Description: Anarcha, Lucy, and Betsey were their names. They were also the mothers of modern-day gynecology—three enslaved Black women whose unanesthetized bodies were brutally experimented on by J. Marion Sims. In the aftermath of Sims’ experiments, forced sterilizations, and unequal access to care—when was a reproductive choice made for you?

This Critical Conversation is designed to be an interactive discussion to help you understand the meaning and history of reproductive justice, the legacy of reproductive oppression, and the ways in which our society is organized and designed to make reproductive choices for people who have historically been marginalized, particularly BIPOC people. The question, “When was a reproductive choice made for you?” is personal. It is meant to get you thinking about the application of a reproductive justice framework to your own personal life and experiences, but more importantly—to your life’s work.

We live in a country with a cruel history and legacy of multiple ‘isms’ rooted in white supremacy that continuously violate certain people’s reproductive agency and bodily autonomy to control their fertility and destinies, and the destiny of their communities. This legacy continues to haunt and harm us today. Therefore, this discussion will highlight some of these issues while pushing us to think about how to use the same vision that 12 black women had when they coined and developed the term “reproductive justice.” A term meant to not only liberate themselves and build a more just and equitable world for all, but a term that serves as evidence that black women—always been knowing.