fingers.  strong enough to hold those that spun them, immune to their paralyzing poisons.  she covets that kind of love. she longs for this love, and […]

“irrigation” by blkcowrie

“irrigation” by blkcowrie

i was always absent in your eyes but you were caught in mine lodged between lid & sclera gathering salt. wasn’t it penance enough that holding you choked my blood? did you have to scald my cheeks as you left?   http://blkcowrie.wordpress.com/

“powdered milk” by blkcowrie

“powdered milk” by blkcowrie

unlike the phoenix, fertilized by fire or the iguana, ever cloaked in awaiting armor our shorn leavings won’t allow human beings to reemerge * that this is now without exception is too much for me to bear * my aries mother insists that her next passage be by fire thus, heralded by a blaze that will only douse […]

“‘so says naomi’ haiku” by blkcowrie

“‘so says naomi’ haiku” by blkcowrie

life is stringed lessons leading to unplucked questions: fiddle.     open.     test.   http://blkcowrie.wordpress.com/

“for g.m.” by blkcowrie

“for g.m.” by blkcowrie

so many doors you wedged to find me first sex to first love to shared home (to left on my own) you made me feel newly desirable and powerful. corazón, no longer tentative with every early creak, i danced to your bomba drum while, slowly, over our years your fingers spanned my chest     gripped its grooves […]

Let’s Talk About Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)

Let’s Talk About Mixed Martial Arts (MMA)

Okay, personally, I hadn’t given much thought to the legalization of Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) in New York State.  What does that have to do with me? I am not going to watch it. I am not going to let my three boys participate in it any more than I would allow them to participate […]

Letting Women Decide

Letting Women Decide

As a U Albany student and a young women entering her twenties, I have been paying close attention to the recent laws passed in Arkansas and North Dakota that would ban abortions as early as twelve weeks and even six weeks respectively. At the same time I am getting involved and excited as the number […]

On Her Shoulders, Amelia Whalen

On Her Shoulders, Amelia Whalen

On Her Shoulders—a valuable multimedia presentation to inspire unity and awareness By Amelia Whalen I was invited to meet Noelle Gentile last month when she was auditioning women for roles in her upcoming theater project. When I showed up to audition, all I knew about the project was it involved female veterans, and all I […]

Throw Shaving to the Wind

Throw Shaving to the Wind

The weather is warming up, the birds are dancing and chirping, the snow has finally melted and the sun is starting to shine brighter. All of this can mean only one thing: Summer is just around the corner. Swimming, hiking, biking, warm sunny days, thunderstorms, flowers, green grass, and driving with the windows down are […]

Honest Weight Food Co-op Review, Gail Halestone

Honest Weight Food Co-op Review, Gail Halestone

The cornerstone to any good diet is fresh ingredients to make delicious and nutritious meals, and the important thing is to get them from a trusted source where you can not only get more bang for your buck, but also answers to any questions you my have. When it comes to being vegan, many people […]

Rape and Mass Incarceration: Part 2, Naomi Jaffe

Rape and Mass Incarceration: Part 2, Naomi Jaffe

Note: In response to the (apparently male) poster who suggested castration for rapists: men’s preoccupation with revenge, punishment, and violence is the problem, not the solution. One more time: violence is the problem. “The master’s tools can never dismantle the master’s house.” (Audre Lorde) Also, thank you to the commenter who called on feminists to […]

Adventures in Teaching Women’s History, Sean Heather McGraw

Adventures in Teaching Women’s History, Sean Heather McGraw

    Adventures in Teaching Women’s History By Sean Heather McGraw   I am a European history adjunct lecturer at several local colleges and as part of my introductory Western Civilization classes I teach them about the waves of 19th and 20th century feminism. I teach my students about the progress and activities made by […]

No One Asks

No One Asks

  I never pictured myself wedding-planning. It never occurred to me that I might find someone I liked enough or had open enough communication with that I would want to make such a commitment. I never leafed through bridal magazines or designated my middle-school friends as future bridesmaids, and you would be hard pressed to […]

Rape and Mass Incarceration: the connection, Naomi Jaffe

Rape and Mass Incarceration: the connection, Naomi Jaffe

The conversation in our feminist and justice movements about violence against women and the conversation about mass incarceration seem to be happening in separate spaces, anti-sexism and anti-racism spaces respectively. The experiences and voices of women of color make it clear that sexism and racism are intersecting oppressions,  but how do they intersect, in this […]

Undocumented Students Will Keep Fighting for Education Equity (and We Should, too), Angelica Clarke

Undocumented Students Will Keep Fighting for Education Equity (and We Should, too), Angelica Clarke

