FEMINIST FRIDAY: ‘Mic Dispatch’ Series Looks At The Future Of Abortion Access In America

Welcome to another Feminist Friday, that time of the week where we grab our virtual popcorn and check out a handful of videos we love right now. This week our slate is centered around a political and social message relating to reproductive justice and identity.

First up we have an eye-opening, powerful episode from Mic.com’s Facebook Watch series ‘Mic Dispatch’, where correspondent Kendall Ciesemier traveled to Oklahoma to meet a doctor who flies hundreds of miles almost every week just to provide reproductive health care. Abortion access in red states is already extremely limited — and with the potential confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, many fear it’s about to become even more restrictive.

The most insightful part of this episode is the reality of what abortion access is like, and who it affects. When you strip away the political punditry, media rhetoric, and clickbait slogans and headlines, what you come face-to-face with is the stories of everyday people, yes even conservative religious women, who need safe, legal access to abortion. Watch below to see a nuanced view of one of the most divisive topics in America right now (and literally all the time!):

The second video is an exclusive clip from a new documentary featured called ‘A Dangerous Idea: Eugenics, Genetics and The American Dream‘, which was directed, produced and co-written by Stephanie Welch. The film is a clarion call for generations today to continue, at this urgent time, the struggle for equality that defines our nation.

A dangerous idea has threatened the American Dream from the beginning – the belief that some groups and individuals are inherently superior to others and more deserving of fundamental rights. Such biased eugenic views provided an excuse for some of America’s most shameful history. And now they’re back, reflected in statements by the current administration and their cruel immigration policies.

While America was founded on the idea that “all are equal,” from the outset women, Blacks, Native American and even non-property holders were either denied citizenship altogether or denied the right to participate in our democracy. The documentary reveals how biologically determined politics has historically disenfranchised women and people of color, provided a rationale for state sanctioned crimes committed against America’s most vulnerable citizens, and now gains new traction under the Trump administration.

The mainstream media has noted that the upcoming midterm elections will be a critical turning point in our lives.  A Dangerous Idea’ reveals that the stakes this November are even higher than the daily headlines suggest, and shows that we are currently engaged in a “ fight for the very soul of America.” Watch the trailer by clicking here, and see the full film which is available on demand on all major VOD platforms. Below is a clip featuring interview subject Elaine Riddick who talks about being sterilized against her will due to inherent and systemic racism that has been part of American history.

Our final video today, to end on something a little positive, is from a new 6-part series from Soul Pancake called ‘Funded in America’, hosted by Lala Anthony. The series spotlights female entrepreneurs who turned to crowd-funding to start their business rather than seeking loans – or after being turned down by the traditional VC funding. The episode below features Fatimah Hussein and Jamie Glover who are transforming the lives of girls across the country, one sports hijab at a time.

After noticing the struggles hijab-wearing girls faced while playing sports, college athlete Jamie and Somalia immigrant Fatimah launched an Indiegogo campaign and created ASIYA, a company that manufactures lightweight and modest athletic hijabs. In this episode, the duo tell host Lala Anthony why they created their company, and even donate sports hijabs to a local school. ‘Funded in America’ is produced in partnership with Indiegogo, where 47% of successful campaigns are run by women, and across crowdfunding platforms, women-led campaigns receive a higher average pledge amount from individual backers.

Women make up 57% of the American labor force, and more and more of those women are embracing entrepreneurship as their career path. Despite making up nearly 51% of the US population, women face disproportionate challenges than their male counterparts and are faced with limited access to funding through traditional investment channels. This seemingly impossible endeavor to obtain funding has led many female entrepreneurs to break tradition and find a better way. Watch episode 1 below, and be sure to subscribe to Soul Pancake on Youtube to watch the full series.

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