Shows
Black Women's Dept. of LaborCultivating Abundance Beyond Capitalism: Experiments in Commerce & Economy“What does a post capitalist future look like?” ~ Renee HatcherIn our season finale, our brilliant guests share their experience and experiments in commerce and economy to answer this question. Tune in to learn more about:Worker cooperatives and the solidarity economySpirit led creative entrepreneurshipParticipatory budgetingDemocratically governed investment fundsTime banks We get into capitalism 101, the limitations of Black capitalism, the myth of meritocracy, redefining success, and the role of mutualism and cooperation in our collective liberation.Be sure to take our quick survey! And sign up for the upcoming Taja Tuesday Artist...
2022-08-3159 min
Black Women's Dept. of LaborDomestic Workers Part 2: Community Organizing Strategies & Contexts Historically & TodayWe're continuing our conversation about domestic labor with a deep dive into the historical and current practice of organizing domestic workers for dignity and respect.Tune in to learn more about:the role of storytelling in building collective identitycommunity organizing strategies in and beyond legislated labor protectionsprofessionalizing the workforce through narratives and negotiationsthe politics of care workABOUT OUR GUESTSAllison Julien is the We Dream in Black Organizing Director for the National Domestic Worker’s Alliance. Listen to her full interview on Patreon (running time: 01:41:59)Adela Seally is...
2022-08-1758 min
Black Women's Dept. of LaborDomestic Workers Part 1: The Labor That Makes All Other Work PossibleTaking care of children, disabled folks, the elderly, and the home is important work, but it doesn’t always get the respect it deserves - whether it’s paid or unpaid labor.In this first part of a two-part series, we get an inside look into an occupation behind closed doors and in private homes - domestic work.Tune in to hear from 5 incredible guests about:Why and how people become domestic laborersThe dynamics of race, class, and gender that inform employer and employee relationshipsHow domestic workers create and negotiate contracts and boundariesThe disrespectful trea...
2022-08-0358 min
Black Women's Dept. of LaborBack to Work: Examining Labor Narratives During Welfare Reform & the PandemicWelfare reform in the 90’s and the recent pandemic may seem like radically different moments in history but they share a few things in common, namely back to work labor narratives that:are overly reliant on frameworks of personal responsibilityprioritize work over health and wellbeingperpetuate policies, practices, and beliefs that are racist, sexist, classist, and ableistTune in to hear from three brilliant guests sharing their stories and expertise on:the history and impact of welfare reform in the 90’snavigating return to work during the pandemicthe medicine and wisdom of disability justice in imagining new ways to w...
2022-07-061h 00
Black Women's Dept. of LaborDiscovering Your Purpose with AstrologyHave you ever asked yourself: “why am I alive?”| “what is my calling?” | “what’s my next career move?” If so, this episode is for you!In this intergenerational podcast workshop, we discuss:Astrology 101 reviewing signs, elements, and modalitiesHow to tap into your personal astrology without knowing your birth time or locationThe houses to look to in your natal chart for a sense of your talents, gifts, resources, work style, purpose, and legacyExample chart readings of Black women artists and activists Tune in to learn more about your place among the stars! Als...
2022-06-2259 min
Black Women's Dept. of LaborDiversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) | A Panel Discussion about Race, Gender, & the Labor of Anti-Oppression Work“We are in the business of putting ourselves out of business.” Nico Le BlancIn our first - and only! - panel discussion of the season, Taja Lindley facilitates a conversation with 3 diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) practitioners with 40+ years of experience between them. Tune in to hear:What DEI work looks like in institutional settings to support racial equity and social movements.How they determine who they will (not) work with and why.The frameworks that guide their practice (i.e. critical race theory, radical Black feminism, etc.)The ways race and gender impa...
2022-06-0852 min
Black Women's Dept. of LaborAll Black Everything | Is a diverse healthcare workforce enough to eradicate racism in medicine?Is a diverse healthcare workforce enough to eradicate racism in medicine?The short is no. Using race to remedy racism is not enough. And let's talk about why with four Black providers in reproductive health: an OBGYN, a nurse midwife, a traditional midwife, and a midwifery student.Tune in to hear the benefits of adding more Black folks to the healthcare workforce, as well as how this diversity-based approach is an incomplete strategy to remedy health inequity, including:The ways racism is embedded into healthcare education, tr...
2022-05-2557 min
Black Women's Dept. of LaborThe A.R.T. of Birthing with Olivia Ford | Part Two: The Old Fashion Gay WayPart Two: The Old Fashion Gay WayAre you curious about how to get pregnant when queer?“Don't use a turkey baster!” Olivia FordOlivia started her path to parenthood before being partnered. After her intuition told her it was time to pursue pregnancy, she popped the question to her gay guy friend: how would you like to make a baby with me? After 10 unsuccessful tries, she and her boo (now wife) purchased semen during a BOGO sale at a sperm bank and got pregnant with the second vial. Tune in to hear...
