In my pieces that I did during my @SeeFeelDoDC residency, I wanted people to not only SEE the art, but identify where in the body they FEEL it, and then process it in order to DO something.

I experimented with putting mylar reflective material behind carefully cut cutouts of three Soul Portraits that are related to the harm of women and babies - and therefore boys and men as well - in birth.

I wanted people to see themselves in the issue - what the Soul Portrait is about.

See Yourself.

When you look at the problem of black women dying 3-4 times more often than white women in birth, where do feel this? When you see your reflection in the systemic racism that creates the physical, mental, and emotional toll on black women, where do you feel this in your body? Are you willing to feel it? Do you see your role, your self, in the issue? What can you do once you see and feel this?

I did the two smaller portraits at the panel, From Birth Control to Death: Facing Black Women’s Maternal Mortality, that was moderated by Professor Kimberle’ Crenshaw. This was at the Series: A Week on the Status of Black Women, organized by the African American Policy Forum (AAPF) in Washington DC in April 2018. Featured speakers: Laurie Bertrum Roberts, Dr. Joia Crear-Perry, Jennie Joseph, Kira Shepherd, Aarin Michele Williams.

The panel of five women examined intersectionality and the many factors impacting poor maternal health and survival outcomes for pregnant Black women. All of them spoke about the role of the Catholic hospitals in poor care of women, particularly black women.

Check out full story here and watch the panel discussion.

The is about the impact of the Catholic Church in hospital maternity care and postpartum care of mothers. It was done for a licensed counselor/doula in the St Louis area struggling with how new mothers - who were addicts in recovery - were being treated in a Catholic Social Services program. She and her partners provide services for new mothers who are in addiction recovery program, and their newborn babies. She was in tears sharing how the women were undermined in this care system. I transcribed that pain, and the joy of her heart’s work, and with this mothers and their babies, into this visual art.

Fentanyl

Did you know? That since 1980 that epidural anesthesia used on laboring and birthing women and babies contains Fentanyl?  

It was never researched before using - even though we know the birthing brain is very vulnerable.  Studies for over thirty-five years have involved randomly assigning UNinformed and NON-consenting women and babies to different doses.

This research has contributed to normalizing the use of epidural and fentanyl so that in 2019 some hospitals 80-90% of women are giving birth and babies are being born “under the influence” of the synthetic opioid, fentanyl.

While the death toll rises, and is seen as epidemic, no one in politics, religion, psychology, and medicine is looking at this possibility of fentanyl for birthing babies for over three decades.