Welcome back to the Lighthouse! In last month’s newsletter, I didn’t talk about the ramped-up horrors unfolding in Palestine, nor the horrific October 7th attacks that prompted Israel to begin their own “war on terror” that is ravaging Gaza now. I hope it’s obvious that it wasn’t because I didn’t care, nor that I think “it’s complicated” is a reason to ignore what’s happening or turn away from it in cowardice. But I do think that rushing to share information when I hadn’t had a chance to vet sources or collect my thoughts was particularly useful, especially when the internet had been ablaze with information (and frankly, a lot of misinformation) already. I also have found that so much of what I’m seeing on social media is frustratingly flattening what is happening, with most people talking past each other and responding to straw-man arguments instead of trying to understand the complexities of the situation. I wanted to hold all of these things first, and while I’m still working on getting a good grip on it all, I have found a lot more sources of information (and action items) that I trust and want to share. I’ve decided to use the Signals from the Lantern Room section for this, centering on a story in the Intercept that ties what is happening to Palestinians to reproductive justice, and from there, I’ll share a number of other resources.
On the COVID-19 front, it remains difficult to find accurate information on transmission levels due to the CDC no longer providing this important data. The People’s CDC continues to do their best with what is available, although it’s hard when so many places are no longer reporting necessary information. For those of us here in Wisconsin, I’ve found that the Wisconsin Department of Health Services’ wastewater tracking has been a helpful tool, which can be filtered by county. As of when I’m publishing this, Sheboygan remains in the very high category. You can sign up for their weekly newsletter to get updates on data as well. Given the rapid rise in hospitalizations across Wisconsin due to the flu and RSV, we’re officially back in tripledemic territory here. Vaccination rates for the flu and COVID-19 have been abysmally low, so if you haven’t already, please get your updated vaccinations and encourage those in your life to do the same. As always, masking is also highly effective, particularly when everyone is doing it, to prevent the spread of airborne illness!
Now, onto the newsletter!
What It’s Like to Give Birth in Gaza
“Since the start of the war, miscarriages, premature births, and fetal deaths have increased threefold at the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department at Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, according to Dr. Abed Abu Hasira, a doctor in the department. Over 50,000 pregnant women in Gaza are living in constant fear of losing their babies as the war rages on.”
The overlapping factors feel endless. Hospitals are forced to shut down, leaving few options for Palestinians in Gaza seeking medical care. Those that are still operating are damaged by bombs, both threatening the hospitals themselves (and those within them) as well as those making their way through the rubble to reach them. Resources needed to keep things running — electricity, gas, medical supplies, etc. — are cut off or blocked by Israel, damaged, or running out. The physical and psychological stress of living in a war zone leads to more premature births. And since there are so few resources available, many of these infants don’t survive. Meanwhile, the lack of clean water and the close quarters people are in while trying to stay safe are causing infectious diseases to spread. And that’s just in Gaza, not even considering the increasing violence in the West Bank by Israeli settlers. On and on, the factors pile up, an avalanche of death that is sweeping up thousands of children as it rolls over the land, under the guise of “stopping terrorism.” But those of us in the US should know by now that the “war on terror” doesn’t work. It just brings more death, all at the hands of state power.
Of course, it’s not just children who are being impacted. We need to recognize the humanity of all Palestinians, who are being slaughtered by a far-right government that has been open about its plans to raze Gaza and displace (if not murder, directly or indirectly) all Palestinians. We also need to hold the fact that Hamas committed atrocities on October 7th, which included murdering dozens of children and taking many more as hostages. All of these things are true, all at once. But my focus here is on the children. As one of the most vulnerable and disenfranchised groups of people in the world, we should all be able to recognize that none of this is okay, and no child deserves what is happening to so many of them now. Nuturely’s Statement Against Genocide, which extended to many other depravities happening in the world today, reflects on how birthworkers must rise to this occasion of not just calling out how completely and utterly wrong this all is, but taking action to stop it.
This can look like a lot of things. There are, of course, many direct ways to get involved. I really appreciated Devon Price’s pair of articles, Here's a Long List of Actions You Can Take for Palestine and Getting Involved & Staying Regulated, which are detailed ways to figure out your place in supporting Palestinians and ending both the war and the on-going occupation of Palestine. (These articles cover a lot, so I’m going to try to avoid reinventing the wheel and just repeating what they both say!) This may also look like talking to children about what is happening, to help future generations continue to find ways to fight for a just future for both Palestinians and Israelis and pushing back against the far-right Israeli government. It will also hopefully involve learning more about what options exist that could lead to a Free Palestine. I found the late Hayim Katsman’s 2019 paper, shared by Jewish Currents, to be a particularly enlightening read. Democracy Now! has also been interviewing a variety of people who have discussed what is needed to end the war and ensure a Free Palestine, such as Peter Beinart (the editor-at-large of Jewish Currents) and the co-founders of Combatants for Peace.
As someone within the birth work and reproductive justice space, I can see the ways that many are connecting these dots between what is happening and our dreams of collective liberation. Unfortunately, many in our community are also staying silent, which Cornerstone recently talked about in their passionate call to action and call in. I’m thankful to be surrounded (well, virtually at least) by so many radical birth workers that see the through line of reproductive justice here, though, and I hope we can continue to support one another through the challenging work of showing up while also being careful not to unintentionally perpetuate antisemetic, anti-Arab, and anti-Muslim violence. We have a duty to stand together and fight for a better world, and I feel hope every day when I see how birth workers are showing up!
See also: There were a lot of links I wanted to include here, but not all of them organically fit into the above reflections. Below are assorted additional articles, action items, and resources:
The People’s CDC has a great guide for COVID safety while attending protests.