2022-05-111h 04
Black Women's Dept. of LaborThe A.R.T. of Birthing with LeConté Dill | Part One: The Ol’ Mama GangPart One: The Ol’ Mama Gang“I saw my daughter for the first time in a vision while I was meditating.” LeConté DillAfter Dr. LeConté Dill’s vision in 2014, she met her husband, had an epic first date, eloped, and began her journey to motherhood. She soon discovered she would need some support to get pregnant, namely A.R.T.s - or assisted reproductive technologies. She leaned on in-vitro fertilization (IVF) to conceive the baby of her literal dreams and gave birth in her early 40’s right before the lockdowns in...
2022-04-2754 min
Black Women's Dept. of LaborGendered as Laborers with Jennifer Morgan & Dorothy Roberts | A Select History of Race, Labor, & Reproduction in the U.S.A Select History of Race, Labor, & Reproduction in the U.S.“Black women are at the heart of the history of the Atlantic world.” Jennifer MorganWhat does it mean to be gendered as laborers? Both physiologically and economically? How has that served colonial and U.S. economic interests? And how has the U.S. responded when Black women’s labor and reproduction no longer served racial capitalism?Tune in to time travel with us: your host, Taja Lindley, and our guests - Jennifer Morgan and Dorothy Roberts - as we dis...
2022-04-1348 min
Black Women's Dept. of LaborIntroducing the Black Women's Dept. of LaborWelcome to the Black Women's Dept. of Labor - a project and podcast by Taja Lindley about race, gender, and the double entendre of labor: to work and to give birth.The first episode premieres Wednesday April 13th, 2022 during Black Maternal Health week! Tune in every other Wednesday for dynamic stories, conversations and analysis. Visit www.BlackWomensLabor.com to learn more.Follow @BlackWomensLabor on Instagram!Sign up for our newsletter!And support our work on Patreon where you will have exclusive access to full length interviews with each of...
2022-04-0103 min
Black Women's Dept. of LaborBJP NYC: Run It Back! S1 RecapIt's been a minute! The Birth Justice Podcast NYC team has been deep in process for the last year to bring you season 2 in 2022! But before we jump into a new season, it felt important to revisit and review some of the wisdom and insight from season one. Tune in to take a trip down memory lane and hear highlights from our esteemed guests as well as updates about the podcast.Also: this podcast will be getting a new name! Stay tuned for details and be sure to support this work on Patreon.com/TajaLindley!
2022-02-2224 min
Soft Edges PodcastSoft Edges Podcast, Episode 10: Unapologetic Movement(s)Welcome back to the Soft Edges Podcast!
On our 10th episode, it is in movement(s) that we meet. Dancing from page to page, we learn why The Body is Not an Apology through the eyes and words of the incredible Sonya Renee Taylor. A couple of steps later, the energy Maori Holmes puts into helping others express who they are deep down using her love for fashion embraces us, before Taja Lindley’s deeply intentional performance practice takes our breath away. We let our rhythm shift as Michi and Una Osato tell us th...
2021-04-111h 25
Black Women's Dept. of LaborBJP NYC 12: Tales from a Bronx-Based Time Traveling Doula with Evelyn AlvarezSeason 1 Episode 12 is the season finale and features an interview with Evelyn Alvarez: mom, doula, trainer, and the world’s best hypewoman! She’s also the cofounder of Bronx Rebirth and Progress Collective. In this week’s episode Evelyn shares the tales and the tea of being a doula in NYC. She also shares insights on the politics of doula compensation, what is happening in NYC hospitals, how medical routines cause harm, and how our City can do a better job of increasing doula access to clients who want and need them.Announcements:Help us gro...
2020-09-231h 30
Black Women's Dept. of LaborBJP NYC 11: Pregnancy and Substance Use in NYC: An Introduction to Harm ReductionSeason 1 Episode 11 features an interview with Nathalia Gibbs and Dana Kurzer-Yashin from the National Harm Reduction Coalition. In this week’s episode we dive into a harm reduction 101 crash course where we get into the definition, history and current landscape of harm reduction policies and practices. We then apply this information to better understand how pregnant people who use drugs are navigating prenatal care, childbirth, and the child welfare system; and how New York City and State can better support people who use drugs. This episode is a follow up to Season 1 Episode 10 where we discussed how the war on...