Across New York, people are demanding policy changes to improve the lives of undocumented immigrants. On Tuesday, March 19, that demand rang in Governor Cuomo’s halls from New York City to Albany. The New York State Youth Leadership Council (NYSYLC) gathered more than a hundred students, young people and allies to demand NY State pass […]

Passivity-An Invisible and Pervasive Thief, Lacy O’Brien

Passivity-An Invisible and Pervasive Thief, Lacy O’Brien

What’s difficult about communication is that most of the messages we receive are delivered through the words we do not speak.  Passivity is an invisible and pervasive thief, which robs us of a direct route to progress.  Sometimes, no- I think most of the time, we leave information out of our dialogue on purpose because […]

“imperfect perfect” by blkcowrie

“imperfect perfect” by blkcowrie

  they say: – Martin was a true philanderer – Bob and Marvin, too – Bayard was know to dilly-dangle bits of sons (& not just men) – Gil stitched needles like Trane when American lies were too much – Ntozake & Michelle W. drank away the vitriol over their truths – Billie would have said that’s how she softened the lies – Josephine and Nina left America to survive the […]

Poverty, Women and World Hunger

Poverty, Women and World Hunger

  By Joanne Kathleen Farrell When I think of spring I think of a time for rebirth. A time for seeding crops and clearing fields. I enjoy planting bulbs that will bring colorful flowers in the sunny days to come. For many around the world that life would be a fantasy. It is hard to […]

Badass Feminist Dilemma

Badass Feminist Dilemma

The siren has called.  I have been invited; I have a place at the table.  We are coming together to form our first outrageous, courageous, open mouth questioning and analysis of the patriarchal, colonizing racist and homophobic oppression dialogue and my question is, what do you wear to a badass feminist blog meeting? In my […]

“genesis 2: fictive ether” by blkcowrie

“genesis 2: fictive ether” by blkcowrie

my dream is fading faster than i can move this pen: * a wild child, not feral who runs into rooms laughing she talks back to adults pulls off yellow tablecloth to use as cape sending a few items flying to the floor and screams loud at potential violators lil pretty Black girl, curious, inquisitive […]

“genesis 1: sojourns” by blkcowrie

“genesis 1: sojourns” by blkcowrie

  x years after sojourner’s question       hung, in air met with nervous applause by white women and quiet murmurs by Black men Black women were seen as seals barking our selves to others’ jarred amusements noisy clappers       tossed the occasional dead fish never silent, never nourished, never understood: “ain’t […]

Report Back on “The Politics of Immigration,” Oakwood Community Center, Troy

Report Back on “The Politics of Immigration,” Oakwood Community Center, Troy

Immigration: A Growing Humanitarian Crisis On Friday, February 15, 2013 Jane Guskin, author of The Politics of Immigration: Questions and Answers, was invited to speak at the James Connolly Forum in Troy. The forum was held at the Oakwood Community Center and co-sponsored by the Troy Area Labor Council, AFL-CIO and Bethlehem Neighbors for Peace. […]

X’s to O’s Vegan Bakery Review

X’s to O’s Vegan Bakery Review

Ever had the experience of eating a delicious meal out with friends, and when it comes time for dessert, the menu is compiled completely of things you can’t eat? I have, because I’m vegan. I am vegan because I love animals, my body, and the planet. Any vegan can tell you that even when you […]

Guest Post: Reflections on ‘Half the Sky’

Guest Post: Reflections on ‘Half the Sky’

Tonight, I attended a community conversation held by the Center for Women in Government and Civil Society, WMHT, and Holding Our Own. The topic was multifaceted and centered around human rights violations that by the nature of biology and culture are mainly perpetrated against women around the world. If you haven’t seen the PBS documentary […]

Half the Sky, Continue the Conversation

Half the Sky, Continue the Conversation

Did you attend tonight’s Salon Screening? See the film? What are your thoughts? Reactions? Rants? Inspirations? Kick off the conversation.

International Women’s Day by Sean Heather McGraw

International Women’s Day by Sean Heather McGraw

Holding Our Own has decided to launch our new blog on the annual International Women’s Day, which is celebrated on March 8. The history of International Women’s Day is intertwined with the history of efforts to obtain suffrage for women as well as socialist party agitation to achieve fair conditions for workers in the years […]

“women’s work” (for asmaa mahfouz* and israa abdel-fattah**) by blkcowrie

“women’s work” (for asmaa mahfouz* and israa abdel-fattah**) by blkcowrie

  “habibti?”  “yes, mama?” “come.” she checks my hijab for glimpses, and says that we are to walk the streets with respect. we are to buy groceries, not sell ourselves. “today,” she adds, “we do women’s work.” * at the market, she pounds fruit for their secrets and examines vegetables for their lies. i am […]

