- 13 hours ago
Black culture has always shaped the world. But too often, our bodies, our voices, our expertise, and our full identities are left out of the decisions that impact us most.
This panel, presented by SisterSong, the National Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective, brings together culture-shifters, social justice leaders, and practitioners to explore how the Reproductive Justice movement and framework offers a powerful organizing model that builds power at the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, policy, and pop culture.
This is more than a conversation. It’s an invitation to imagine what becomes possible when we lead with our lived experiences and our human right to self-determination. Because when culture meets community power, we don’t just shift narratives. We shape the future.
Monica Simpson, Executive Director of Sister Song
Cynthia Bailey, actress, model, podcaster
Monroe Elise, actress, model (currently appearing on The Chi)
Jamarah Amani, Executive Director for Southern Birth Justice Network
Kenya Parham, Chief Growth Officer at Spill
Nikki Alexander-Tumblin, Founder and Executive Director of New Orleans Black Pride
This panel, presented by SisterSong, the National Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective, brings together culture-shifters, social justice leaders, and practitioners to explore how the Reproductive Justice movement and framework offers a powerful organizing model that builds power at the intersections of race, gender, sexuality, policy, and pop culture.
This is more than a conversation. It’s an invitation to imagine what becomes possible when we lead with our lived experiences and our human right to self-determination. Because when culture meets community power, we don’t just shift narratives. We shape the future.
Monica Simpson, Executive Director of Sister Song
Cynthia Bailey, actress, model, podcaster
Monroe Elise, actress, model (currently appearing on The Chi)
Jamarah Amani, Executive Director for Southern Birth Justice Network
Kenya Parham, Chief Growth Officer at Spill
Nikki Alexander-Tumblin, Founder and Executive Director of New Orleans Black Pride
Category
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FunTranscript
00:00Welcome back to the GMF stage. The next segment, incredibly important. We must trust black women. And with that, we
00:09must redefine the future of bodily autonomy, maternal health, sexuality, and culture for our collective liberation.
00:19And now on the Global Black Economic Forum stage, Executive Director, Sister Song, Monica Simpson. Actress, model, podcaster, Cynthia Bailey.
00:38Actress, model, currently appearing on The Chi, Monroe Elise. Executive Director for Southern Birth Justice Network, Jamara Amani.
00:53Chief Growth Officer, Spill, Kenya Parham. Founder and Executive Director, New Orleans Black Pride, Nikki Alexander-Tumblin.
01:09And Executive Director, Feminist Center for Recroductive Liberation, Kwajalen Jackson.
01:22Mic check. Okay, we are on. Hello, beautiful people. Let's have a seat. Hello, good people. How y'all doing?
01:30We are here talking about trust black women. We are here talking about reproductive justice.
01:35We are committed to this fight for bodily autonomy. And we understand that in order to see that work happen
01:43in the ways that we need it to for our communities,
01:45it's going to take all of us working across our different sectors, the different ways that we interact with our
01:50community,
01:50in order to build the best strategies to do so. Do you all agree with that? I mean, you're watching
01:56the news, right?
01:57We understand that the fight for bodily autonomy is real right now. What are some of the things that we've
02:01seen in the news so far?
02:03Right? Come on, y'all can talk to us too. What have we seen?
02:09Everything, right? Healthcare, right? Not giving us what we need.
02:13We've seen how black women are dying more than white women in childbirth, right?
02:19Roe v. Wade has now been dismantled. Black women are dying because abortion bans exist, 100%.
02:26What are we seeing in the culture?
02:29Black history is definitely always on the table.
02:33And it's interesting the way that we're seeing that show up, even in the way that we think about our
02:37work, right?
02:38Well, for you all on this couch and these chairs looking all beautiful, you all enter this conversation from many
02:45different entry points.
02:46Whether you're talking about it in culture, whether you're living it in your everyday life and the work that you
02:52do,
02:52you are committed to the fight for bodily autonomy and reproductive justice in so many unique ways.
02:58So when you think about the term reproductive justice, which for us is more expansive than just talking about abortion
03:04abortion or just talking about our health care, it is our ability to make our own decisions about our bodies
03:12and our families and our lives.
03:14So when you all hear this term and you hear this work, what comes to mind for you first?
03:20And what are you most excited about talking about and bringing into the conversation when we have that opportunity?
