In this workshop, we will explore childbirth from a radical feminist, DIY perspective. Today, many women resist the dominant, patriarchal view of childbirth in a variety of ways, both big and small. This workshop will examine the history of childbirth in America and will show folks, especially those who are parents or think they may want kids in the future, ways to reclaim childbirth and parenting. We will go over pain relief techniques, natural childbirth and reproductive justice, alternatives to hospital birth, and labor support. These tools are useful in creating childbirth alternatives to capitalist medical systems that encourage viewing the female body as "pathology."
Erica Varlese is an organizer that lives in DC. She is a member of the Dream City Collective, a worker-run collective that is fundraising to open a radical space in DC. Erica also works at the National Abortion Federation, an organization that provides funding to low-income women who need assistance paying for abortions, and volunteers as a doula at the Family Health and Birth Center in DC. She's also busy nursing an addiction to "16 and Pregnant" and hanging out with her pet bunny.
Related Media:
NYC Anarchist Book Fair 2010: Radical Parenting: Raising Kids and Creating Community http://www.archive.org/details/NycAnarchistBookFair2010RadicalParentingRaisingKidsAndCreating
Jennifer Silverman: My Baby Rides the Short Bus http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/37481
No Families, No Justice: Building a Family-Inclusive Left Movement http://www.archive.org/details/LeftForum2009NoFamiliesNoJustice
Anarchism & Supporting Parents and Children http://www.radio4all.net/index.php/program/26975
The City From Below - Children In the City (video) http://www.archive.org/details/CityFromBelow_ChildrenInTheCity
Links:
Don't Leave Your Friends Behind: http://dontleaveyourfriendsbehind.blogspot.com/
issue #1 of Don't Leave Your Friends Behind as a pdf download: http://bengal.missouri.edu/~maxwellr/DontLeaveYourFriendsBehind.pdf
issue #3 of Don't Leave Your Friends Behind as a pdf: http://issuu.com/strongwindsahead/docs/don_tleaveyourfriendsbehindzine3.bw.final
Kidz' City (Baltimore childcare collective): http://kidzcitybaltimore.blogspot.com/
My Baby Rides the Short Bus: The Unabashedly Human Experience of Raising Kids with Disabilities http://shortbusbook.blogspot.com/
Regeneración Childcare NYC www.childcarenyc.org
Indykids http://indykids.net/main/
CRAP! (Child Rearing Against Patriarchy) Collective in England: http://feministchildrearing.blogspot.com/2009/08/london-radical-childcare-collective.html
"Bringing the Next Generation Into Struggle: The Children's Social Forum" (about 2007 USSF, not the most recent disaster that was childcare): http://www.leftturn.org/bringing-next-generation-struggle-children%E2%80%99s-social-forum
For info about the upcoming 2012 NYC Anarchist Bookfair see: www.anarchistbookfair.net
To contact the NYC Anarchist Book Fair organizing collective to volunteer, submit workshop and tabling applications, make a donation, or get more information, email us at info[at]anarchistbookfair[dot]net
More NYC Anarchist Book Fair archives can be found at www.anarchistbookfair.net/archives