Badass Feminist Blog Report Back

Badass Feminist Blog Report Back

Want to catch up on what happened at the 1st meeting to organize a local feminist blog? Check out the notes here. We will post the date for the next meeting shortly. You can plug in whenever you like! 1st Badass Feminist Blog Organizing Meeting Minutes

Half the Sky

Half the Sky

Salon Screening and Discussion Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide Friday, March 8th, 2013 6pm-8pm University at Albany Downtown Campus 135 Western Avenue, Albany, NY WMHT, the Center for Women and Government and Civil Society and Holding Our Own invite you to a Salon Screening of Half the Sky: Turning Oppression […]

30th/35th Anniversary Program

30th/35th Anniversary Program

Program With Cover

Celebrate Fabulous Feminists!

Celebrate Fabulous Feminists!

Online Ticketing for Holding Our Own and the Women’s Building 30th/35th Anniversary & Fabulous Feminist Awards powered by Eventbrite

Spotlight on Local Feminists Part 2

Spotlight on Local Feminists Part 2

Spotlight on Local Women Leaders Carmen Duncan and Naomi Jaffe In an effort to give Holding Our Own’s network members an opportunity to get to know each other just a little better, we will be spotlighting a couple of our members each month. We hope that this will help provide you with more opportunities to […]

LadyFest Artist Spotlight #5: Sweet Chocolate

Posted on November 20, 2014

The fifth  in a series of Artist Spotlights brought to you by Lady Fest Upstate!

For details on Lady Fest Upstate go to their Facebook Page
For the Schedule of Events
Get Tickets!

 

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT #5: SWEET CHOCOLATESweet Chocolate Lady Fest Spotlight 5

Niroma Johnson a New York Native, resident of Albany, NY. When she appeared on the Amateur Night at the Apollo she knew she was made for comedy. She has a natural way of making people laugh.

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Posted in Events, Uncategorized Tagged capital district against fracking, comedian, feminist events, holding our own, ladyfes upstate, LadyFest Upstate, local feminism, she breath, sweet chocolate, trans, women of color Leave a comment

LadyFest Artist Spotlight #4: Moor Mother Goddess

Posted on November 20, 2014

The fourth in a series of Artist Spotlights brought to you by Lady Fest Upstate!

For details on Lady Fest Upstate go to their Facebook Page
For the Schedule of Events
Get Tickets!

 

 

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT #4: MOOR MOTHER GODDESSMother Moor Goddess Spotlight 4 Lady Fest 2014

Moor mother goddess is a musician, beat maker, event curator, poet,writer, and workshop facilitator living in north Philadelphia.

Listen at https://soundcloud.com/moor-goddess.

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Posted in Activism, Uncategorized Tagged activism, feminism, feminist events, gender noncomforming, holding our own, lady fest upstate, moor mother goddess, she breathes, trans, trans artists, transgender, women and poverty, women of color Leave a comment

LadyFest Artist Spotlight #3: Evan Greer

Posted on November 20, 2014

The third  in a series of Artist Spotlights brought to you by Lady Fest Upstate!

For details on Lady Fest Upstate go to their Facebook Page
For the Schedule of Events
Get Tickets!

 

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT #3: EVAN GREER
Evan Greer Spotlight 3 Lady Fest 2014
Evan Greer is a radical genderqueer singer/songwriter, parent, and community organizer based in Boston. (S)he writes and performs high-energy acoustic songs that inspire hope, build community, and incite resistance! At 25 years old, Evan tours internationally as a musician and facilitates interactive workshops to support movements for justice and liberation. Wielding an arsenal of fiercely radical songs that vary in style from pop-punk poetry to foot-stompin’ bluegrass singalongs, Evan has been honored to collaborate, tour, and share stages with artists as musically diverse as Pete Seeger, Immortal Technique, Billy Bragg, Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine, Pamela Means, Against Me!, The Coup, Anne Feeney, Oi Polloi, State Radio, Leftover Crack, Emma’s Revolution, The Mammals, Defiance Ohio, Holly Near, Chumbawamba, and Vicci Martinez (featured on NBC’s “The Voice”.)

More info at www.evangreer.org.

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Posted in Activism, Uncategorized Tagged activism, evan greer, feminism, feminist events, gender nonconforming, gender queer, holding our own, LadyFest Upstate, she breathes, the low beat, trans, transgender Leave a comment

LadyFest Artist Spotlight #2: CIHUATL CE

Posted on November 19, 2014

The second  in a series of Artist Spotlights brought to you by Lady Fest Upstate!

