7 - Black Women, Forced Sterilization, and Reproductive Justice (Part 2) Artwork

The Next 72 Hours

In most states, a person may be held for up to 72 hours for treatment and evaluation of a suspected mental illness. Sometimes, 72 hours can't tell the whole story.The Next 72 Hours brings you the lived realities of Black people navigating the American mental health system. In each episode, psychiatrists Dr. Dani Hairston and Dr. Nwayieze Ndukwe break down and delve into stories of people seeking (or not seeking) mental health help and the repercussions that come with either decision. Through current events and historical happenings, the hosts and their guests explore provocative questions about medicine, society, racism, and mental health. Every hold has a story. Every story has a history.

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The Next 72 Hours

7 - Black Women, Forced Sterilization, and Reproductive Justice (Part 2)

November 23, 2021 • Season 1 • Episode 5

In the second part of this episode focusing on reproductive experimentation on Black women, we hear what happened after Kelli found out about the procedure she had undergone without her consent. Once she realized what had happened, another battle began to acquire her medical records and prove that such a violation had taken place. As she searched for answers, she realized that this was routinely happening behind prison walls.

Donna Ladd is a journalist from Mississippi and currently the editor for the Mississippi Free Press who wrote an article Civil Rights Activist, Fannie Lou Hamer and her legacy of tenacity and dedication. She and her partner also have a YouTube series called "Driving History". Check out an episode focusing on the legacy of Ms. Hamer.

Ray Levy Uyeda is a freelance reporter from the Bay Area who wrote this article about how organizers, including Kelli Dillon, are fighting against the legacy of forced sterilizations.

While incarcerated at Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla in the early 2000s, Kelli was sterilized without her knowledge and consent. She has since dedicated her life to advocating for reproductive health and providing crisis assistance to other women experiencing trauma through her nonprofit, Back to the Basics.

MUSIC

“Faster Bassier” (theme song) by DJ Fatha Julz
“Dreary Boots” (outro) by DJ Fatha Julz

“Sunset” by Podington Bear // From Free Music Archive // CC BY NC
“Two Boys and a Girl ” by Podington Bear // From Free Music Archive // CC BY NC
“Dunes” by Podington Bear // From Free Music Archive // CC BY NC