Today we’d like to introduce you to Jillianne Samiano & Kennedi Malone.
Hi Jillianne & Kennedi, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
In the early weeks of our first year at Agnes Scott College, we learned that a new Texas law was limiting access to abortion, stripping many people of access to basic healthcare and the opportunity to make decisions about their own bodies. We were outraged after hearing this news and wanted to take immediate action to fight the policing and criminalization of their bodies. Beads for Our Bodies was born out of our effort to create a platform where we could promote confidence and autonomy in women, femme, gender non-conforming, and genderqueer youth and celebrate those whose bodies have been policed. We raise funds for local Atlanta abortion clinics and Reproductive Justice organizations by handmaking feminist-inspired jewelry to create pieces that give the people who choose to wear them a sense of visibility. We draw inspiration from current fashion trends in order to center in popular culture those who have been robbed of representation and bodily autonomy. Soon after hearing about the new abortion ban, Reproductive Justice marches were being held all over the country. We got in contact with some people who were organizing in Atlanta and spent nights leading up to the march making jewelry to pass out to attendees. We wanted to spread our mission to activists, politicians, and other outraged Georgians. From then on, we continued preparing for vendor fairs and planning numerous events on our campus, raising over $1000 for Atlanta reproductive clinics and organizations. Now, after the overturning of Roe v. Wade, we’re working to grow our organization and increase the support we can offer to those who are committed to this liberation work.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Beads for Our Bodies has received such a warm welcome from the Decatur and Midtown community and we are so grateful for it–especially considering how the both of us are learning how to navigate being full-time students and first-time small business founders. In the first few months of operation, we really had to reconcile our commitment to maintaining our brand with our commitment to our undergraduate career. There was a time when we stayed up until 3:00 a.m. to finish making inventory for Agnes Scott College’s December Vendor Fair because we couldn’t find time in our school schedules beforehand. Other times, we had to make the tough decision to not participate in local vendor fairs and strategize other ways to gain support for Reproductive Justice advocates and health centers. Understanding that we can’t be present everywhere at all times was a hard realization to come to, but we knew that it was a necessary one if we wanted to be sustainable actors in the Reproductive Justice movement. It was also a necessary decision to ensure that our work was ethical work. There are so many well-established collectives who have been doing Reproductive Justice work for far longer than we have, and it would be an erosion of our commitment to this work if we co-opted those organizations’ efforts. Knowing when and how we can show up in this movement to better support collaboration and an exchange of ideas is an ongoing process of exploration, but something that is really important to us.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We raise funds for local Atlanta abortion clinics and Reproductive Justice organizations by handmaking feminist-inspired jewelry to create pieces that give the people who choose to wear them a sense of visibility. We draw inspiration from current fashion trends in order to center in popular culture those who have been robbed of representation and bodily autonomy.
So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
With your help, we can actualize our mission alongside more people in the Atlanta area. Follow and share our social media accounts, and commission a handmade piece from us! By purchasing from Beads for Our Bodies, you can be sure that your design centers both your aesthetics and your politics. We’re also looking for photographers and models to help capture the vision of our organization, so please let us know if you are local to the area and willing to collaborate with us on a photoshoot!
Pricing:
- Necklaces: $10-20
- Bracelets: $3.50-$5
- Phone Chains: $15
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CVtjcDWMLuv/
- Other: Commission URL: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSekTXDL3bzJ_SFgNLD7shZMvd89IE7Cg7UNAoGfc2CGlzEPPQ/viewform Donation URL: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/b4ob