For details on Lady Fest Upstate go to their Facebook Page
For the Schedule of Events
Get Tickets!

 

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT #2: CIHUATL CECihuatl Ce Spotlight 2 Lady Fest 2014

Back again for the 2nd year, Cihuatl Ce has been spitting truth to power in the form of politically charged feminist inspired, urban indigenous hip-hop for the past decade. Cihuatl’s reach is not confined solely to the lyrical realm of resistance. For the past 15 years she has been a fervent youth advocate and community organizer. In 2010 she founded the first all womyn of color cycling collective Ovarian Psycos Bicycle Brigade and was the driving force behind landmark events such as LA’s first ever Clitoral Mass attended by close to 300 womyn as well as other rides that address the health disparities specific to womyn of color and at risk communities.

The website is a MUST SEE:  wwww.cihuatlce.com

You can also check out Cihuatl’s music here.

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Posted in Activism, Events, Social Justice, Uncategorized Tagged activism, cihuatl ce, clitoral mass, feminism, feminist events, gender noncomforming, holding our own, lady fest upstate, ovarian psycos brigade, she breathes, trans, trans artists, transgender, women and poverty, women of color Leave a comment

Lady Fest Artist Spotlight #1: GARMIN

Posted on November 19, 2014

The first in a series of Artist Spotlights brought to you by Lady Fest Upstate!

For details on Lady Fest Upstate go to their Facebook Page
For the Schedule of Events
Get Tickets!

ARTIST SPOTLIGHT #1: GARMIN

right here. be here now. is an installation that exists somewhere between performance and social practice. The project is an 8’ x 8’ pre-fabricated pop tent; the tent functions as a gathering place in the context for conducting a social experiment. People volunteer to be a part of it by selecting a hand-made ceramic cups and entering the tent to talk about their choice.

GARMIN art bowls

The cups riddled with a variety of words ranging from soft, blunt, pad thai to botch, pussy, and cunt have distinct evidence of the hand, and are unapologetically raw. At the conclusion of the session each person keeps their cup as a token of GARMIN’s appreciation.

GARMIN art pink

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Posted in Activism, Events, Uncategorized Tagged activism, albany, albany ny, feminism, feminist events, GARMIN, gender noncomforming, holding our own, LadyFest Upstate, she breathes, the low beat, trans, trans artists, transgender, women of color Leave a comment

Everything Lady Fest!

Posted on November 19, 2014

Get Tickets to LadyFest Upstate Festival!

Saturday-Sunday, November 22  1pm-1am

At the Low Beat

335 Central Avenue, Albany NY

The full schedule of events!

The full schedule of events! Want to download it? Click here: LadyFest Upstate Schedule of Events

 Upstate LadyFest On Facebook

LadyFest Upstate is a 1 day music and arts festival featuring women-identified, trans and gender nonconforming artists. This is its 2nd year in Albany and it’s not to be missed!

It’s all day from 1pm-1am. The event will feature live art, comedy, stories and spoken word by local artists.
Performances by Free Cake for Every Creature, Niedra Stevens, Moor Mother Goddess (Philly), Cihuatl Ce (LA), Evan Greer (Boston) and more TBA.

The event is 18+ and wheelchair accessible. $10-20 sliding scale, no one turned away for lack of funds.

Profits go to the SANCTUARY FUND, a Holding Our Own Donor-Advised fund for women and families who need to leave their homes without notice, as a result of a disaster, a divorce, domestic violence, & beyond. It is sponsored by Holding Our Own, NYSCA, Arts Center of the Capital Region, Social Justice Center & WEXT.

OFFICIAL SCHEDULE

1:30 LIVE ART
GARMIN (Interactive Installation) & mural painting
by local artists
4:30 SPOKEN WORD
Tenesha Smith, Her Temple, Ejaniia Clayton &
Amani Olugbala

5:30 COMEDY
Jaye McBride & Sweet Chocolate

MUSIC
6:00 Sibie Lavoz
6:30 Niedra Stevens
7:15 Free Cake for Every Creature
8:00 Evan Greer
9:00 Moor Mother Goddess
9:45 Cihuatl Ce
10:45 DJ Goldee Dust

Check back for links to the artist Spotlights!

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Posted in Activism, Events, Local Feminists, Uncategorized Tagged albany, albany ny, feminist events, gender nonconforming, gender nonconforming artists, holding our own, LadyFest Upstate, local feminism, she breathes, trans, trans artists, women of color 1 Comment

Caterpillar For Rachel Corrie

Posted on August 26, 2014

Caterpillar

For Rachel Corrie

Rachel Corrie

Rachel Corrie

by Victorio Reyes

Sometimes I sit down to dinner
and I imagine that you’re sitting with me. We’re
talking about the history of capitalism and the connections
between Marx and Adam Smith.

