BJP NYC 08: How Female Genital Mutilation & Cutting Impacts the Reproductive Health of New Yorkers with Natasha Johnson

Season 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 capacity building, rule of law, governance, and awareness. Natasha organized NYC’s inaugural march to end FGM/C in the United States and is currently co-authoring NYC’s first holistic FGM/C legislation. As an artist she curates public forums and creates editorial-styled work that critiques and raises awareness of GBV. Natasha earned her Juris Doctorate from CUNY School of Law, her yoga certification from Breathe for Change, and her Bachelor’s Degree from Columbia University.

References During the Episode:

• TedX Talk: What to Expect When Feminism Starts at Five
• The New York Coalition to End Female Genital Mutilation

Questions to Consider After the Episode:

• Let's continue to investigate the many ways that people navigate and experience their health. What are other practices - whether they be cultural, religious, or personal - that impact how people experience their sexual and reproductive health?
• Let's consider the many ways that law enforcement permeates our society - especially social services. How do we ensure that folks who experience gender based violence are taken care of when/if we abolish police?

Created and Hosted by Taja Lindley
Produced by Colored Girls Hustle
Music, Soundscape and Audio Engineering by Emma Alabaster
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For more information visit BirthJustice.nyc
This podcast is made possible, in part, by the Narrative Power Stipend - a grant funded by Forward Together for members of Echoing Ida.

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