Racist, anti-choice propaganda coming to a hair salon near you

In their ongoing efforts to target black women, anti-choice groups now appear to be taking their message to the hair salons.

Anti-choice organizers were “working the crowd” at a trade show for barbers and hair stylists in Atlanta this past weekend, hoping to convince them to discuss the evils of abortion in their shops.

LifeSiteNews reports:

According to the organizers of the “Samson Project” – named for the long-haired Nazirite of the Old Testament – over 1,000 people committed to watching their DVD, and talking about abortion’s tragic impact on the black community in their shops.

At a booth set up among displays of blow dryers, hair buzzers and samples of creams and lotions at the Bronner Brothers Int. Hair show, the Samson Project offered something completely different. Under a banner reading “Life Talks,” pro-life workers handed out folders with information on the disproportionately high abortion rates for black women, a copy of MAAFA 21, the documentary on black genocide in 21st century America, and a window decal for their shops.

I’m curious to see whether the 1,000 hairdressers who have committed to being anti-choice advocates in their workplace actually follow through. Seems risky. As Christina Martin, the director of Bound4Life Atlanta, said, “There’s a real sense of community and togetherness as conversations ring high over the noise of blow dryers and buzzers.” Wonder what happens to that sense of community when you start spouting anti-choice propaganda to women who have probably either had an abortion themselves or have loved someone who has?

I’m guessing women who don’t really feel like being accused of committing genocide against their race while getting their curls done might just, oh I dunno, go to a different salon? Or, better yet, they might even talk back. See, that’s the tricky thing about inviting folks to talk about abortion: their actual, lived experiences might challenge the anti-choice talking points on some DVD.

Related:
The continuing fight against anti-abortion billboards targeting communities of color
New racist anti-choice billboard campaign to target Latinas
President Obama’s face used on most recent anti-choice billboard campaign
New racist anti-choice billboards show up in NYC

St. Paul, MN

Maya Dusenbery is executive director in charge of editorial at Feministing. She is the author of the forthcoming book Doing Harm: The Truth About How Bad Medicine and Lazy Science Leave Women Dismissed, Misdiagnosed, and Sick (HarperOne, March 2018). She has been a fellow at Mother Jones magazine and a columnist at Pacific Standard magazine. Her work has appeared in publications like Cosmopolitan.com, TheAtlantic.com, Bitch Magazine, as well as the anthology The Feminist Utopia Project. Before become a full-time journalist, she worked at the National Institute for Reproductive Health. A Minnesota native, she received her B.A. from Carleton College in 2008. After living in Brooklyn, Oakland, and Atlanta, she is currently based in the Twin Cities.

Maya Dusenbery is an executive director of Feministing and author of the forthcoming book Doing Harm on sexism in medicine.

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