My partner chimes in about the sexist and Euro-centric
implications of such discussions.        We nod in agreement.
You compliment me on my rice and beans.

I explain that I channeled my grandmother and

the credit should be given to her.
While I’m dipping bread in the dish you brought,
you explain that the key to good hummus is the olive oil.
You pause because you’re reminded of          Gaza.

 

I realize there is a massive military machine
that imposes catastrophe on citizens around the world.
I make the connection between international imperialism
and police brutality, summoning         Amadou Diallo.

You agree and we discuss the intricacies of white privilege

and the reluctance of many to utilize their standing to prevent
atrocities from happening, abroad and in       our back yard.

We then discuss Cointel-Pro conjuring stories of the Red Scare

and connecting it to the “War on Terror”. Others at the potluck

add their thoughts on how our government discourages people

from challenging the               power structure and

I have this eerie feeling that the military machine is outside my door

 

trying to kill the people I’m having dinner with.
The evening winds down as people begin to put on their coats.
I smile at you and you respond with a look of approval,
a sign of a full belly and a good conversation.
Yet I know your soul is          uneasy.

The machine is trying to kill somebody somewhere
and you traded in the bliss of ignorance for the

crushing, mortal truth, several years ago.
It haunts your stomach making you feel         queasy.

You finally send a slight smile my way as you           pass through the door

 

going wherever it is that you go

when you’re not around.

 

 

(Lines in italics are taken from an interview given by Rachel Corrie, 2003)

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Posted in Activism, Creative Writing, Human Rights, Militarism, Social Justice, Uncategorized Tagged activism, amadou diallo, borderlands, cointel-pro, feminism, holding our own, rachel corrie, she breathes, victorio reyes, war on terror, white privilege Leave a comment

Cutting the Umbilical Cord: My Departure from the Mainstream Movement for Reproductive Rights

Posted on August 3, 2014

My upcoming birthday brings with the usual set of mixed emotions: happiness as I reflect on all that filled this last year, and all that may be in next; trepidation, as I recognize that the steps I have left to walk have become fewer. This year, however, it carries a greater weight, as I think back to where I was last August. When I came home from Switzerland three weeks after my birthday last year, the last thing I wanted to hear was talked from family and friends about a belated celebration, or anything of birth. My birthday had been spent alone overseas with the suspicion that I was pregnant. I had been suspecting this for weeks, but didn’t have the time to take care of it one way or another before I left the country. I would be getting an abortion anyhow, and not knowing much about the procedure, figured it wouldn’t make a difference if I waited the month until I returned.

My suspicions were confirmed the following day. The next week was a whirlwind for me. A few pregnancy tests later the pharmacist stopped me to ask what was going on. I explained I needed to be certain, though I already was. By the time she confirmed this for me I had already been undergoing a change of heart. Apathy toward an imminent abortion developed into excitement—I decided I would do what to me had been the unthinkable and would undergo the pregnancy and raise my child.
I immediately fell into the comfort of carefully selecting my food, cutting out alcohol and substances, and preserving not just myself but this new creature as well. There were disagreements with the man involved as we talked on the phone for over an hour about what we would do, but at that point I knew the only “we” I would let be involved would be the child and I, and I did not worry.

It wasn’t long before I felt that something had gone wrong. I knew what I was: I had broken one of the promises I had made to it, smoking half a cigarette during the hectic phone call the night before, and I was being punished. I left class early to hurry back to my room, unsure if I was talking to it or the stars but assuring it, or someone, that it could not leave. Of course, it didn’t work. In the morning it was gone. I looked at it, flushed the toilet, and immediately walked to class. The mechanicalness of those actions still haunts me; the casual “good mornings.” I couldn’t tell anyone of what had just happened. Telling acquaintances of what your body expels down a toilet isn’t often a subject one brings up in small talk.

The man involved- I’m reluctant to use the word “father,” as I’m sure I would be even if the pregnancy had not been terminated- did not call me back that night. After all, it was done with. No big deal. What was there to say, anyway? There isn’t much to remember of the rest of my time abroad except embarrassing myself by crying when I’d see babies, or children in general.

Back home, some of the friends I told would initially laugh, thinking I was joking—after all, I was a feminist! And not just someone who dabbled in pop feminism, but a Real Feminist! What would I want a baby for? Wouldn’t I have proudly gotten my abortion and never looked back?

Others told me it was probably for the best as I sipped on my beer; if I was going to be so emotional about the loss, maybe I wasn’t strong enough to be a mother. Additionally, I was just beginning grad school, and you can’t be a student and a mother, they implied, ignoring the achievements of so many women who do balance both, and perpetuating our norms of what a mother is and is not supposed to be.