2020-09-161h 37
Black Women's Dept. of LaborBJP NYC 10: How the Child Welfare System Undermines Pregnant People and Families with Erin Miles CloudSeason 1 Episode 10 features an interview with Erin Miles Cloud: a lawyer and a mother, as well as the Co-Director and Co-Founder of Movement for Family Power. In this week’s episode we do a deep dive into the womb to foster care pipeline and the ways in which hospitals and social workers are complicit in criminalizing poor parents and people who use drugs. We get into the relationship between the police department and child welfare services, and how the child welfare system incentivizes the separation of families.Announcement:Share your story on the Birth Ju...
2020-09-091h 36
Black Women's Dept. of LaborBJP NYC 09: A Sisterly Approach to Doula Care in NYC with Nicole Jean BaptisteSeason 1 Episode 9 features an interview with Nicole Jean Baptiste: a mother of two, a full spectrum community based doula, lactation counselor, yoga instructor, and oral historian. In this week’s episode we discuss Nicole’s journey into birthwork (which includes a bit about her own birth story) as well as the birth injustice she has witnessed in New York City as a doula and as an advocate. We also dive into doula work: from the importance of compensating doulas to valuing doulas as autonomous birthworkers. Nicole offers some sound suggestions and advice for what our City can do to bett...
2020-09-021h 46
Black Women's Dept. of LaborBJP NYC 08: How Female Genital Mutilation & Cutting Impacts the Reproductive Health of New Yorkers with Natasha JohnsonSeason 1 Episode 8 features an interview with Natasha Johnson: activist, artist, advocate, academic, attorney, yoga instructor and the founder of Globalizing Gender. In this week’s episode we discuss female genital mutilation and cutting - what it is, why and how it happens, how it impacts sexual and reproductive health (including pregnancy and childbirth), and how it shows up in New York City.Natasha Johnson’s Bio:Natasha has been an educator for 21 years and an attorney for 15 years. In 2015 she founded Globalizing Gender (GG) where she educates, prevents, and reforms Gender-Based Violence (GBV) through capa...
2020-08-261h 53
Black Women's Dept. of LaborBJP NYC 07: A Scholar Activist's Brief History of Reproductive Justice in NYC with Dr. Lynn RobertsSeason 1 Episode 7 features an interview with Dr. Lynn Roberts: a mother, grandmother, professor, and scholar activist. In this week’s episode we discuss some historical moments of reproductive justice organizing and advocacy in New York City from the nineties and early 2000’s as well as the intersections of public health and reproductive justice in Lynn’s career and beyond.Lynn Roberts’ Bio:Dr. Lynn Roberts earned a Bachelor in Science in human development from Howard University (1984) and a PhD in Human Services Studies from Cornell University (1991). She is the Associate Dean of Student Affairs & Alumni R...
2020-08-191h 27
Black Women's Dept. of LaborBJP NYC 06: Fake Clinics: How Crisis Pregnancy Centers Coerce People to Give Birth with Elizabeth EstradaSeason 1 Episode 6 features an interview with Elizabeth Estrada ( commonly known as Eli) - a Mexican immigrant organizer based in the Bronx working on reproductive justice in New York City and State. In this episode we discuss fake clinics, also known as crisis pregnancy centers.We do a deep dive into how fake clinics are intentionally confusing and coercing people to give birth by creating barriers and detours, as well as providing misinformation to people who are looking to learn about and access abortion. Elizabeth Estrada Bio:Elizabeth Estrada serves as the...
2020-08-121h 38
Black Women's Dept. of LaborBJP NYC 05: These Waters Run Deep: Bronx-Based Midwifery and Maternal Health with Carmen MojicaSeason 1 Episode 5 features an interview with Carmen Mojica. We discuss her journey into birthwork and motherhood, the history and current practice of midwifery, and what it will take to achieve birth justice in the Bronx and in New York City. Carmen Mojica Bio:Carmen Mojica CPM, LM CLC is an Afro-Dominicana born and raised in the Bronx. She is a midwife, mother, writer and reproductive health activist. The focus of her work is on the empowerment of women and people of the African Diaspora, specifically discussing the Afro-Latina identity. She utilizes her experience as...
2020-08-051h 36
Black Women's Dept. of LaborBJP NYC 04: Going Beyond Birthwork: Ancient Song Doula Services with Chanel Porchia AlbertSeason 1 Episode 4 features an interview with Chanel Porchia Albert. We discuss how she became a doula, why she started Ancient Song Doula Services, the role of doulas in and beyond birthwork, and how Ancient Song is pivoting during this pandemic moment. We also chat about intergenerational hope and birthwork as political work for both the birthing person and the doula supporting them.Chanel Porchia Albert Bio:Commissioner Chanel L. Porchia Albert CD, CPD, CLC, CHHC is the Founder and Chief Operating Officer of Ancient Song Doula Services: a reproductive health organization of over 70 full-spectrum...
