Listen to the full podcast interview here…
#13 [The Diversity Trust Podcast] Renee Bracey Sherman – PART 2
or
Listen to a snippet here…
[#13 Soundbite 1] Renee Bracey Sherman – Intersectionality
“…we are supportive of people generally who fit a certain mould, that are white, or they’re married, heterosexual, have an acceptable abortion story, we show up for them. But the more oppressions that people have, if they’re poor, they’re a parent of multiple children, they’ve had more than one abortion, they’re dark skinned, they don’t speak English as a language, or they use an accent or a ‘blackcent’, whatever it is, all of those oppressions show up in how we do, or don’t, show up for people, and they become a scapegoat, and the ones that are kicked out of the system and unsupported first.”
Listen to a snippet here…
[#13 Soundbite 2] Renee Bracey Sherman – Access
“…just because you have the right to access something, if you can’t actually access it, that right is not real.”
Listen to a snippet here…
[#13 Soundbite 3] Renee Bracey Sherman – It’s about control
“…it all makes sense if you recognise that the United States is deeply entrenched, and has allegiance to, White supremacy and capitalism, and heteronormative, Christianity – this way of living and being. So, it’s not just about abortion, but abortion is one of the next things, it’s one of the things that they know that if they can control your reproduction, and dismantle your control from there, then they can control everything else about you.”
Listen to a snippet here…
[#13 Soundbite 4] Renee Bracey Sherman – Treatment of marginalised communities
“…in any country, anywhere you are, look at how Black and Brown folks, trans folks, immigrants, or people seeking abortions are treated. That to me, is actually the measure of how a country is doing.”
If you missed part 1 of this podcast, you can listen to it, here.
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Renee Bracey Sherman is a reproductive justice activist, abortion storyteller, and writer. She is the founder and executive director of We Testify, an organisation dedicated to the leadership and representation of people who have abortions and share their stories at the intersection of race, class, and gender identity.
She is also an executive producer of Ours to Tell, an award-winning documentary elevating the voices of people who’ve had abortions, and the co-author of the forthcoming book, Countering Abortionsplaining from Amistad/Harper Collins.
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Mara Clarke is a self described American woman, living in London. She is the co-founder of Supporting Abortions for Everyone (S. A. F. E.), a charity providing funding, infrastructure and ensuring sustainability for the grassroots activists who are helping people access abortions across Europe. Prior to that she launched Abortion Support Network, and watched it grow from five volunteers and a bucket of change to the international abortion fund powerhouse.