03:26Kwajian, can I start with you?
03:28Sure. Hello, everybody.
03:30See, I do reproductive justice every day for my job.
03:36Every day.
03:36But if I was describing it to someone who hadn't heard of it, I would say it is the freedom
03:42to be yourself.
03:44It is the ability to be able to understand who you are, who you come from, who you are accountable
03:51to,
03:52and not let anybody disrupt that sovereignty that you have over your body and your life.
03:57Absolutely. I love that.
03:59It is, at its core.
04:00And there are many components.
04:01There's a lot of health care that people associate with reproductive justice.
04:05But just being able to show up in the world exactly as you are, that's justice to me.
04:12100%.
04:12And that's what the black women thought of when they came together in 1994 to create this movement.
04:18Nikki, when you think about reproductive justice, what's the first thing that comes to mind for you?
04:23I would say my existence in being just a black queer woman.
04:28Yeah.
04:28100%.
04:29What about you, Kenya?
04:31You know, oftentimes we, on the social platforms, we see people defining reproductive justice narrowly as like the fight for
04:38abortion, right?
04:39Right.
04:39We understand that it's so much bigger than that.
04:41It is the right to have a child, the right to decide not to as well, right?
04:46And also the right to raise said child in an environment with the adequate resources where they can thrive.
04:54And those environments also include the communities that exist on our devices and our phones.
05:01Say that.
05:01Right?
05:02And so as chief growth officer of the two-time Apple app of the day.
05:07Come on.
05:08Bill.
05:09You know, we are ever interested in ensuring that safety is at the core of our tech builds so that
05:15we don't have to fight for our lives in the comments while we're out here fighting for our lives in
05:19the streets.
05:20Say that.
05:21I love that.
05:22Jamara, what about you?
05:24When I think about reproductive justice, I think about human rights.
05:28Yes.
05:28And I think about history.
05:29Yes.
05:30I think about the fact that we are all born, right?
05:33And we all have a right to be born safely, with dignity, to be raised in safe communities, and to
05:41raise the next generation in that way as well.
05:43Our ancestors gave us so much knowledge and wisdom.
05:46And it is our right to claim that, to live that, to breathe that, to develop our communities to be
05:54a reflection of who we are and what we deserve.
05:57And reproductive justice touches every aspect of our lives.
06:01Yes.
06:02It's not just about what's happening in our bodies, but we experience life through our bodies.
06:06And so it does touch every single aspect, economic, housing, right, health care, all of the things.
06:14And when I think about my children who are here, three or four of my children are here on the
06:18front row, I think about the future and what we want to pass on to them.
06:22And I want to pass on to them a reproductive justice future.
06:26I love that.
06:27You talked about how it meets and builds power at the intersections, how it's rooted in human rights, and how
06:33it is about thinking about how we build a future that our children, right, can take on and thrive in
06:41as well.
06:41Monroe, how does it show up for you?
06:43What does it mean for you?
06:44The first word that came to my mind is freedom of body autonomy.
06:48Being able to fix, manage, and control your body however you choose to.
06:54Yes.
06:55Having the freedom to exist and resist whatever you do not or do want, right?
07:02That's right.
07:03And having the audacity to live in that truth and live in that freedom.
07:07Yeah.
07:07I love that.
07:09The bodily autonomy part of this is so incredibly important.
07:12And, you know, the Cynthia Bailey.
07:15We love Cynthia Bailey, right?
07:19I'm interested in hearing your answer to this, too, because you, of course, are in the culture every day.
07:24But you are also a person who has moved in the world with your body, being in front of everyone.
07:31And as a model, as a person who has been on the forefront in so many ways.
07:35What does this mean for you in this moment?
07:38Is my mic on?
07:39Yeah, it's on.
07:40Hi, everyone.
07:40So happy to be here.
07:41What it means to me is, like the ladies with me said, freedom, but also peace.
07:48Peace to just really be able to just run toward my purpose unapologetically.
07:55Just doing me, like, physically, mentally, spiritually, and all the things.
08:02And not feeling like I have to do it alone, but also just finding the community, my community, that supports
08:08the things that I'm trying to do to just create that freedom and peace for myself.
08:12I love that.
08:13Thank you, Cynthia.
08:14I'm going to come to you first, Jamara, because right now you're in the midst of something that's really, really
08:20powerful.