2020-07-291h 42
Black Women's Dept. of LaborBJP NYC 03: Sistas on the Rise: A History of Organizing Teen Parents in NYC with Leslie Grant SpannSeason 1 Episode 3 features an interview with Leslie Grant Spann. We discuss her three birth stories, and do a deep dive into the history of reproductive justice community organizing via Sistas on the Rise in the Bronx, New York City and nationwide with young parents in the early 2000s.Leslie Grant Spann Bio:Leslie Grant-Spann began her work in social justice as a 15-year-old-mother working with Sistas on the Rise in the South Bronx. Leslie organized other young mothers around access to education and childcare in New York with intersections to the larger reproductive justice m...
2020-07-222h 01
Black Women's Dept. of LaborBJP NYC 02: A Brief History of American Gynecology with Dr. Deirdre Cooper OwensSeason 1 Episode 2 features an interview with professor Dr. Deirdre Cooper Owens. We discuss a brief history of American gynecology and we reflect on what this history means in present day gynecological care, including her own experiences of medical racism.But before we jump into this week's episode, we take a moment of silence for Sha-Asia Washington - a 26 year old Black woman who died during childbirth in early July at Woodhull Hospital in Brooklyn. Say her name. Learn her story. Here is the gofundme page to support her newborn and her family.Deirdre Cooper...
2020-07-151h 42
Black Women's Dept. of LaborBJP NYC 01: Pregnant and Parenting in the 1980’s: Adrianne Robinson’s Birth StoryThe first episode of the first season of the Birth Justice Podcast NYC features an interview between podcast host Taja Lindley and her mother, Adrianne Robinson. This episode - the birth of the Birth Justice Podcast NYC - is released on the same day as Taja’s birthday! Adrianne shares her journey into motherhood and what it was like to give birth to Taja in New York City in 1985.Adrianne Robinson’s BioAdrianne Robinson has always had a passion for science and helping others, while growing up her passion translated into her career. Adri...
2020-07-081h 37
Black Women's Dept. of LaborBJP NYC Prelude: What to Expect on the Birth Justice Podcast NYCIn this pre-season (and pre- series!) prelude episode, the Birth Justice Podcast NYC host Taja Lindley shares what brings her to this podcast project, and what you can expect to hear and experience in Season 1 and beyond.Links to information and resources that Taja references in this episode:[Book] Killing the Black Body by Dorothy Roberts[Book] Black Feminist Thought by Patricia Hill Collins[Article] Exam Rooms and Bedrooms: Navigating Queer Sexual Health on Rewire NewsTaja Lindley’s A Blade of Grass Fellowship Project: The Bronx Birth Justice TribunalNYC Public Artist in Residence Program ov...
2020-06-291h 14
Black Women's Dept. of LaborBJP NYC Trailer: Introducing the Birth Justice Podcast NYCGet ready for the Birth Justice Podcast NYC - the only podcast on the internet exclusively grappling with the sexual and reproductive health of New Yorkers. Every week there will be conversations and interviews with people, projects and organizations doing the good work of making reproductive justice and birth justice possible in our city and beyond.Season 1 Episode 1 drops July 8th, 2020.Hosted by Taja LindleyProduced by Colored Girls HustleSoundscape and Audio Engineering by Emma AlabasterSupport our work on PatreonFor more information visit BirthJustice.nyc (website launches...
2020-06-2502 min
Sick Day with Dan Fishback"The Performance Starts Now" with Taja Lindley - Ep. 20Dan talks with artist Taja Lindley about working space vs. living space, her gateway to teenage Christianity, the life of her project The Bag Lady Manifesta, and her work on Black maternal mortality. Website: http://danfishback.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/dangerfishback Instagram: http://instagram.com/dangerfishback Facebook: http://facebook.com/danfishbackofficial
2019-06-171h 15
Austin Art TalkTaja Lindley - There's Work To Be Done"I think more and more now people are interested in this conversation of the intersection of art and culture with social movements. Art & culture have always been a part of social movements, but being strategic with artists inside of campaigns and things that we are trying to move forward, there’s a really rich conversation that’s happening now. It’s just really exciting to be in a place where I can be both-and. Because it has felt separate. There is something about being in tune with your imagination and creativity that allows for some creative thinking that can suppor...
2019-05-251h 17
Tea with Queen and J.#175 Damn GinaQueen & J. are two womanist race nerds talking liberation, politics, and pop-culture over tea. Drink up!
On this episode… Is your life sh!t on a stick right now? We assure you it gets better and offer tools for getting over the hump. Then we reflect on Kanye’s survival, the Black Women’s March, and how white Latinx folks be wilding on the daily, on the reg and all the time.
This week’s hot list: Blue check activism, Black girls disliking sh!t out loud is ok, giddy & in love is cool, just not in the group chat, Queens v...
2018-10-021h 21