Hostages’ Families Fight to Be Heard is an eye-opening piece that explains how the Israeli government is cherry-picking conservative voices amongst the hostage families to bolster their support while trying to shut out the left-learning voices demanding that more be done to bring the hostages home safely.
Palestinian journalist Hind Khoudary shares her experiences walking with fellow Gazans fleeing south in search of safety. It is a heartbreaking but important read.
Michelle Alexander on Palestine. This essay was adapted from Michelle’s moving speech from the recent Palestine Festival of Literature, and I highly recommend it. I feel like I’ll be coming back to this one in the future, again and again.
The Palestinian Social Fund raises “unconditional funding for cooperative farms in Palestine through grassroots efforts.”
More generally, I wanted to share some of the sources I’ve been engaging with to get — in my opinion — more nuanced views on what is going on while staying rooted in a vision of justice: Democracy Now!, Jewish Currents, The Intercept, Truthout, and Reuters. Of course, there are many more, but these are some of the main ones I’ve been reading and/or listening to that I’d recommend.
What's Happening at Lakeshore Liberation?
Nothing new to share this time!
What’s Going on in Reproductive Justice
Once again, abortion rights have won — even in some unexpected states — when people are able to vote on it.
The 19th reports on how abortion bans are undercutting efforts to prevent domestic violence, showing yet again that abortion connects to so many other aspects of reproductive justice.
STI rates are rising, particularly cases of syphilis. There are a variety of reasons for this, including lack of funding for education, testing, and treatment, on top of the usual systemic barriers to healthcare. Unfortunately, this is affecting pregnancies as well, with a staggering tenfold increase in cases reported in newborns over the last decade.
The weather has started to drop here, which is the perfect time to review Romper’s guide to dressing your baby in a range of cold temps, from the chilly days to the downright frigid.
What’s Going on in Wisconsin
The Wisconsin chapter of the Sierra Club and Friends of the Black River Forest are calling on Governor Evers to prevent the Kohler Co land swap that would give them Kohler-Andrae State Park land to build yet another golf course, despite the environmental impacts.
Madison is taking an interesting approach to filling child care gaps: selling (for $1) public land to a local college to create a child care facility, which will both provide child care to college students and the public and serve as a hand’s-on learning opportunity for students studying early childhood education.
Speaking of child care, United Way of Sheboygan County is conducting a survey to better understand our county’s child care shortage impacts and needs. You can find the survey here, although I’m not sure how long they’re keeping it open for.
The Wisconsin GOP continues to push an anti-trans (and frankly, anti-kid) agenda, reviving a bill that would include giving parent’s control over what their kids are taught, as well as what name and pronouns they’re “allowed” to use at school. They also want librarians and school librarians to surveil and report what kids under 16 are checking out. As mentioned in last month’s newsletter, all of this done under the guise of “parental rights,” which is really just parental supremacy over kids.
What I've Been Reading
November 20 marked another Transgender Day of Remembrance, and Erin Reed reflected on the people she remembers.
NPR talks with Louise Vincent, an early advocate of harm reduction who continues to fight for the dignity and safety of drug users today. I’ll take this opportunity to remind readers that buying and distributing fentanyl test strips, xylazine test strips, and naloxone (to reverse opioid overdoses) is a great way to help drug users in our communities use more safely.
EmbraceRace just released Drawing Differences, a free online program to help kids learn to create art that, “encourage[s] diverse depictions of skin colors, hair textures, and facial features.” And again, it’s totally free!
Ragen Chastain of the Weight and Healthcare newsletter digs into the recent study that looked at the relationship between BMI and top surgery complications, which found that high BMI isn’t associated with serious complications and shouldn’t be used as a reason to prevent people from getting top surgery.
What I'm Watching
I’ve had some time off recently and managed to watch quite a bit between that and our usual TV time. I finally had a chance to watch the Tiny Beautiful Things adaptation, which I really enjoyed, as well as Nine Perfect Strangers, despite never having read the book for the latter (but also enjoying the show!). Together, my partner and I finished The Midnight Club and then moved onto another Flanagan show (we’ve enjoyed his work!), The Fall of the House of Usher. I enjoyed the latter more than my partner did, but both were fun to watch!
What I'm Listening To
I really enjoyed the recent Yo, Is This Racist? episode with Lux Alptraum, titled Demystify the Discourse, where they discussed the current discourse around Israel.
I finally had a chance to listen to Reveal’s episode The Culture War Goes to College, which focused on Florida-based New College and how Gov. Ron DeSantis and his cronies are trying to remake it into “a Hillsdale of the South.” I realized after listening that some of the content seemed familiar because I had already recently read a piece in Hammer & Hope where they interviewed the student union vice president. I highly recommend engaging with both to get a fuller picture of what is happening there, especially since it very well may spill into other states as well.
Places to Donate To
The SCIO helps bring to life many important programs in our community, including the Farmers Market and the Bridgeway residential facility for unhoused mothers and families. They can always use our support through donations, both of money and materials needs!
Chicago Community Jail Support is a “daily, on the ground, grassroots mutual aid project” that seeks to “assist anyone being released from Cook County Jail, their loved ones, and the surrounding community.” They provide a variety of direct support, from clothing to snacks & drinks to PPE, housing, transportation, and more.
Barefoot Acres is a duck rescue in Cedarburg that has also taken in a variety of other animals. They are currently asking for donations to help get them all through winter!
Milo is a disabled queer person going through a hostile divorce and needs to secure new housing ASAP. Let’s help get them to a safer environment!
Mara is a poor Black queer femme that is fundraising to cover tuition so she can continue her education. Every bit helps!
Questions? Comments? Suggestions?
Feel free to share them below or contact me directly.