08:22And something that's really changing the game in so many ways.
08:26You are a black midwife.
08:27Can we give it up for the black midwives?
08:31Out here catching babies, right?
08:34So you've spent your career advocating for black birth justice and community-based care.
08:41What would our maternal health care system look like if we were truly designed around trust, dignity, and the lived
08:50experiences
08:51of black women?
08:52And can you tell the people what you're in the midst of doing right now to make sure that we're
08:57living towards that future?
08:59Yes.
08:59I love this question because, as I said, we are all born.
09:03I am a black midwife.
09:04Midwives are the oldest profession.
09:06We've been around since the beginning of time, just like black folks.
09:09We know.
09:10And so I have the opportunity to be there at the gateway of life, right, to welcome the babies as
09:16they come in.
09:17I also have an opportunity to defend women who are birthing, to defend people who are building families,
09:24because we live in a toxic system, and we know that the toxic stress of racism is what causes the
09:32higher rates of black maternal mortality.
09:34And so dismantling those systems of white supremacy and creating safe spaces for people to birth is what my work
09:41is all about.
09:42I've been building the movement for birth justice since 2009.
09:47And in Miami, which is the birthplace of birth justice, we are also in the midst of opening a birth
09:53center,
09:53which will be a sanctuary space for people to have dignity and respect, to access the black midwives model of
10:01care,
10:01to have a doula if they want to, to have a water birth if they want to, but most importantly,
10:06to feel cared for, to feel safe,
10:09to feel that when you walk in, you are welcome, right?
10:13Because we know that oftentimes hospitals can be violent places for people to give birth.
10:18We need hospitals, right?
10:20And we don't want to disparage doctors or anything like that, but we also need midwives, and we need doulas,
10:26and we need a more holistic care system.
10:28When you look around the world, the United States has the worst outcomes when it comes to maternal health
10:34among nations with similar income, right?
10:37And so that is a choice.
10:39And most of those systems that are successful are midwife-led.
10:42So my mission is really to bring midwife care back to the community.
10:46That's right.
10:47As it has always been, even though they tried to destroy us, we're back.
10:50Black midwives are back.
10:52And we are caring for our communities.
10:54So that's my work.
10:55Right.
10:56And in the state of Georgia right now, you're doing something pretty big.
11:02Yes.
11:03And I think it's important for us to know what's happening because you are bringing black midwifery back.
11:07But just if you can give us a small bit of what you are doing to help shift that culture.
11:13Yes.
11:14So Georgia has been banning midwives who are not nurses from practicing since the 1970s.
11:21And that is an injustice.
11:23It's a travesty, and it needs to change now.
11:25So on April 2nd, 2026, this year, I filed a lawsuit against the state of Georgia.
11:31Say that!
11:34And the purpose of that lawsuit is to make sure that midwives can practice in our communities and so that
11:40Georgians, right, the citizens of Georgia, can have access to care without the state restricting midwives from being the primary
11:49care providers in their communities.
11:51Can y'all say trust black women?
11:53Trust black women.
11:55That's what I'm talking about.
11:56Thank you, Jamara, for the work that you are doing.
11:58And I want to stay in Georgia right quick and come to you, Kwajalein, because you've organized communities, influenced policy,
12:05and helped move movements forward.
12:07How does the reproductive justice framework connect issues that many people think of as separate?
12:13Health care, voting rights, economic justice, all of those things to say the like.
12:18How do you see them as interconnected, and how are you doing that work at the feminist center that's now
12:23celebrating 50 years this year
12:27and doing that work?
12:28Yes, thank you.
12:30Yes, Feminist Center for Reproductive Liberation, which was founded in 1976, has been providing compassionate abortion care, comprehensive reproductive health
12:41care,
12:41and also doing advocacy, movement building, and power building in the state of Georgia over the course of that time.
12:49And we do that work intersectionally because, as Audrey has tried to teach us over and over, we don't live
12:56single-issue lives.
12:57That's right.
12:57We know that the very same people who come to us in need of abortion care also need diapers to
13:04care for the children that they are already parenting.
13:06That's right.
13:06And they want to be able to prepare for the pregnancies in their future so that they can be healthy
13:12and strong.
13:13They also need to have safe and secure places to live.
13:16They also are loved by and cared for by queer comrades and partners.
