Book Review: Killing the Black Body

I read this book earlier in the year, before the latest reversal of reproductive rights, but I’m publishing this blog post now for anyone (white women especially) who are feeling betrayed and confused. If you’re wondering how something like this could happen, it’s time to read up on the American history of reproductive control, particularly as it pertains to Black and brown people. This isn’t new, this is just the first time it’s directly affecting white people.

At the top: Killing the Black Body is a revolutionary book. I actually had to look up when it was published partway through (why yes I did ignore the bold “twentieth anniversary edition” on the cover) because the author was describing so many things that still affect us today. I was blown away to find this uber-specific nonfiction book published in 1999 still holds so much relevance today. Perhaps that is one of the enduring messages that keeps the book in such high demand still.

The overall message, structure, and topic hierarchy works well to make the author’s points. Because Roberts mostly moves in chronological order, the problems established in previous chapters recur in later ones, having manifested themselves in new ways. This cyclical building up of an argument helps synthesize it for more readers, who are either looking for more evidence (to be convinced) or more ammunition (to convince others). 

Similar themes running through the entire book all tend to center on the external influence of Black women’s reproduction. In early America, slave women’s reproductive abilities were exploited to increase the amount of slaves at an owner’s disposal, and when it came to punishment for offenses, they were usually doled out with the health of the fetus in mind. Slave women were merely vessels. Fast forward to the early 1900s and the rise of eugenicist thinking and policies, mainly aimed toward increasing the “good” stock of affluent white people and decreasing the “bad” stock of poor and ill people (largely Black). Birth control was championed as a way for women to decide when and where they get pregnant, but was quickly turned back onto Black women as a way to keep them from procreating and bringing more poor Black children into the world (and thus the financial burden of the state to keep them alive). From the abuse of long-term contraceptives like Norplant and Depo-Provera, to involuntary sterilization of everyone under medical care deemed unfit to mother, Black women have suffered from provider-controlled birth control in one way or another for a century. 

I was especially moved by the earliest chapters that covered more historical topics and ones I have less personal knowledge of. I’m not even sure if I’d ever heard of Norplant, as it had long been out of fashion before I grew up and learned about my birth control options. I also appreciate the critical assessment of people and institutions that many of us recognize but don’t know the full extent of their history at this point. I fully believe in transparency all the way down, and only learning about what a person is best known for, or what an organization does today cannot give us the fullest picture, which can be dangerous for marginalized people.

I found myself nodding along often with Roberts’ many salient points, and the way she was able to gather all sorts of historical information, study data, and information from other publications to drive home her arguments felt very tangible. Even though people still try it, it’s very hard to refute these points when they’re so backed up and well-presented. This is definitely one of those books that anyone working in the birth and reproductive space should read, to further their knowledge and to challenge their beliefs along the way.

Pattern: Vanilla Twist Socks

It’s finally release day for my first sock pattern, the Vanilla Twist Socks! I first had the idea for this type of pattern a few years back when one of my favorite pairs of RTW socks got holes in them from me wearing them so often. But they were marled, ribbed ankle socks and perfectly comfy! A year or so later, my sister showed me a pair of her favorite socks that' she’d also worn out. These were also marled, but mid-calf and stockinette. Thus began the idea to design a knitting pattern that duped all our favorite socks in one.

The first pair of Vanilla Twist Socks went out into the world almost exactly a year ago. When my uncle was diagnosed with lung cancer last spring, I did what any knitter would do and made comfy socks for him to wear to chemo. He received them in time to wear them to his birthday session on May 4th. Since then, I’ve gifted a few pairs, made almost a dozen samples, and seen even more come to life as my testers put their own twists on the pattern. I’ve been so humbled and flattered by all the interest so far, not to mention energized and fulfilled that I get to share my craft with more people by designing patterns. I am a big fan of these socks, and as a very particular knitter they truly check all my boxes: comfy, thick, gender neutral, customizable, memorizable, portable, fast, snug, squishy!

