In 2011, Stephen Broden, a member of a Dallas-based pro-life organization, Life Always, put up an anti-abortion billboard. The billboard stated, “that the most dangerous place for an African American is in the womb.” The effect of the billboard was monumental.
Marsha Jones, co-founder and executive director of the Afiya Center, responded to Broden’s statement with a billboard of her own. Establishing the hashtag #trustblackwomen, Jones unapologetically declared that “Black women take care of their families by taking care of themselves. Abortion is Self-Care.” Jone’s billboard received more pushback than Broden’s billboard. The message was strong, but was it worth the pushback it received? What feelings did the message spark within Black women? Author, playwright, and news reporter Natalie Moore too had these questions, many of which served as the origin story for her play, “The Billboard.” The play features a fictional women’s clinic in Chicago and their fight with a local individual running for City Council that puts up an affronting billboard that spurs the clinic to fight back. Both the plot of the play and the real events served as the base of her talk.
I, as a privileged White woman, was unaware of the controversy between Broden and Jones. Yes, I was young when this all went down, but the lasting implications do not apply to me. Because I am not a Black woman, I was not impacted by the events that occurred. I feel like this connects to the discussions we have been having in class recently regarding feminist movements. In “There is No Hierarchy of Oppressions,” author Audre Lorde writes, “There is no hierarchy of oppression. I cannot afford the luxury of fighting one form of oppression only. I cannot afford to believe that freedom from intolerance is the right of only one particular group.” The feminist movement is one of the groups Lorde calls out; the feminist movement has long been a White women’s movement. I am privileged to be included in the feminist movement. Yet, this very inclusion also contributes to my ignorance. Personally, Natalie Moore’s talk served as a self-reminder that I need to continue to educate myself, continue to acknowledge my privilege, and continue to fight for all people experiencing oppression.
I really enjoyed reading your post. It is hard for me, a Black woman, to be accepted in society as someone who can be successful. Thousands of Black women have proven themselves and have shown us how strong and powerful they are despite being in a world dominated by White folks. You would think that that is enough, but no. Some people simply do not care and continuously judge our skin complexity. Also, reading the first paragraph about the billboard made me angry because the most dangerous place for an African American is not the womb but instead living somewhere where Blacks are harmed or killed. Moreover, I am proud of you for acknowledging your white privilege and sympathizing with women of color’s struggles.
Hi , I enjoyed your post. I like how you acknowledge your privilege and reflected based on that. I think It is very important to reflect how one’s presence contributes to topics such as this one. Im from Dallas and did not even know this happened. I do not think it’s right for men to decide/ judge situations that do not surround them.
I applaud you for posting this. Acknowledging our own privileges is a necessary step for improving society as a whole. As a man and as someone who is not Black, I do not experience issues such as abortion rights first hand. Similarly I also feel that I should continue to educate myself on the many issues people who do not share the same race, class, or gender identity as me face. While I have my own issues due to my own ethnic background, as we have learned through recent readings (ex. “Toward Thick Solidarity”), understanding that other people face have faced significantly both historically and currently face more oppression than I do is important. Trying to compare the struggles of two different marginalized groups is pointless and is inhibiting social progress.
This talk sounds like it was very interesting. Like you I was unaware of this controversy before I read this post. Although that was 11 years ago, unfortunately I could still see that happening today. I appreciate your disclaimer at the bottom acknowledging your privilege. It helps provide context to the perspective with which you approached the discussion.