Dr. Shameka Poetry Thomas is a medical sociologist with special interest in reproductive justice and genetics technology as well as the intersection of maternal healthcare with sickle cell disease. After receiving her Ph.D. from the University of Miami, she completed her two-year postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health (NIH)/National Human Genomics Research Institutes (NHGRI).

In this episode, Dr. Thomas centers the experiences of pregnant Black women with sickle cell disease, who, despite advances in medicine, genetics and reproductive technology, have been neglected by research communities due to intersecting marginalized identities despite high mortality during pregnancy and childbirth. Dr. Thomas walks us through what non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) is and how it relates to sickle cell disease specifically. Her work comes to life by illustrating the converging effects of colonialism, racism, bias and stigmatization through moving real-world stories. Her research sheds light on the lived experiences of patients who are left to integrate complex information from multiple specialists to interpret meanings for themselves, their families, their finances and their communities in the setting of collective and individual trauma. She describes the importance of using qualitative research methods to explore a range of experiences within groups rather than treating groups as a monolith. She also acknowledges the heaviness of this type of qualitative work and the importance of dissemination of findings to spark action.

Dr. Thomas connected the long history of research abuses in the US to current-day research practices that continue to disrespect Black women. For example, recent sickle cell disease NIPT research was conducted without incorporating the unique lived experiences of the affected women to understand whether and how to incorporate these technologies into practice. She emphasized the urgent need for the development and implementation of more comprehensive ethical guidelines in the field of reproductive health. These guidelines should specifically address the ethical dimensions of research on sickle cell disease and the burgeoning field of genetic technology, ensuring that the rights, dignity, and well-being of those affected particularly within marginalized communities. Finally, Dr. Thomas called for more robust advocacy efforts aimed at amplifying the voices of Black women and other marginalized groups in the creation of healthcare policies and research priorities. Such advocacy must not only challenge existing inequities but also ensure that affected communities have the power and agency to influence decisions that impact their lives, fostering a healthcare system that is equitable, inclusive, and just.

Read Dr. Thomas's work here:

Thomas SP, Fletcher FE, Willard R, Ranson TM, Bonham VL. Patient Perceptions on the Advancement of Noninvasive Prenatal Testing for Sickle Cell Disease among Black Women in the United States. AJOB Empir Bioeth. 2024 Apr-Jun;15(2):154-163. doi: 10.1080/23294515.2024.2302996. Epub 2024 Feb 13. PMID: 38349128.

Thomas SP. Trust Also Means Centering Black Women's Reproductive Health Narratives. Hastings Cent Rep. 2022 Mar;52 Suppl 1:S18-S21. doi: 10.1002/hast.1362. PMID: 35470876.

Fletcher F, Thomas SP, Lapite FC, Ray K. Bioethics Must Exemplify a Clear Path toward Justice: A Call to Action. Am J Bioeth. 2022 Jan;22(1):14-16. doi: 10.1080/15265161.2021.2001113. PMID: 34962203; PMCID: PMC9302876.

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Centering Reproductive Health of Black Women w/ Sickle Cell Disease by Kirk Johnson & Amelia Barwise

RAJEESH CELEBRATE WOMEN EQUALITY IN THE MANOSPHERE- feat. Malala Yousafzai. Prod Pedro López

In this episode of Aging For All, hosts Jen Yanez Pryor and Andrea Price welcome Glenis Boyd-Hughes, an intersectional gerontologist. Glenis shares her journey into gerontology, emphasizing the importance of understanding the social drivers of health and the impact of intersectionality on aging. The conversation explores how societal systems shape aging experiences and the need for community engagement and advocacy to create better outcomes for elders. Glenis encourages listeners to view aging as a gift and to take action in their communities to support others.

Redefining Aging: An Intersectional Approach with Glynis Boyd Hughes

The album closer reimagines the classic 1912 Lawrence Textile Strike song "Bread and Roses" for 2025, honoring the tradition while updating for intersectional struggles. WikipediaWMNF Opens with solo acoustic guitar and voice, traditional folk style, singing the original verse about hearts starving as bodies starve, about beauty and art being necessities not luxuries. "Hearts starve as well as bodies, give us bread but give us roses."
But then each verse adds a contemporary struggle: Trans people demanding not just survival but joy and celebration (gender splendor for everyone); disabled people demanding not just accessibility but full participation in society; reproductive justice meaning not just legal abortion but comprehensive care, childcare, paid leave; workers demanding not just living wages but dignity, democracy, and control over their labor; housing justice meaning not just shelter but community, culture, and homes that don't displace; immigrants demanding not just legal status but belonging and freedom from persecution.
Each verse builds instrumentally—first bass, then drums, then electric guitar—until the final chorus is a massive, soaring anthem with all the themes united: "We're fighting for our bread, our roses too / Trans liberation and reproductive rights / Labor unions and a place to live / Disability justice, immigrant freedom / All of it together, all of us alive / This is our time, this is our fight."