If abortion was something I “was supposed to” get, I questioned how much of a “choice” it really was; immediately feeling disheartened not just because I realized that wasn’t much of a choice for me, but because it suddenly became clear that the “choice” many women make to get an abortion is the result of being situated in a society that does not accommodate them, let alone any children they would have. Is abortion really a choice when it is the result of not being able to afford the costs of childcare? When I began to pull myself together I knew I would have to look beyond myself and that summer; as someone who is well aware of not just the privileges she has lacked but the privileges she has held, I knew this feeling of isolation and distance from pop feminism’s platform on reproductive rights was far from being specific to me. I was sadly correct.

I quickly felt abandoned by the feminism I had known.

"Can you afford a large family?" If not, your choice is to go without.

“Can you afford a large family?” If not, your choice is to go without.

The abortion question was not the only one I encountered in reflecting upon what happened. In the month after the loss, there were moments when I would finally do something besides smoke a cigarette in my bed, and it was during this time that I would sleuth the internet for some answer as to what I did wrong. The hope was, I suppose, that finding this out would additionally allow me to step back, fix my error, and undo the loss. There were a number of possibilities I came across. Maybe I had a hormonal imbalance. Maybe a gluten allergy. Maybe I didn’t deserve it. Maybe it was my improper (sporadic) use of hormonal contraceptives.

As someone who has spent most of her years since development off of hormonal contraceptives, I have been inundated with pressure to go on the pill nearly every time I enter a doctor’s office, even for care unrelated to my reproductive system. This in itself is not something that concerns me; in fact, the access to these methods of birth control still remains important to me as a feminist. What does alarm me, however, is the utter lack of information that has come with each of these offers to write me a prescription. There is never a mention of other birth control methods, such as the IUD, and there is never any discussion regarding the numerous side effects oral contraceptives have.

Though I will never be certain why things turned as they did, a pharmacist I spoke with was shocked when I suggested that it could have been from the oral contraceptives. He told me that there were plenty of stories of women who had taken the pill improperly and found themselves with a child nine months later, and that once pregnant, the pill had no effect on the outcome of the pregnancy.

This is in part true, but fails to take into account what happens to the womb itself. Hormonal contraceptives generally prevent the fertilization of an egg, but should this go awry there remains little in the womb for the fertilized egg to implant itself into. Of course, every body operates differently, which is why some may have difficulties in conceiving one year after going off the pill while others will give birth to a healthy child having only missed two pills in their pack. But in a time when we have pregnancy tests that detect a pregnancy even a week before the missed period, one might think there would be more information available on the matter to appease at least part of the stress that comes with discovering a pregnancy and a miscarriage only a few weeks, or even days, of each other.

I don’t believe these doctors and pharmacists to be corrupt individuals taking bribes from the pharmaceutical industry, but part of something far more potent; capitalism’s effects on both hegemonic feminism and the healthcare industry has led to a widespread ideology in which the questioning of what few reproductive rights we have is seen as an affront to women’s rights.

“That kind of hormonal birth control isn’t part of the reproductive justice movement,” a feminist scholar and advocate of reproductive justice once told me, startled that I had brought it up alongside the generally accepted critique of Norplant, administered by the state to women of color and often leading to infertility. My critique of the former, however, was not even of the health complications it too can cause (though certainly of an entirely different nature than Norplant), but only that there are many intricacies that come with the pill that women are not educated upon when prescribed it. Does it go against feminism to call into question a push for pill access that has come without a corresponding motion to educate its users of its many effects?

Women should be educated upon the pill’s effectiveness in family planning, as we generally are, as well as how it can clear one’s skin, reduce cramps, or lessen the effects of menopause. We need to know it can cause blood clots, increase the risk of some cancers, and decrease the risk of others. It can enlarge breasts and enlarge the waistline. We should be administered the pill only upon learning of those who have fought for its accessibility and the Puerto Rican women who served as lab rats for the pharmaceutical industry at its dawn. We need to know it can leave the walls of a uterus too weak to uphold a fertilized egg. It can, as pregnancy tests become more advanced, lead to a positive test of what is certain to lead to a menstruation that appears no different than any other. For some women, there would be no difference or loss here; the same goes for how many may perceive abortion, particularly when induced via pill. This is a valid belief so long as it is a woman’s own belief about her own body. The beliefs of the woman who defines the zygote as child in her own body, however, and who has already bridged a connection with it, are also valid. If autonomy is what we feminists are striving for, why does the latter remain taboo?
We must stop viewing her choices about her body—and lack thereof—as threats to a political momentum, and please, we must stop with the taunting. Laughing at photographs of sonograms only belittles the joy so many have felt when conceiving a child—what they define as child for themselves is a personal connection, not one that must be adopted by ever woman and legal statute. Similarly, belittling motherhood or any women’s work is a far cry from where our feminisms should be. If being both a student or professional and a mother is a challenge, perhaps the answer isn’t to preach against the latter but to fight against this mutual exclusivity. This would not be to pressure women to do both but to give us something we are too often stripped up: choice. It is often argued that the self-proclaimed “pro-life” movement does nothing for life, only birth. While I agree with this claim I also question how much mainstream feminism does for choice.