The pattern is available now in my shop and on Ravelry. Whether you’re making a pair for yourself, or everyone in your life, I hope you find comfort in every stitch and every step. Happy knitting!

Book Review: Revolutionary Mothering

“This is why mothering, as a social practice, exists in a state of paradox—culturally idealized (i.e. in a white supremacist way) yet lacking in any social or economic value. It is literally priceless.”

— “Mothering as Revolutionary Praxis,” Cynthia Dewi Oka

Revolutionary Mothering is an essay collection exploring the concept of mothering, both in the oldest and most literal sense of giving birth to and raising children, and also in its use in queer spaces as a way to “mother” those without literal mothers; not to mention how women and femmes are socially conditioned to develop a mothering instinct that informs their relationship with the world at large. As a childless woman, I still feel like a mother towards certain people or in certain situations that call for my instinct to kick in. It’s a useful survival tool, especially for those who are in a constant state of survival. 

My first thought when I started reading was the structure. With three editors and dozens of contributors, it would’ve been easy to lose the plot early on. But defining specific sections and the goals of each, the editors were able to cater each piece to its section and create a more cohesive flow through the book. As a lifelong reader with less and less free time on her hands, I appreciate essay collections for their bite-sized chunks of information and stories while still following a higher order. They’re kind of like a birds-eye view of cars on a highway; zoom into each car and find a different person behind the wheel with a different motivation for traveling, a different story to tell. But zoom back out and you can see they are all headed to the same place. Essay collections pull together a lot of different perspectives and writing styles to diversify the vehicle we take to our collective destination. Furthermore, a typical feature of the “revolutionary” book is the eschewing of traditional norms of grammar and content; I could tell the editors had a light touch throughout, allowing each contributor’s authentic voice to come through. And, of course, I’ve been saying essay collection but there was also poetry and photography throughout, further proving the point of many forms of expression. 

One thing I noticed when it came to the higher structure of the different sections is that even though they had clearly distinct goals, there was still a lot of overlap in the actual content. Though I think in a book like this that is easily excused by the fact that telling stories of mothering and motherhood inherently pulls in many different topics, and talking about how one has learned a specific lesson about motherhood usually requires one to talk about how they came to be a mother or how they learned from their mothers, creating a sort of progressive feedback loop to earlier sections, slowly gaining speed toward the end. I especially think that the opening essay/lecture from June Jordan was a good way to set the overall tone and pace. 

My main takeaway from Revolutionary Mothering is that Black mothering is inherently queer and revolutionary, simply because they have been told they shouldn’t exist and shouldn’t mother, and yet continue to thrive and raise children in an anti-Black society. Many of the essays featured mothering situations where the parent leaned on their communities (both familial and local) to raise children outside of the traditional nuclear family model. When communities get involved in child-rearing, the children are exposed to more than they would with just their parents, and more involved in the community long-term. Plus, the parent feels more cared for and less burnt out so that they can balance mothering with jobs and activism. This approach seems at once a middle finger to the idea of “you can have/do it all” and a triumph proving that with the right community support you can. I think this is a strategy more parents rely on than they admit, and one I would like to see come back as the norm. Individually, we can’t have it all; but together we can do it all. 

“It is widely acknowledged that in Western culture we expect parents, especially mothers, to always act like they can “do it all” with grace and ease. I have found that the radical/natural parenting community is no different. Many mom acquaintances of mine do not deign to share much of the difficult moments they experience as caregivers. The need to present as though one is successful at mainstream parenting techniques has simply been substituted with an alternative…I find this discouraging and not radical at all, and I don’t see myself, as a mama with a disability, reflected in that reality.”