Bread and Roses (2025)

Title from the disability rights slogan "Nothing About Us Without Us." Wikipedia Addresses the less-visible struggle of disability activism. Verses reference the historic 504 Sit-in of 1977, the Capitol Crawl of 1990, and bring it to today's fights for accessible transportation, healthcare without discrimination, community-based living over institutionalization. Details the ADAPT activists still fighting for attendant services and accessible transit. Temple References the August 2024 "Know Your Rights for Disabled Protestors" guide created precisely because disabled people are on the front lines of ALL movements—Black Lives Matter, climate justice, LGBTQ rights, labor actions. DREDF
Chorus is powerful and declarative: "Nothing about us without us / Fix the system, not me / Nothing about us without us / Accessibility is justice, justice is free." Bridge addresses intersectionality—disabled LGBTQ+ people, disabled people of color, poor disabled people facing compounded discrimination. Ends with the ADA chant: "What do we want? ADA! When do we want it? NOW!" Temple

Nothing About Us

Opens the album with the GLAAD statistic: 932 anti-LGBTQ incidents in one year, 2.5 per day. But the song expands to show this is part of a larger pattern—575 anti-LGBTQ bills, aclu 27 states banning gender-affirming care, aclu 13.4% of children in poverty, Firstfocus 271,500 workers on strike. The chorus chants: "An injury to one is an injury to all / They're coming for us, they're coming for all / No left and right, just have and have not / 932 days till we tear this whole thing apart." References the Gender Liberation March linking trans rights and abortion rights, the intersectionality between all struggles. The 19th News Sets the urgent, angry, but hopeful tone.

932 Days

Mara Ahmed joins Heart of The East End Gianna Volpe on WLIW-FM ahead of the November 14th world premiere of her film, “The Injured Body: A Film About Racism in America” at Huntington’s Cinema Arts Centre, including a post-film discussion with Ahmed, the film's director, artist and curator Brianna L. Hernández of Ma’s House and BIPOC Art Studio, as well as renowned writer Uzma Aslam Khan.

https://www.wliw.org/radio/captivate-podcast/october-29th-2025-mara-ahmed/

The Injured Body: Interview with Gianna Volpe

lyrics:

everything that i do ripples out like water
it may not seem true but thats divine order
they wanna make you small but baby you're a warrior
don't give up on your mind, forever be a dreamer

lullabies at night to keep me from falling apart
cuz the money is always tight wishing for the good days to start

i've got so much on my miiind, praying for the day
that i can make change, put my fears to the grave,
when hesitation is erased

put my plans into action, jump in like a spring
make use out of my passion, no limit to my thinking

i am capable of everything i desire
i have so much anger but that is what fuels my fire
i will make a difference, ill make revisions,
modify, reform, evolve, resolve, well do it all
well do it
+
( ill do it
ill get there
on my shit
make it fair )

warrior//dreamer (prod. UNLUCKY)

tantas luchas

Dr. Jennifer Gomez, an Associate Professor at the Boston University School of Social Work, joins the #RaceClass Podcast to discuss her award winning book: "The Cultural Betrayal of Black Women & Girls." Dr. Gomez walks us through the genesis and evolution of her scholarship on cultural trauma and sexual violence -- specifically with reference to the subject position of Black women and girls. Join us for this deep, complex and hard hitting conversation with one of our nation's leading thinkers on the intersection of anti-blackness, patriarchy, sexual violence and communal trauma and repair.

Visit Dr. Gomez's website to learn more about her work: https://jmgomez.org/.

#Ep. 46 | The Cultural Betrayal of Black Women & Girls with Dr. Jennifer Gomez

An award-winning series with Boston University law professor Jonathan Feingold & WNHN host Arnie Arnesen about race and racism from a place of humility, commitment and curiosity.

Special thanks to WNHN and producers Stephanie Collins and Dave Scott.

earth-inspired, ancestrally-rooted, future-driven media for kiddos

The Virginia Center on Aging's podcast, Aging for All, features guests who are dedicated to advancing health, well-being, and equity for elders of today and tomorrow.

Hey, my name's Rajeesh! though in the world of beats, I go by Rajambwe. Since 2010, I’ve journeyed through the thunderous storms and calm seas of beat-making, flourishing like a phoenix reborn with every track. My sound has shattered barriers, transcended genres, and forged an unbreakable rhythm that pulses through the universe. Every beat is a heartbeat, every track a revolution. Witness my odyssey, for I am not just a beat maker,I am the relentless force that reshapes the entire music industry.

Music Studio, covering any genre, any kind of artist.

Independent filmmaker based in Rochester, NY.

Welcome to my virtual diary 📔 click “behind this track” for the lyrics !
⬇️⬇️⬇️

24 year old nonbinary lesbian independent artist <3 i make music in my bedroom ^.^

ig & tiktok @dedb4rbie

New tracks tagged #Intersectionality