DBM Ep 73: Sex, Shame, Black Kids & Black Motherhood

Dear Mamas & Magic Makers

What if I told you your child was born a sexual being? What if I told you that when it comes to sex and our children, we should focus on preparation instead of prevention? What if I told you intimacy and pleasure for your child were on the other side of your fear of them making a mistake? What if I told you resting in that fear erases a part of your child's humanity and as Black mamas we MUST provide space for our children's full humanity to be embraced. 

Those were the aha moments Kim Baker guided me to, cause ya girl has been struggling to talk to my sons about pleasure and intimacy, and I had real questions like how to support my child who, if they start losing their mind behind sex, cause it's happened to the best of us. So in this episode, we DIVE DEEP into topics around sex education, intimacy, and empowerment with our special guest, Kim Baker, a sexual health educator and founder of Own Every Piece, which works to resolve the inequities women face in their reproductive journey. 

We discuss cultivating an open dialogue about sexual health. Kim shares her insights on how parents can navigate these conversations amidst the overwhelming data and misinformation our kids are exposed to. 

We dive into:

• Teaching your kids the sign that sex has them in a chokehold cause we know it's happened to the best of us
• Understanding consent and the complexity of preparing our children for healthy relationships
• The importance of intimacy beyond sexuality
• Positive parenting approaches
• The profound impact of early sex education 

PLUS - Our LISTENER LOVE EPISODE RECORDING, where we invite our listeners to come on to the podcast, will take place on November 13th. I explain why The Wiz soundtrack was made to carry us through this moment. In our Black Mama Say segment for this episode, where we put our twist on sayings from Black mamas, and the saying we're twisting this episode is "Watch Yo Neck."

ABOUT KIM BAKER

Kim is a woman of many talents and roles—a Principal Investigator, Assistant Professor, and Assistant Dean of Practice. A leader in the sexual health space, she's been a well-known advocate for accessibility and equity. When she's not advocating for reproductive health, she's a leading voice on racial injustice. She is the founder of Own Every Piece, a multi-partner system-level intervention to increase access to contraception for women. She has also developed sexual health interventions informed by community needs, targeting males, faith institutions, and health providers. She is the co-founder of Full Circle Strategies Consulting Group, a firm that works with agencies across the nation to facilitate anti-racism change within their teams through strategic planning, training & coaching. She also serves as the Vice President of the Board of Directors for the Jacob & Terese Hershey Foundation. She received a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Hampton University, a Master of Public Health from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. From leading teams dedicated to advancing reproductive health to teaching graduate students and training them in public health practice skills, she does everything with grace, a steadfast vision, and fortitude. 

When she's not doing all the things, she's helping her kiddos with last-minute pre-K and Elementary school projects or watching the latest episode of Love After Lockup. We love a guilty pleasure.

Connect with Kim Baker: