In this emergency episode, we're ringing the alarm bells: We just learned that in the state of Georgia, a woman named Adriana Smith who was declared brain-dead in February, is being forcibly kept on a ventilator due to the state’s strict abortion ban, against her family's wishes. It's been over 90 days. Her mother, April Newkirk has said, “It’s torture for me."

Dr. Michele Goodwin breaks down Adriana Smith's case, and the cases of other women who, like Smith, have been disrespected and desecrated in death thanks to abortion bans and pregnancy exclusion laws. 

Check out this episode’s landing page at MsMagazine.com for a full transcript, links to articles referenced in this episode, further reading and ways to take action.

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Over the past few years, many of us have noticed some (bad) vibes coming from the Supreme Court: sketchy decisions on a number of fronts, from presidential immunity to abortion, agency authority, and more. Today, we take a look at those vibes with one of our favorite guests: Professor Leah Litman, who is the author of the new book Lawless: How the Supreme Court Runs on Conservative Grievance, Fringe Theories, and Bad Vibes. Professor Litman joins us to talk about the Court’s “Ken-surrection,” what another Trump term means for the Court, and her fabulous new book. 

Joining us is our very special guest: 

Leah Litman: Leah Litman is a professor of law at the University of Michigan Law School, where she teaches and writes on constitutional law, federal post-conviction review and federal sentencing. She is the co-founder of “Women Also Know Law”—a searchable database of women and nonbinary people who have academic appointments in law—and is one of the co-hosts and creators of the popular Strict Scrutiny podcast, which focuses on the Supreme Court.

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Despite persistent obstacles—from intergenerational pay inequity and earning just 63.7 cents for every dollar made by a white guy for the same work, to constant surveillance and doubt—Black women consistently excel in their chosen fields and rise to leadership positions. In this episode, we’re joined by powerful Black women in leadership to discuss the glass ceilings, glass cliffs, pink ghettos, and other obstacles they’ve faced—and the strategies they’ve used to triumph against the odds.

Joining me to discuss these crucial issues are our very special guests: 

Verna Williams: Verna Williams is the CEO of Equal Justice Works. In her role as CEO, Verna has continued to advance the mission of Equal Justice Works to create opportunities for leaders to transform their passion for equal justice into a lifelong commitment to public service. Verna previously served as the dean of the University of Cincinnati College of Law, and founded and co-directed the Judge Nathaniel Jones Center for Race, Gender, and Social Justice at the University of Cincinnati. She was also the vice president and director of educational opportunities at the National Women’s Law Center, where she focused on gender disparity in education.

Lynell Cadray: Lynell Cadray is University Ombuds and Senior Adviser to the President at Emory University. Since arriving at Emory in 1994, Cadray has served in numerous roles, including vice provost of equity and inclusion; associate dean of enrollment and student services and chief diversity officer at Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing; and dean of admission and financial aid and chief diversity officer at Emory University School of Law. 

Dr. Rachel Westerfield: Dr. Rachel Westerfield is the Director of Solution Design at Slack. Dr. Westerfield’s Professional Services team is responsible for driving digital growth and large-scale, enterprise-wide transformation for Slack’s most complex and strategic customers across industries on a global scale. Before joining Slack in 2019, she was a Strategy and Business Process Transformation leader at Accenture and a Management Consultant in Organizational Leadership and Development at Nestle Purina.

Check out this episode’s landing page at MsMagazine.com for a full transcript, links to articles referenced in this episode, further reading and ways to take action.

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Welcome to The Magazine, our mini-pod, which gives a peek into Ms. magazine's forthcoming and current issues. In this episode, take a glimpse inside our Spring 2025 issue—which delves into the story behind anti-abortion extremists’ successful attempt to shut down a Beverly Hills clinic. Get the Spring issue here!

Featuring: 

• Kathy Spillar is the Executive Director and a founder of the Feminist Majority Foundation, a national organization working for women’s equality, empowerment and non-violence. She has been a driving force in executing the organizations’ diverse programs securing women’s rights both domestically and globally since its inception in 1987. She is also the Executive Editor of Ms. where she oversees editorial content and the Ms. in the Classroom program, and the editor and contributor to 50 Years of Ms: The Best of the Pathfinding Magazine that Ignited a Revolution.