As the recent Hobby Lobby case demonstrated, women’s reproductive choices are under perpetual attack. What it also showed us, however, was that the corporate sponsored feminism at the forefront of the battle believes itself to have the capability of determining what is and is not life or loss. To claim that there is no loss in the loss of an embryo is not empowering even to those of us who may agree; it is stripping us of the option to define our bodies and our emotions for ourselves.

Similarly, we must not suppress the voices of women who do choose to get abortion with some trepidation, or who later reflect on the experience with some degree of sorrow. Instead of admitting that the religious right’s notion of a “post abortion stress syndrome” may echo the truth of some women’s experiences, though certainly not all, the pro-choice movement turns to “science” and a panel of “experts” to say this is not the case. While feminist thought often questions such notions of “objectivity,” apparently it can be used when political gain may be had. Further, these experts went on to say that “women are hypersensitive to the political climate,” as psychotherapist Dana Dovitch claimed in a 2001 Ms. article, impressively making an argument that both uses stereotypes of women and implies that everything will be alright if we uphold and fortify certain legislation. Apparently these poor, hypersensitive women are less aware of their feelings than these experts, who seem to operate in a society in which women are not pressured to abort but make the choice because they “want to.”

Admitting and embracing that abortion may be a painful experience should not be seen as a slap in the face to the movement to maintain decriminalization; life is chockfull of sorrowful moments and tough decisions, and to admit this has nothing to do with our legislature. A disavowal of the multitude of women’s experiences in favor of an exclusive political agenda is a maneuver of the very ideology feminism should be weary of, not staunchly advocating. While writing this I found myself wanting to preface and end each paragraph with a statement of my dedication to ensuring decriminalized and accessible abortion, as well as accessible birth control. The portrayal of the mainstream stance of reproductive rights has become so rigidly enforced that to dare questioning any aspect of it could be mistaken for complete disbandment.

Even more common than abortion, it is estimated that half of pregnancies end in miscarriage. While the majority of these take place before the 12-week mark, and often before a period is even missed, for every pregnancy you have witnessed how many miscarriages have been spoken of? Even accounting for the unknown miscarriages, or the miscarriages women felt no emotional connection to, or the miscarriages that weren’t really miscarriages because the women did not define them as such, we must remember that we likely know at least one person who has grieved over such a loss.

As I began writing this I questioned what pen name I should use, or how to disguise my identity. Confessionalism is not something new to me, but breaking the silence surrounding miscarriage is. While I’m not the first woman to do so I am certainly one of a very few. Even still, nearly a year later, and again, as a staunch feminist, there is a deep-rooted shame that stays with me. It comes from feeling your body kill something even as you try to stop it, only to find you have no control. It comes from the proximity of it being just two gametes mingling in utero, the proximity to the sexual act, something inappropriate. It comes from the idea that it wasn’t really a child so early on, so there was no real loss.

My personal experiences are just that, and in no way represent the movement for reproductive justice as a whole, if at all. Women of Color such as Dorothy Roberts and Andrea Smith have been critiquing the pro-choice movement long before I knew anything of it, and through them there exists a wealth of knowledge as to the systemic oppressions on reproductive choice not just by way of gender, but its intersections with race, class, and ability. I will likely never be sterilized, be portrayed as a “welfare queen,” be shackled when giving birth, or see embryos aborted for being like me as the disabled community continues to witness. I have, however, found a refuge in their feminisms that hegemonic feminism could not offer me, and with it comes a sense of both comfort and urgency as there is much work left to be done.

So how can we move forward in the everyday? Compassion. Don’t be afraid to speak up, and more importantly, don’t be afraid to listen. When stepping aside from mainstream reproductive issues, it may initially feel hopeless; what can an outsider do to stop sterilizations, or the shackling of female inmates giving birth in prisons? Reproductive choices and non-choices are complicated, and will continue to be so even as we maintain legislative action in our favor. What we can do in the meantime, however, is create safe spaces for women to honestly talk about their experiences; even if not all women will have the option of true reproductive choice in the imminent future, the least we can do is to strive for women to have the choice to vocalize their experiences without stigma or shame from within our feminist communities.