13:22Like, all of those components build up a reproductive free life, a trajectory over the course of a life course
13:31so that you can have every resource met
13:34and you can actually make the decisions that are best for you without any outside control.
13:39So, at Feminist Center, we have tried to make sure that we are listening to the needs of our community
13:45and responding in kind over the course of those 50 years.
13:49That if we are going to provide health care that is compassionate, we also need to make sure that we
13:55are present in the state capitol so that when they are making the laws
13:59that will determine how and when and under what circumstances people get care, we are right there to tell them
14:06and to bring our patients right along with us.
14:09That's right.
14:09We don't speak for them.
14:10We bring them with us to make sure that they are able to tell their own stories about having the
14:16pregnancies they want with the support teams that they want
14:20and able to go home and live full, rich lives.
14:23So, I think reproductive justice calls upon us to see not just the contents of someone's body, but the fullness
14:32of their life.
14:33Yes.
14:34And make sure that their resources and needs are met.
14:36Black women deserve that.
14:37We are owed.
14:38We learned that on Thursday.
14:39We are owed.
14:40Yes.
14:41I love that.
14:42Thank you, Kwajalyn.
14:43I think it's really important for people to understand how expansive this work of reproductive justice is.
14:50And the quote that you brought in from Audre Lorde is so important.
14:53We cannot have single-issue movements because we do not live single-issue lives.
14:57And that is why it is important for black women when thinking about the redefinition of this moment that we're
15:03in politically
15:03to center our leadership and our expertise because it's something that we've always understood.
15:09Right?
15:09I'm going to take us on down further south.
15:11And, Nikki, I'm coming to you.
15:13Here in New Orleans.
15:15You are here, based here in New Orleans.
15:18Can we give it up for New Orleans?
15:20Yes.
15:22So, Black Gay Pride New Orleans has created space for black LGBTQ plus folks to celebrate identity, build community, and
15:30advocate for equity.
15:32Why is creating spaces where people feel seen, affirmed, and safe an essential part of reproductive justice?
15:40And what can the broader movement learn from Black Gay Pride organizing?
15:46Thank you for having me.
15:50That's a loaded question.
15:52But I would say it's super important that we have a broad representation.
16:00I've been in this for a long time.
16:02And I feel like we see a lot of it is male-centered.
16:07Woo!
16:08And so, when I started this, I was like, yes, you know, New Orleans is a very queer space.
16:14But it's very white, gay men.
16:17And then, there are gay, black men here, too, that have space as well.
16:21But we don't see a lot of femme-presenting individuals that have space.
16:24And we don't see a lot of women that have space as well.
16:28And so, I just wanted to create something that did represent everyone.
16:32Yes.
16:32And so, that was super important to me.
16:35And then, also, I feel like we live in a time where being femme-presenting is very frowned upon.
16:41And so, I wanted to make sure that we create a space for everyone that's under that umbrella of femme
16:47-presenting, you know, identities.
16:50Yeah.
16:50And so, I think just overall that I want people to understand that the feminine and masculine identities, they're one
16:59and the same.
17:00And so, we're all fighting the same fight.
17:03And we should be able to be in community with each other and move this movement forward.
17:07I love that.
17:08And I love what you're doing with the organizing here.
17:10And creating a more inclusive space for folks to see themselves reflected, right?
17:15Thank you so much.
17:16Absolutely.
17:16And when I think about how our people see themselves reflected, I think about what you all are building at
17:22Spill, Kenya.
17:24And I think about how important it is for black people, for people of color, to be able to have
17:30safe spaces, to be seen, and to organize, and to have fun.
17:35But more importantly, it is a space that is uniquely, autonomously for us.
17:40So, what is at the core of Spill is the ability to tell our own stories for ourselves.
17:46So, storytelling has the power to shape culture long before policy change ever does.
17:51So, how can media, communications, and storytelling help people better understand reproductive justice, and why should culture leaders care about
18:01these issues?
18:02And how are you all building that at Spill?
18:05Well, I want to first thank you for allowing us and inviting me and Spill to be a part of
18:11this road to Essence to get to this place.
18:13Absolutely.
18:14We've had an opportunity to talk about this across the country.
18:17What we've been exploring, and what the wonderful women on this panel are explaining, is that culture moves policy, right?
18:25That's right.
18:25First, right?
18:27And story is really one of the oldest organizing tools that we have.
18:32That's it.