Check out this episode’s landing page at MsMagazine.com for a full transcript, links to articles referenced in this episode, further reading and ways to take action.

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This week, we’re joined by Yamani Hernandez, the chief executive officer of the Groundswell Fund, to discuss the importance of grassroots organizing and reproductive justice in this moment. Ms. has joined forces with Groundswell Fund and Groundswell Action Fund to create a special Gender & Democracy site dedicated to the work of Groundswell partners to highlight their efforts to champion inclusive democracy. You’ll hear their reflections and learn about the accomplishments of grassroots and local leaders, women of color, Indigenous women, and trans and gender-expansive people whose organizing and work is supported by Groundswell.

Joining us to discuss these issues is our very special guest: 

Yamani Hernandez is the chief executive officer of the Groundswell Fund. She has been working in the nonprofit space since she was 16 years old and doing that at the neighborhood level, city level, national and international levels. This has led her to the Groundwell Fund, which has funded nearly 200 million dollars for grassroots, organizing for reproductive and gender justice led by women and gender expansive people of color.

Check out this episode’s landing page at MsMagazine.com for a full transcript, links to articles referenced in this episode, further reading and ways to take action.

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As we reckon with an administration hostile to equal rights, feminists will continue to fight. To help keep hope, we must remember and celebrate recent wins.
 
One of those wins is the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, which took effect on June 27, 2023. This is a landmark piece of legislation that prohibits discrimination and ensures workplace accommodations related to pregnancy for workers. But is the PWFA safe, or will it be threatened by the Trump Administration’s crusade against reproductive rights and justice?

Joining us to discuss the history and significance of the PWFA is our very special guest, 

Dina Bakst: Dina Bakst is the co-founder and former co-president of A Better Balance, a national nonprofit legal advocacy organization that uses the power of the law to advance justice for workers. Bakst was awarded the prestigious Heinz Award for the Economy for A Better Balance’s successful work advancing work-family justice in 2021, and the first-ever Visionary Women Award for Women’s Economic Empowerment in 2022.  In 2020, she was named one of “16 People and Groups Fighting For a More Equal America” by Time Magazine. Prior to co-founding A Better Balance, Dina was an attorney with the NOW Legal Defense & Education Fund (now Legal Momentum) where she pursued litigation and policy advocacy on a wide range of women’s rights issues.

Check out this episode’s landing page at MsMagazine.com for a full transcript, links to articles referenced in this episode, further reading and ways to take action.

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In this episode, Dr. Michele Goodwin reflects on Trump v. United States.  As Americans adjust to the myriad executive orders, firings of government employees, the gutting of  the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), plane crashes, threats to dismantle the Department of Education, and so much more under the Trump Administration, what can be learned about the Supreme Court's case granting Donald Trump absolute immunity?  Who will be the check on the Trump administration?

Check out this episode’s landing page at MsMagazine.com for a full transcript, links to articles referenced in this episode, further reading and ways to take action.

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As part of our Black History Month Rewind at Ms. Studios, we’re revisiting some of our favorite past episodes. In our final Rewind, we're revisiting an episode we recorded in 2021, celebrating Juneteenth with Fritz and Anita Pointer of the Pointer Sisters. 

In this joyous episode, host Michele Goodwin is joined by music icon Anita Pointer of the three-time Grammy Award-winning R&B group the Pointer Sisters and her brother Fritz Pointer, acclaimed professor and historian and former music manager. They celebrate Juneteenth and unpack their award-winning memoir, Fairytale: The Pointer Sisters’ Family Story.

Fritz and Anita Pointer discuss coming of age in the civil rights movement; emphasize the importance of tenacity and learning the hard way; and break down what it was like for their family to finally break through and land award after award—all by doing it their own way. As an added bonus, expect to be serenaded by Anita Pointer!