 

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Posted in Local Feminists, Reproductive Justice, Uncategorized Tagged feminism, holding our own, narrative, reproductive health, reproductve justice, she breathes, women of color 2 Comments

Join Us at the Annual Picnic!

Posted on July 22, 2014

picnic wb 2014Saturday, August 30th at 12 noon

Lyon’s Lake, Nassau

Bring the whole family! We provide the music, the beautiful location, the paper products, beverages and protein — hamburgers, hotdogs, veggie burgers, etc. You bring fruit or a dessert to share with friends and any extras you like. Come as early as 12pm to claim your table under the pavilion, take a dip in the lake, get a game of horseshoes going or play some volleyball. Bring the kids too!

Grilling starts at 1pm.

Lyon’s Lake cash bar is open or byob.

Big thanks to our sponsor, Theo D’Amico of Remax!
theosellshomes.com

RSVP to hoo@holdingourownonline.org or for more info call 518.462.2871
Sliding scale (we mean it): $12 suggested donation for adults; Kids $2

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The Newest Chapter in the “War on Drugs”: The Pregnancy Criminalization Law (SB 1391)

Posted on May 19, 2014

tennesee

On Tuesday, April 29th, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam, signed into law the first law in the United States that authorizes the arrest and incarceration of women who use drugs while pregnant. Women in Tennessee can now be prosecuted for assault if they take a narcotic drug while pregnant and the baby is born addicted, is harmed, or dies as a result. However, the law states that criminal charges can be avoided if the woman completes a state drug treatment program. This law will be effective as of July 1st and will be in effect until 2016 at which time it will be revisited.

Haslam states that this law is not intended to harm pregnant women but to encourage them to seek treatment as an alternative to jail time. In a Huffington Post article, he states “The intent of this bill is to give law enforcement and district attorneys a tool to address illicit drug use among pregnant women through treatment programs.”

Most people can agree that it is a terrible tragedy for babies to be born addicted or harmed in any way by drugs – but is the criminalization of pregnant women the way to address this problem? Will the threat of incarceration versus treatment suffice? I do not think so, and I am not alone. Advocates for women and reproductive health believe that the bill will likely scare women away from seeking prenatal care and addiction treatment. This also does little to help low-income women, women who already have children and single mothers who cannot step away from their families in order to attend treatment programs in the first place. According to RH Reality Check, only two of Tennessee’s 177 addiction treatment facilities provide prenatal care and allow other children to stay with their mothers during treatment. Only 19 programs provide any addiction care for pregnant women. This law that is supposed to protect babies from harm may actually harm babies further because it could dissuade women from getting life-saving prenatal care.

This bill is harmful to all pregnant women who struggle with substance abuse in the state of Tennessee, but it particularly has an effect on poor women and women of color because it singles out street drugs rather than more common drugs such as alcohol or prescription medication. Tamar Todd, senior staff attorney for the Drug Policy Alliance states that these drugs are targeted largely because of the populations who use them. As we have historically seen with “War of Drugs” legislation, the populations that suffer most from these bills are ones that are already under surveillance; poor neighborhoods that are constantly watched by the police and families who use public assistance.

Even if you do not live in Tennessee, this legislation influences everyone because it is the first of its kind to be signed into law. It also speaks volumes about our country’s punitive culture. The United States incarcerates 2.3 million people. The U.S. holds approximately 5% of the world’s population but accounts for 25% of the world’s prisoners. That makes the United States the highest incarcerator in the world. Legislation that supports this system of punishment should not be tolerated. Drug treatment programs need to be made more accessible for women who have families and who need pregnancy-related health care. Community investment should be fostered so that the criminal justice system is not the only solution to issues of crime and addiction.

The health of pregnant women and their babies is vitally important – and a baby being born addicted to or harmed by drugs is terrible. However, punitive measures are not the answer and unless we seriously start thinking about alternatives to incarceration and punishment, the health and well-being of our communities will not prosper. The underlying issues associated with crime and addiction need to be addressed: poverty, racism, distrust in law enforcement, and lack of sufficient community resources.

You can oppose The Pregnancy Criminalization Law (SB1391) by writing to Governor Haslam:

Office of Gov. Bill Haslam
1st Floor, State Capitol
Nashville, TN 37243

 

 

 

 

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Posted in Prison Justice, Reproductive Justice, Social Justice Tagged Haslam, holding our own, Pregnancy, Prison, prison justice, SB 1391, she breathes, Tennessee, The Pregnancy Criminalization Law, women, women and poverty Leave a comment
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