18:34And what we don't say enough, though, is that stories are only as powerful or as salient as the ground
18:42that they live on, which is incredibly ironic to say on July 4th, 2026, right?
18:49When we look at the power of story and how free a story can be, right now our stories are
19:00living on platforms that are propped up by billionaires that profit by harming us.
19:05That's real.
19:06Right?
19:06That's true.
19:07So, all y'all who are posting on Instagram and Meta and Snapchat for the vanity of it all, just
19:13know exactly what I said when I was on the stage last year, right?
19:17The cultural intelligence that you're giving these platforms is propping them up and making these other folks rich off of
19:22it.
19:23The UCLA study that was released this year named Instagram the number one most harmful platform on the internet.
19:32Yeah.
19:33Okay?
19:33And what I'm here to deliver to you all, that study also named that nine out of ten of us
19:38have been the recipients of hate and harassment in the last year.
19:42Last year, the stat I gave you was one out of every two.
19:45Yeah.
19:45Nine out of every ten now, right?
19:48It's wild.
19:48It's wild.
19:48And so, the same feed that we are using to train and teach about reproductive justice and about organizations and
19:57about movements is the same feed that is harming the teacher.
20:01Oof.
20:03Oof.
20:04And so, we cannot afford anymore to rent our liberation on other people's platforms.
20:12Come on.
20:12We can't afford it.
20:13We can't.
20:14We can't afford it.
20:16And so, that's why I'm excited to be here talking to you and with other culture leaders because this is
20:25the call to action that we need.
20:27Now is the time.
20:29We're not renting our liberation no more.
20:31Our stories have to be rooted on solid ground.
20:35Come on.
20:35So, I look forward to seeing everybody coming home to Spill.
20:39That's what I'm talking about.
20:41You better say that.
20:43Go download that thing right now, good people.
20:47Now, one of the things that I love about Spill, because I am on Spill.
20:52She's a spillionaire.
20:53I am a spillionaire.
20:54It's the safety that it provides.
20:56Yeah.
20:57And what we realize is that in this work, we know that there are so many of us who aren't
21:02safe, that we are under attack in really egregious ways.
21:08And one of the things that we have to start talking more about is the fact that trans women are
21:15women who are under attack at an alarming rate.
21:22And I think it's been very powerful to see the shift even here at Essence, to see our trans sisters
21:29in space with us and building community with us.
21:32Can we give a round of applause for that?
21:36But, Monroe, we love to see you.
21:40This powerful, beautiful individual is on our television screens, on the shy, has been building so much powerful cultural content,
21:51right?
21:52And I know that that doesn't come without a cost sometimes.
21:57So, as a trans woman whose story has reached audiences through television and media, you've helped change and challenge stereotypes
22:05simply by showing up as your authentic self.
22:09How do you think visibility in popular culture changes hearts, shifts narratives, and expands our collective understanding of bodily autonomy
22:18and reproductive justice?
22:20Wow.
22:23Thank you so much.
22:24And thank you.
22:24I mean, y'all are all amazing and brilliant and beautiful.
22:27So, just thank you all for this space and opportunity.
22:31Visibility is so powerful because people can't empathize with what they've never been invited to see.
22:39That's it.
22:40And for so long, transgender people, but specifically black transgender women, have been at the forefront of headlines and stereotypes
22:50and political talking points.
22:52But when you see us in television and film, the narrative shifts because we are now your favorite character.
22:59Or we're your neighbor or we're your neighbor or we're your friend or we're your sister.
23:06And that is the most powerful tool, right?
23:09We have to be very cognizant that visibility isn't just what you see, but it is how you interact with
23:15what you see.
23:15And that autonomy goes right hand in hand with reproductive justice because if we have autonomy over how we are
23:23navigating and managing our bodies, and you see that that is the way that you are, that is gender-affirming
23:31care.
23:31Yes.
23:32Gender-affirming care is being able to have the care that you need to sustain for your identity.
23:38That's right.
23:39No matter what it looks like.
23:41That's right.
23:41And that is the importance.
23:42And so when that visibility takes place, the heart posture change, you humanize us.
23:47To not see, to erase, it is to normalize the violence that takes place.
23:58That's real.
23:58And so visibility is the most important tool because if you see us, if you invite us.
24:06That's right.
24:07And not just equality, but equity.
24:10Ooh.
