Facing Race: A National Conference in St. Louis, MO — November 20-22, 2024

Belly of the Beast

You are viewing content from Facing Race 2020.
Tuesday, 11/10
12:00 am to 12:00 am

When a courageous young woman and a radical lawyer discover a pattern of illegal sterilizations in California’s women’s prisons, they wage a near-impossible battle against the Department of Corrections. With a growing team of investigators inside prison working with colleagues on the outside, they uncover a series of statewide crimes - from inadequate health care to sexual assault to coercive sterilizations - primarily targeting women of color. This shocking legal drama captured over 7-years features extraordinary access and intimate accounts from currently and formerly incarcerated people, demanding attention to a shameful and ongoing legacy of eugenics and reproductive injustice in the United States.

Directed/Produced by Erika Cohn; Produced by Angela Tucker, Christen Marquez, and Nicole Docta