— “Step on a Crack: Parenting with Chronic Pain,” Claire Berrera

Recipe: Sausage Spinach Tortellini Soup

If you know me, you won’t be the least bit surprised to see that the first recipe I’m sharing is my all-time favorite soup: Sausage Spinach Tortellini Soup. The title might be a mouthful, but so is the soup! This is one of those soups that elevates the form to a meal, with the inclusion of meat, pasta, and greens, and has become my go-to when I need something simple, quick, nutritious, and comforting. During Minnesota winters, we probably eat this 2-3 times a month!

Prep work is minimal, the cook time is relatively short for a soup, and it’s very easy to modify for vegetarian diets or meal prep (see notes). Plus, it’s one of those rare few-ingredient recipes that still offers plenty of flavor!

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive or vegetable oil

1 medium onion, diced

1 heaping tbsp minced garlic (4-5 cloves)

1 lb ground hot Italian sausage*

2 tbsp chopped basil

28 oz crushed tomatoes

32 oz vegetable broth

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp Italian seasoning (optional)

9 oz refrigerated or frozen cheese tortellini**

5 oz fresh spinach

Instructions

1. Heat oil in large, heavy-bottomed pot (like a Dutch oven) over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until soft and almost translucent.

2. Add in sausage and garlic. Stir frequently for 6-8 minutes, breaking up the sausage into bite-size and smaller pieces, until no longer pink.

3. Stir in basil, crushed tomatoes, vegetable broth, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20-30 minutes.

4. Add spinach and stir once to combine. Add tortellini and stir to combine, making sure the pasta is submerged. Simmer for another 10 minutes, or until tortellini is tender.

5. Enjoy immediately with bread.

Notes

*To make vegetarian: use a plant-based meat substitute in place of the sausage. If using vegan sausages (not ground), roughly chopping them first will make it easier to break them up while cooking.

**To meal prep: Follow instructions through Step 3. Only add the spinach and cook just long enough to wilt the spinach, 2-3 minutes. Allow the soup to cool before pouring it into containers to refrigerate or freeze. When ready to eat, cook a pack of tortellini per manufacturer’s instructions, and then portion out into reheated soup.

Welcome to A Crafted Birth

Hello there! My name is Kate Campbell, I’m a doula and knitwear designer based in the Twin Cities, and I am so happy you found me. Even though I’m a millennial who grew up on the internet, I still struggle to maintain an online presence; you may find that I only blog or post on social media occasionally, but I always welcome new connections, so do not hesitate to start a conversation. I’m hoping this website can be a hub for both my doula clients and my pattern customers (and anyone who may overlap!), but first I would like to dive in a bit on who I am, what I do, and what I stand for.

A Crafted Birth was born out of my passion for creating. I love making things with fiber and my hands, and I love supporting people who have made life within them. In our modern society, it can be hard to connect with ancestral traditions of making our own clothes and food and furniture, of raising our children on instinct and in tight-knit communities that look out for each other. As a doula, I help augment some of the community care new parents are missing, to ease them into parenthood. And as a knitwear designer, I share my knowledge with others so that we can continue to create clothes that will be enjoyed and passed down for years and wearers to come.

When it comes to my values, I am pro-Black, pro-choice, pro-LGBTQIA2S+, pro-union, anti-capitalist, and anti-cop. I want universal healthcare, a (much!) higher minimum wage, more models of community care, and no more prisons. I am a white, cis, straight, able-bodied, neurotypical, middle-class, married woman. I work hard to use my skills, strengths, and privileges to lift up those around me. As Toni Morrison said, “remember that your real job is that if you are free, you need to free somebody else. If you have some power, then your job is to empower somebody else.”

When I finally left the corporate world last year and started my doula training, the relief was palpable. I was exactly where I needed to be. I had a similar feeling earlier this year when I finally wrote my first knitting pattern, which had been swimming around in my brain for almost a year. I may be new to these spaces, but my arrival has been a long time coming. I have set out on this path with the greatest intention.

I am so excited to meet you, to care for you, to educate you, and to witness you as we learn and grow together.