If you have young people in your life, you may have asked yourself: how do I teach them to be feminists? How do I explain what feminism is and what it has to do with their lives? For young girls of color, how do I help them navigate the dual forces of racism and sexism?
Fortunately, there is a new book that can help.
Brittney Cooper, Susana M. Morris, and Chanel Craft Tanner are authors, activists, educators, and members of the Crunk Feminist Collective. Their new book Feminist AF: A Guide to Crushing Girlhood is a resource guide for young feminists designed to help them navigate some of the most pressing issues young people face. Especially geared towards young girls of color and their unique experiences, Feminist AF aims to empower everyone to live their feminism out loud.
On the podcast, the authors discuss what Crunk Feminism means to them; how intersectional feminist frameworks can be used to help young feminists grapple with friendships, racism, sexism, dating, pop culture, and more; and what it means to meet girls where they are in their feminist journey.
"Taking the position of a fly big sister or cool Auntie," they candidly reflect on their experiences growing up as Black girls as well as conversations they've had with each other and the young people in their lives. They also give advice on how people in any stage in life can develop their own personal sense of feminism.
Links:
- Transcript of the episode (note: transcriptions are computer-generated and likely not 100% accurate)
We've heard a lot about the hypothetical harm of Texas' incredibly restrictive abortion bill, SB8, and how it is a glimpse into a post-Roe future. But we wanted to talk to someone on the ground in Texas who is seeing firsthand the impact this bill is having on Texans seeking abortions.
We're joined on the podcast today by Zaena Zamora, Executive Director of the Frontera Fund. The Frontera Fund makes abortion accessible to people in the Rio Grande Valley (an area on the US-Mexico border in the southernmost part of Texas) by providing financial and practical support to people seeking abortion.
Zaena talks about the lengths that Texans now have to go to in order to seek abortion, and the skyrocketing cost of providing financial assistance in a time when most of the fund's callers need assistance traveling outside of the state for their abortions. Because Frontera Fund serves a large immigrant population, Zaena also speaks to the additional obstacles that undocumented folks, and especially those along the border, face when they are forced to travel in order to seek abortion.
The situation in Texas shows us the sobering reality of what life may be like for millions of people in the south and midwest when the Supreme Court rules on Dobbs v. Jackson in June 2022. It's not an optimistic picture - but you can help. Donate to abortion funds like the Frontera Fund, or your local fund (which you can find on abortionfunds.org). Push your local, state, and Congressional representatives to protect abortion rights. And keep saying the word abortion, as stigma thrives in silence.
Links:
- Frontera Fund donation site:
- Donation site for all Texas funds
- The National Network of Abortion Funds: find a fund to donate to, including your local funds
- TRANSCRIPT of episode! (Note that transcription software isn't flawless, but for the first and what will be the last time in my life I spent WAY too long trying to make the transcription of this episode better. They'll be much worse in the future because I'm not doing that again, so enjoy it while you can!)