24:11And I want to make sure that everybody knows that, right?
24:13That's a different word.
24:14Equality is you get a pair of shoes, I get a pair of shoes.
24:17But equality is you get your size, and I get my size.
24:22Come on.
24:23Okay.
24:24And that is why visibility is so important.
24:26I absolutely agree with you, Monroe.
24:29Oh, that's so important.
24:31So we're going to stay in the culture conversation for a second here.
24:35And Cynthia, let me tell you something.
24:37We love watching you on the television screen, sis.
24:41We love you.
24:42And this season in particular, let me just say, as an avid Real Housewives of Atlanta fan.
24:48The way that you have held down this season in particular, it's been like the epitome of trust black women.
24:55Like you've been able to hold and grab the sisters together in a really, really beautiful way.
25:00So I just want to name that first because y'all watch it too, right?
25:03Y'all been watching this, right?
25:07But you have spent decades navigating entertainment, beauty, business, and public life.
25:13Throughout your career, you've also had to define yourself on your own terms.
25:18How has your understanding of autonomy evolved?
25:22And what has it taken to protect your voice, your identity, and your peace while living publicly?
25:29Yes, yes, yes.
25:31Thank you guys for the love and support.
25:33It took me a long time, and I really appreciate this question when it comes to autonomy.
25:39I learned that I don't owe anyone the same version of Cynthia.
25:46I get to evolve.
25:47And let me say that again.
25:48I don't owe anyone the same version of me.
25:52That's right.
25:54I can change.
25:55I can evolve.
25:56I can reinvent.
25:58I can get married.
25:59I can get divorced.
26:00Come on.
26:01I can get married again.
26:02Come on.
26:03I can date who I want to date.
26:05That's right.
26:07I can be the type of mom that I want to be.
26:09That's right.
26:09I can be best friends with my daughter if I want to.
26:12That's right.
26:13And I don't have to explain it to anyone.
26:16And I feel like there's so much power in women just owning, can I cuss?
26:23That's right.
26:24Yeah, you can.
26:24Just owning their shit.
26:26Come on.
26:26Right.
26:27Everybody got their own stuff.
26:29We are not the same, but we are the same in so many ways.
26:32And all I can do is the best that I can do for me, for my life.
26:36Because at the end of the day, I'm always, despite the drama that I get pulled into on the
26:42Real Housewives of Atlanta, I'm always on a quest for peace.
26:45Because I think no matter how much success I have in my life, no matter how much money
26:50I have in my life, if I don't have peace, none of it really means anything.
26:55And that's really the God's honest truth.
26:57When I decided to go back to the Real Housewives of Atlanta this season as a friend of the show,
27:04that was a very intentional choice for me.
27:06Because I've just done it for so long as a housewife.
27:10It has been an incredible platform for me to just to be in a space to motivate and inspire
27:17and sometimes piss folks off, whatever it is, whatever emotion that is happening when
27:21you guys are watching this show, that is a form of entertainment for our culture.
27:26The Real Housewives of Atlanta is huge for the black culture.
27:30And it has made a lot of black women famous.
27:33It has made a lot of black women wealthy.
27:35It has given a lot of black women an amazing platform all over the world.
27:40Like, we literally can't go nowhere without people.
27:42I was like, as soon as I walked on the plane to come here, this lady was like, 50 cent,
27:4750 cent.
27:48I was like, oh, Lord.
27:50Anywhere I go.
27:51And that is amazing because I didn't know what my calling was from God.
27:57I just am fearless, even though I'm scared.
28:03You can be fearless and scared at the same time.
28:05Yes, you can.
28:07Every chapter of my life, I've been uncomfortable.
28:11I've never been comfortable.
28:12I was not comfortable leaving Alabama to move to New York City to pursue my modeling career,
28:16but I did it anyway.
28:17That's right.
28:18I wasn't comfortable pivoting.
28:20And pivoting is a huge part of my story because it's always a pivot.
28:23You've got to know when you've got to do something else, when you've got to try something else.
28:27Going from modeling to reality TV, I was very uncomfortable there, for sure, but I did it anyway.
28:34And then I went on to acting.
28:36Very scary space for me, but I did it anyway.
28:40And for me, I just keep going.
