When most conversations involve birthing choices, people tend to polarize. A brief look at the history of midwifery explains why. Until the early 1800s in the United States of America, midwives were the primary maternal caregivers. Then medical school and trained doctors entered the playing field and the competition for patients spurred the purposeful disrepute of midwives everywhere. This has started a trend of antagonism between midwives and their cohorts and OB-GYNs and their allies. The antagonism has even infiltrated the midwifery community itself, pitting nurse-midwives against direct-entry midwives. (more…)

My involvement with Law Students for Reproductive Justice (“LSRJ”) last year was my first endeavor into the world of American reproductive justice activism (it was also the first time I was part of an activist community solely focused on reproductive justice issues). I was attracted to LSRJ because its website, language, and paradigm seemed to focus on intersectional forms of oppression and seemed to be rooted in the ideas and values of Sister Song (an organization whose approach I strongly believe in). That said I was a little weary about whether or not the objectives of LSRJ would be reflected in the actions of LSRJ chapters.

I was weary because I was not oblivious to what SOME RJ/pro-choice groups look like on undergrad college campus (Canada or the US): groups that are predominantly made up of white students who still very much espouse the pro-choice/ abortion centric framework. Despite this concern, I took a leap of faith my 1L year and got involved with NUSL LSRJ. I was very happy with the year, with the potential our chapter has, and super excited to attend the National LSRJ Conference at George Washington Law School in D.C.

On the first day of the conference, as me and my colleague/bff were walking to GW sipping on our necessary-to-survive-a-day-of-conferencing grande lattes she said to me “Lara, do you think I’m going to be the only black girl there?” My response: “I’m sure you won’t be, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s majority white girls.” Although it was disappointing that she thought it necessary to ask that question, it was even more disappointing that my response seem to be right. (more…)

Inspired by a little taste of civil disobedience this morning*, and thinking of bright new law students everywhere embarking on this grand adventure, I thought I would include a few thoughts about the law school experience in my inaugural blog. Four earnest observations I have made these past two years, in no particular order. These are truisms for me, though they may not be for you, and I am certainly not the first or last 3L with a top-four claim to the secrets of legal education. Nevertheless, I wish to articulate these tidbits in the hopes that any or all of you can enter the profession as yourself as opposed to a shell-shocked pre-fab known quantity.

Please note that I am not going to tell you how to “succeed” in law school. According to most articles I have read on that topic, I am a failure. So, here’s how I failed at law school. (more…)