Our Dirty Laundry

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The little known history of reproductive testing and experimentation on Puerto Rican women in the early to mid 1900s. So many thanks to the authors and researchers we shout out in this episode. We will get links to their work here soon!

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An interview with the amazing Wayne Au, social justice and critical education theory expert, discussing eugenics in school testing. This conversation will make you rethink definitions of intelligence, success, educational standards and more! For more of Wayne's work, check out Rethinking Schools and his published books.

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We are joined by Cara Page and Susan Raffo for a conversation about eugenics: where we fit into the deeply embedded and continuing history of eugenics in politics, reproductive rights, legal systems, education, settlement, climate change...truly, truly everything around us is so intricately connected with the ideas we've been discussing in this series. We are grateful to Cara and Susan for helping us process this and encourage you to look more into their work. Register for the Dismantling Eugenics Convening and head to the Healing Histories Project to dive deeper and do the work!

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The best bright-colored-trash-clothes on TV since the Tiger King, with a main serving of white women bullshit. Binge it now!

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This sterilization stuff ended, right? Right??? Well, no, of course it didn't. We cover:
1. The case of Madrigal v Quilligan and the documentary No Mas Bebes (https://vimeo.com/ondemand/nomasbebes)
2. Sterilization in California's women's prisons and the documentary Belly of the Beast (https://hdpl.kanopy.com/video/belly-beast)
3. Native American Sterilization in the 1970s  (Compulsory Sterilization of Native Americans and Racist Motivations Behind Public Policies; D. Forbes available here: https://www.uvm.edu/~lkaelber/eugenics/)
4. Hysterectomies in ICE detention facilities and whistleblower Dawn Wooten
(https://www.npr.org/2020/09/16/913398383/whistleblower-alleges-medical-neglect-questionable-hysterectomies-of-ice-detaine)
(https://projectsouth.org/enough-is-enough/)
(https://vimeo.com/480034664)
5. The Crack Program
(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Prevention)
(http://projectprevention.org)

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We discuss lying-liar-pants Sherri Tenpenny and Mandy unloads her feelings about all of it.

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We're taking a little break from awfulness to catch up with Kate Schatz and learn about the impressive Lucretia Mott! Born in the late 1700s, Lucretia is a reminder that there have always been individuals who didn't just go along with the status quo. 

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Eugenic proponents had to find a way to whittle down the "undesirable" population in the US. Enter: sterilization. Join us to weave together the histories of anti-immigration sentiments, racism, ableism, and more to see how state sanctioned sterilization became mainstream in the early 1900s and continued through the 80s and even today. US policies became an influence for Hitler and his racial sterilization programs in Germany leading up to WWII.

Resources and Citations:

https://www.npr.org/transcripts/695574984 (Hidden Brain with Shankar Vedantam)
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2016/03/07/469478098/the-supreme-court-ruling-that-led-to-70-000-forced-sterilizations (Interview with Adam Cohen)
https://www.amazon.com/Imbeciles-Supreme-American-Eugenics-Sterilization/dp/0143109995/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2NZWLZGOFLS58&dchild=1&keywords=imbeciles+the+supreme+court%2C+american+eugenics&qid=1629140991&sprefix=imbeciles%2Caps%2C213&sr=8-1 (Adam Cohen's Book: Imbeciles)
http://www.uvm.edu/%7Elkaelber/eugenics/ (Eugenics: Compulsory Sterilization in 50 American States)
https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/State-s-little-known-history-of-shameful-science-2663925.php (California's role in Nazis' goal of purification)
https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/blog/unwanted-sterilization-and-eugenics-programs-in-the-united-states/ (Unwanted Sterilizations and Eugenics Programs in the United States)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buck_v._Bell (Buck v Bell Supreme Court Decision)

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The modern day Olympics has some roots in American eugenics...because, of course it does.

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The birth of reproductive rights in England and the US actually started in eugenics with a couple of white women. Join us in learning about Marie Stopes and Margaret Sanger, both historically renowned birth control advocates and women's rights icons...with a catch. As usual, "rights" for the "right" people.