Joining us for this episode are two very special guests:

• Anita Pointer, founding member of the legendary music group the Pointer Sisters. Anita and her sisters found fame in 1973, when the Anita-led “Yes We Can Can” became a hit on the Billboard Hot 100, reaching #11. Their breakthrough resulted in multiple hits and Grammy Awards, including for Best Performance by a Duo or Group and even Best Country Duo or Group. In 1974, Anita’s writing talents helped the group make music history with “Fairytale,” which became a hit on the country music charts—leading the Pointer Sisters to become the first Black female group to perform at the Grand Ole Opry. Their hit-making magic kept audiences singing and dancing through the 1980s and ’90s and became part of the 2008 Obama campaign playlist.  In 1994, Anita and her sisters received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Anita continues to write, record and perform, maintaining an international touring schedule as a member of the Pointer Sisters.
• Professor Fritz Pointer is one of the older brothers of June, Bonnie, Anita and Ruth—also known as the Pointer Sisters. His latest book, Fairytale: The Pointer Sisters’ Family Story, is a memoir of their life co-authored with his sister, Anita Pointer. No one else knows the family, community, political or social history out of which the Pointer Sisters came as thoroughly and deeply as he does. He managed the group prior to becoming a professor specializing in African and African American history. Pointer has 30 years of experience teaching composition, African and African American humanities, and history in higher education. He has authored two books and several scholarly articles in his area of African literature.

Check out this episode’s landing page at MsMagazine.com for a full transcript, links to articles referenced in this episode, further reading and ways to take action.

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As part of our Black History Month Rewind at Ms. Studios, we’re revisiting some of our favorite past episodes. Today, we're revisiting an episode exploring racism and police brutality, featuring a cast of all-star guests. 

In this episode, we confront the question at the center of Derek Chauvin’s trial: Who killed George Floyd? Our guests unpack that question as an issue central to police and societal violence. Examining who killed George Floyd means taking stock of legacies of racism in the Twin Cities, including redlining, school segregation, policies that undermine equality, and disparate rates of policing and mass incarceration.

As attention has turned to the horrors of the old South, has racism of the new North been overlooked? And at what cost to Black lives? Have liberal allies made a difference or exacerbated harms in the Twin Cities?

We also explore the trauma associated with George Floyd’s death and other officer-involved killings. Experts on our show explain how racism produce physical and psychological health harms.

Check out this episode’s landing page at MsMagazine.com for a full transcript, links to articles referenced in this episode, further reading and ways to take action.

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As part of our Black History Month Rewind at Ms. Studios, we're revisiting some of our favorite past episodes. First up, we're taking a look of voting rights and voter suppression, revisiting an episode recorded ahead of the 2020 presidential election. 

At the 1964 Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, voting activist and civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer described the violent injustice she and others had endured while living under the South’s Jim Crow rules and fighting for the right to vote: “I am sick and tired of being sick and tired!”

Over 50 years later, ahead of the 2020 election, we see record early voting across the country. Even so, serious efforts aimed at voter suppression persist, including curbing access to mail-in voting and shutting down polling locations.

So, what are the biggest threats to voting rights today? How is voter suppression showing up in the 2020 election? What can we do to ensure that our elections remain free and fair?

Joining us to discuss these issues are some very special guests:

Kristen Clarke, president and executive director of the National Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. Clarke leads one of the nation’s most important national civil rights organizations in the pursuit of equal justice for all. She is the author of Barack Obama and African American Empowerment: The Rise of Black America’s New Leadership.

Judge Glenda Hatchett, who served as senior attorney at Delta Airlines before becoming the chief presiding judge of Fulton County Georgia Juvenile Court in Atlanta.  Her law firm, the Hatchett Firm, represented Philando Castille’s estate in the wake of his tragic death. She presides over the two-time Emmy-nominated courtroom series, Judge Hatchett, now in its 16th season. Most recently, she has returned to TV in her new television court series, The Verdict with Judge Hatchett.

Ash-Lee Woodard Henderson, executive director of the Highlander Research and Education Center—and the first Black woman to hold that title.  She is an active participant on the governance council of the Southern Movement Assembly, and an organizer with Concerned Citizens for Justice. She has served on the National Council of the Student Environmental Action Coalition.

Check out this episode’s landing page at MsMagazine.com for a full transcript, links to articles referenced in this episode, further reading and ways to take action.

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