Black Feminist Rants

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 19: Abortion Advocacy w/ Yemisi Miller-Tonnet Dec 17, 2020

Show notes

The season 2 finale of BFR features guest, Yemisi (Yemi) Miller-Tonnet a Reproductive Justice fellow, feminist book seller, and domestic violence legal advocate. On this episode Yemi and LaKia talk about anti-abortion tactics, the struggles of youth organizing, and more. Yemi also talks about her experience working at an abortion clinic and hihglights the importance of collective organizing. LaKia wraps this episode with her reflection on the progress of BFR, her appreciation for all of the supporters and thoughts on the transitions she's made mentally, emotionally, and physically during 2020.

Follow Yemi on twitter @Yemisicombahee

Follow BFR on Instagram and Twitter.

Ep. 18: Sex Work, Socialism, and More w/ Maha Thomas creator of Blacklight Dec 10, 2020

Show notes

BFR sat down with Maha Thomas the creator of the dark comedy, gothic show Blacklight whose main character is a sex worker. Maha talks about her experiences as a sex worker and as a socialist. We discussed the issues that can arise within social justice spaces and the importance of sex work stories being told by sex workers. If you want to support the work that Maha does watch the table reading for the pilot episode of Blacklight and follow blacklight on Twitter!

Ep. 17: Student Organizing w/ Jaaie Varshney Dec 03, 2020

Show notes

BFR sat down with organizer and activist Jaaie Varshney and she shared with us her advocacy work around abortion access and menstrual equity.

Ep. 16: Exploitation of Student Labor and Organizing Nov 19, 2020

Show notes

In this episode LaKia discusses the exploitation that students face specifically from unpaid internships, universities that expect student leadership and activism labor, and her specific experience as a Resident Advisor (RA) for Tulane University. LaKia touches on how systems create competitive job markets that incentivize students and young people to seek internships, often times unpaid, so that they will be marketable in the job market. However, many low and middle class people can't afford to take an unpaid internship which widens the class divide that already exists.

LaKia mentions the Medium article Stop Working for Free which talks more indepthly about how unpaid internships recreate class divides.

Ep. 15: A Black Feminist Discussion on Respectability Politics w/ Sarah Jones Nov 11, 2020

Show notes

In this episode LaKia sits down with her friend, scholar, and activist Sarah Jones to discuss their experiences navigating respectability politics as Black women. Sarah is a recent grad of Tulane University and has organized around Black liberation and reproductive justice on and off campus. Sarah and LaKia have both been active in white sex positive spaces that have impacted their comfortability showing up as their full selves.

Ep. 14: Louisiana's Anti-Abortion Initiative (w/ Tia Coleman) Nov 01, 2020

Show notes

In this BFR episode LaKia sits down with recent college grad and Reproductive Justice Organizer, Tia Coleman. LaKia and Tia discuss Louisiana's upcoming anti-abortion constitutional amendment aimed at denying Louisiana residents the right to abortion. Tia has been mobilizing and educating young people across Louisiana on the importance on voting No on this amendment to safeguard our reproductive freedom. The conversation naturally progresses and LaKia and Tia begin discussing their experience as Black women in higher education, LaKia reflects on her time at a predominately white institution, while Tia touches on her memories at a historically black university.

Follow BFR on Instagram @Blackfeministrants and Twitter @blackfemrants

Follow Tia on Instagram @CrownedTia

Ep. 13: Birth Justice and Doula Work Oct 21, 2020

Show notes

Join BFR for a discussion with Doula and Reproductive Justice Organizer, Aura Nicole. In this episode we discuss birth justice, doula work, and what it means to be a young Black person organizing for social and reproductive justice today. This episode is full of laughs and realness, where we talk about imposter syndrome, burnout, and working towards liberation while also being forced to work within white supremacy culture.

Follow Aura Nicole on Instagram @Auranicole_

Follow BFR on Instagram @blackfeministrants and Twitter @Blackfemrants.

Support Black creators by donating to BFR

Ep. 12: #FreeThe Pill & (Emergency) Contraception Equity Oct 14, 2020

Show notes

BFR is back for Season 2! Join Host LaKia for the season 2 premier brought to you by URGE! In this episode LaKia discusses the #FreeThePill movement, the importance of contraception equity and what young people have been doing on the ground to increase reproductive healthcare access to all! LaKia gets into the details of how a program she started called Big Easy EC came to fruition. Big Easy EC provides free emergency contraception (Plan B), condoms, and pregnancy tests to uptown New Orleans students.

Be sure to follow BFR on Instagram @Blackfeministrants and Twitter @blackfemrants

Organizations Mentioned - Instagram Account:

SisterSong: @sistersong_woc

ReJAC: @rejacnola

URGE: @urge_org

Big Easy EC: @bigeasyec

Ep. 11: Sexual Health w/ Irma Garcia Sep 23, 2020

Show notes

The season finale of BFR includes guest speaker Irma Garcia who is a sex educator based in Texas.

Irma is a certified sex educator in Texas and client services manager at Jane’s Due Process, where she helps Texas minors exercise their reproductive rights to an abortion. Prior to joining the JDP team, she was a sexual health and abortion counselor at a local Austin clinic, as well as a birth doula. Now as the sexpert on staff and for the community, her focus is to connect the harm of sex-negative anti-abortion rhetoric into a wider sex-positive reproductive justice framework where marginalized people are not shamed and robbed of their autonomy. She believes that when Black, Indigenous, and other people of color experience pleasure on their own terms, it’s an act of protest, but most importantly--self-care.

Be sure to follow Irma's sex education account on Instagram @Sexedwithirma. Also make sure you are following BFR on Instagram @Blackfeministrants and Twitter @Blackfemrants.

Ep. 10: Artivism w/ Caitlin Blunnie (liberaljane) Sep 09, 2020

Show notes

BFR sits down with content creator, illustrator, artist, and activist Caitlin Blunnie to talk about combining art with Reproductive Justice! Caitlin also talks about how white people can take up RJ work without taking over the movement or misusing terms as well as how to deal with burnout and feelings of inadequacy as a creator.

Be sure to follow her on Instagram @Liberaljane and Twitter @liberaljanee. Also follow BFR on Instagram @Blackfeministrants and Twitter @blackfemrants

Caitlin Blunnie (she/hers) is a passionate reproductive justice activist, and artist living in Northern Virginia. She first discovered her passion for grassroots organizing while advocating for survivors’ rights on her college campus. It was there that Caitlin saw how oppression was interconnected, and how her experience growing up in a low-income household wasn’t unique, but a part of a much larger, systemic problem. It was that experience that propelled her into organizing for reproductive justice.

Since graduating, Caitlin has dedicated her life to expanding access to abortion through her art and activism. Professionally, Caitlin is the Lead organizer with Reproaction, a national reproductive justice organization. Caitlin also serves as the Vice President of the Blue Ridge Abortion Fund Board of Directors.

Through her illustration practice, Caitlin works to eliminate abortion stigma through education and art. She has worked with a number of organizations, including Oxfam International, Tumblr’s ‘Creatrs Project,’ and Marie Stopes International. Caitlin’s work can be found on social media under the handle @LiberalJane, a childhood nickname she has reclaimed.

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