We’re back–and celebrating trans joy! Join us at Joe’s Pub on June 15th. For more details on this and more upcoming events and the latest on abortion rights, sign up for The Meteor newsletter.
Say the Word: A Night of Art and Action is a series of events where award-winning musicians, artists, journalists, organizers, and everyone who cares about the evening’s highlighted issue come together to learn, listen—and take action.
Say the Word launched in July 2022 with a sold-out show centered around abortion at Joe’s Pub in New York City. The most recent Say the Word focused on trans liberation, featuring all trans/non-binary speakers and artists. Lineups have included TV personality Whoopi Goldberg, musician Toshi Reagon, actor Amber Tamblyn, TV host Padma Lakshmi, Mr. Show creators Bob Odenkirk and David Cross, poet Rachel McKibbens, OB-GYN Dr. Heather Irobunda, singer-songwriter MILCK, the Resistance Revival Chorus, youth activists, legal experts, comedians, and more.
This series is produced by The Meteor, with support from The Meteor Fund.
WATCH THE HIGHLIGHTS
June 2023: Model, activist, and author Geena Rocero told a story of beauty, glamour, and trans power from her memoir “Horse Barbie” at Say the Word: A Night of Art and Action for Trans Liberation.
February 2023: Human rights lawyer Paula Ávila-Guillén broke down how the Green Wave Movement helped secure abortion rights in Argentina, Colombia, and Mexico as part of the Green Wave Movement.
June 2023: Father-and-son duo Hobbes and Stephen Chukumba shared dual perspectives of the time Hobbes came out as trans.
At the September 21, 2022 event, actress, author, and TV personality Whoopi Goldberg talked about the struggle for the right to legal abortion over the years.
Writer and activist Raquel Willis joined the evening on September 21 with this powerful poem: “I am a Black trans woman who believes in abortion.”
February 2023: Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Michael R. Jackson performed his activism anthem at Say the Word.
At the July 31, 2022 event, author, director, and actress Amber Tamblyn brought to life real voices on the ground after the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Poet Rachel McKibbens brought the house down at the September 21 event with her commanding poem: "Una Oración (Bruja's Soliloquy)."
Indiana OB-GYN Caitlin Bernard, M.D., joined the July 31 event to share her personal struggle to care for patients.
PAST SPEAKERS AND PERFORMERS
Whoopi Goldberg
Actress, author, and TV personality
Moist Paula Henderson
Saxophonist and composer
Dr. Heather Irobunda, MD
Obstetrician-Gynecologist
Padma Lakshmi
TV host, Author, and Activist
Bob Odenkirk
ACTOR AND COMEDIAN
David Cross
ACTOR AND COMEDIAN
Brittany K. Allen
WRITER AND ACTOR
Elizabeth Estrada
NATIONAL LATINA INSTITUTE FOR REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE
MILCK
Singer-Songwriter and producer
Mishti
Singer-Songwriter
Elie Mystal
Justice correspondent for The Nation
Meah Pace
Singer-songwriter
Dr. Caitlin Bernard, MD
Obstetrician-Gynecologist
BIIANCO
Musical artist and producer
Dj Monday Blue
Creator and resident DJ of Doyennes of Disc
Hennessy Garcia, Niharika Rao, and Lala Hartman
Activists, NYC for Abortion Rights
Crys Matthews
Singer-Songwriter
Marlene McCarty
Visual Artist
Madison McFerrin
Singer-Songwriter
Rachel McKibbens
Poet
Toshi Reagon
Singer, Composer, and Musician
Alysia Reiner
Actress and producer
Resistance Revival Chorus
Choir
Kate Rigg
Actress and Comedian
Emma Roth
Civil Rights attorney, Pregnancy Justice
Chase Strangio
Lawyer and Transgender Rights Activist
Dana Sussman
Deputy executive director, Pregnancy Justice
Amber Tamblyn
Author, Director, and Actress
Alia Tejeda
Volunteer Case Manager, New York Abortion Access Fund
Trixie Whitley
Multi-instrumentalist
Chelsea Williams-Diggs
Interim executive director, New York Abortion Access Fund
Raquel Willis
Writer and transgender rights activist
Cecilia Gentili
FOUNDER OF TRANSGENDER EQUITY COUNSELING
Ebony Marshall-Oliver
ACTRESS AND SINGER
Hobbes and Stephen Chukumba
FATHER-AND-SON LGBTQ+ RIGHTS ADVOCATES
Ianne Fields Stewart
STORYTELLER AND TRANSGENDER RIGHTS ACTIVIST
Jaye McBride
COMEDIAN AND TRANSGENDER RIGHTS ADVOCATE
Jes Tom
WRITER AND COMEDIAN
Dr. Kameelah Phillips
OBSTETRICIAN & GYNECOLOGIST AND WOMEN’S HEALTH ADVOCATE
Michael R. Jackson
PLAYWRIGHT, COMPOSER AND LYRICIST
Sage Grace Dolan-Sandrino
DIRECTOR AND ACTOR
Shelley Nicole’s blaKbüshe
SINGER, WRITER, COMPOSER, & HEALER
Sydney Baloue
VOGUER
Thank God for Abortion!
COLLECTIVE ACTIVISM INITIATIVE
Wazi
DJ
OUR IMPACT
Say the Word donates The Meteor’s portion of proceeds to local organizers. Past evenings benefited the New York Abortion Access Fund, in partnership with Planned Parenthood Federation of America. And throughout the shows, performers and the MC share action steps the audience can take—and QR codes on the table help attendees connect to ways to get involved in the movement, including phone-banking, becoming a local clinic escort, and supporting local abortion funds.
To make a donation to the New York Abortion Access Fund go to nyaaf.org.
Stay tuned here for more details on our next Say the Word event.