28:42And what I will say to you, to all of you, and I love that there's some men here as
28:46well,
28:47because I mostly speak to women because I love women and I love speaking life into us,
28:52but I also believe that a woman needs her man to understand her power,
28:58and the man also needs to be empowered to be with a powerful woman as well.
29:03So kudos to the men that are here today.
29:05All right.
29:06Because this thing works together.
29:08Absolutely.
29:08And, you know, just peace at the end of the day.
29:11Be kind.
29:12You know, find your community.
29:14Help folks.
29:15You know, it just doesn't cost you anything to be a good human,
29:19and I think we're at a point in this world where, at the end of the day,
29:22the only thing that I really want to be around is people that really want to help other people.
29:26I love that.
29:27I love that.
29:29So, on this panel today, we're talking about redefining the future of bodily autonomy,
29:35maternal health, sexuality, and culture for our collective liberation.
29:39And today marks 250 years of this country that we know is rooted in not our collective liberation.
29:49Right?
29:50We've been having to fight for it since we were brought to this continent, stolen from our own.
29:56And this is also about trusting black women and the ability for us to understand our own level of expertise
30:03and what we bring to the world.
30:05And so each of you, whether you are doing this as a practitioner, as a person who's an organizer,
30:13as a person who is building new platforms or shifting the culture,
30:18as we close out this panel, I would love for you all to answer this question with one sentence.
30:25So, in this 250, as we think about the next 250 years and beyond, for you black woman,
30:33what do you think is the most important thing that we need to be doing in order to see our
30:39collective liberation?
30:42In the next 250 years and beyond, you black woman, what do we need to see?
30:48What do we need to be doing to ensure that we are securing our collective liberation?
30:55Cynthia, can I start with you?
30:57My answer would be to not only have a seat at the table, but to help build the table.
31:03Absolutely.
31:04Let's build that table.
31:06Monroe, what about you, my dear sister?
31:07Yeah.
31:08Um, lead with love in a very clockable way.
31:13Ooh!
31:15Clockable way!
31:15Yeah, very clockable.
31:17I need to see it.
31:17And that's coming from a clockable black woman of trans experience.
31:19Yes, ma'am!
31:20Yes, ma'am!
31:21I love that.
31:22Yes.
31:24Honoring the sacredness and the divinity within ourselves
31:27and building spaces for other people to be able to see themselves in their divinity and sacredness.
31:34Absolutely.
31:34Thank you, Jamara.
31:36Kenya, what do we need to be doing?
31:38Well, trusting black women, one, right?
31:41And trusting black women is transfer.
31:44Trust is transfer.
31:45Transfer of resources, right?
31:47Woo!
31:47Transfer of power, right?
31:49And, you know, Brookings isn't to put out a study that said that if we close the black business ownership
31:55gap,
31:55we would be able to generate 630 million jobs, okay?
32:01Come on.
32:02$824 billion in revenue circulating.
32:07So that sounds like, to me, trusting black women is the most savvy economic decision we can make.
32:12Yes.
32:13That's it.
32:14That's it.
32:15To purchase our own liberation since cash rules everything around me.
32:21You better drop it.
32:23I love it.
32:24Thank you, Kenya.
32:25Yes, Nikki.
32:27I would say there will be no next 250 years without black LGBTQIA people.
32:35Come on.
32:35Come on.
32:36Come on.
32:37Yeah, yeah.
32:38Kwajale.
32:39I'm going to bring in the voice of our Atlanta comrade and freedom fighter, Mary Hooks.
32:45Yes, do it.
32:46Who says that the mandate for black people in this time is to avenge the suffering of our ancestors.
32:54Yes.
32:55To earn the respect of the next generation and to be transformed in the service of the work.
33:02That's what I'm trying to do every single day, and that's what I hope the next 250 years brings.
33:07I absolutely sign up for that.
33:11Can y'all please give a round of applause to these beautiful black women?
33:16If you all do not know, Sister Song's booth, Trust Black Women Universe, is right behind you if you have
33:20not experienced it.
33:21Please make sure that you are following these amazing organizations, 50 Years of the Feminist Center, NOLA Black Gay Pride,
33:29Southern Birth Justice Network, the Spill app.
33:32Please make sure that you're on it.
33:33And, of course, these culture bearers are going to continue to shift the culture because that is their superpower as
33:40well.
33:40So, thank you all so much.
33:42Thank you all so much.
33:44Y'all have a wonderful afternoon.
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