Transnationalizing the Movement for Birth Justice
Photos of Guest Speakers, Dr. Dana Ain Davis (left) and Dr. Joia Crear Perry (right)
Transnationalizing the Movement for Birth Justice
Thursday, October 17, 2024
4-5:30 pm PT, 7-8:30 pm ET
Virtual Event
Join us for a discussion with birth justice advocates and scholar Dána-Ain Davis and national thought-leader and community organizer Joia Crear Perry.
In the past decade, a vibrant movement has emerged in the U.S. and Canada to demand justice for Black birthing people and their infants. Fueled by stark inequities in birth outcomes for BIPOC pregnant people, the movement has made significant strides, from new legislation to the creation of programs and initiatives to improve birth experiences and outcomes in BIPOC communities. In this conversation with reproductive justice scholar-activist Dana Ain-Davis and physician-advocate Joia Crear Perry, we will learn about the power of transnational alliances with advocates in Africa and Latin America, and explore how we can dismantle obstacles to active solidarity with pregnant people beyond U.S. borders.
Dána-Ain Davis is Professor of Urban Studies and Anthropology. She is the director of the Center for the Study of Women and Society at the Graduate Center. In the last decade, Davis has focused her attention on reproduction, race, and the technologies that assist in reproduction. She is the author, co-author, or co-editor of five books, the most recent being Reproductive Injustice: Racism, Pregnancy, and Premature Birth. Reproductive Injustice received the 2020 Honorable Mention for the Victor Turner Prize in Ethnographic Writing; was a finalist for the 2020 PROSE AWARD, given by the Association of American Publishers; and is listed as one of seven books on anti-racism in New York Magazine. Her recent article Uneven reproduction: Gender, race, class, and birth outcomes builds on the concept of uneven development to understand the persistence of adverse reproductive outcomes among Black women compared to White women in transnational contexts.
Dr. Joia Crear-Perry is a physician, policy expert, thought leader and advocate for transformational justice. As the founder of the National Birth Equity Collaborative (NBEC), she identifies and challenges racism as a root cause of health inequities. She is a highly sought-after trainer and speaker who has been featured in national and international publications including Essence and Ms. Magazine. In 2020, Dr. Crear-Perry was honored by USA Today in its "Women of the Century" series and featured on ABC Nightline’s Hear Her Voice.