Jamila Johnson pt2: The Dobbs Decision and a Journey of Advocacy

Good Life Stories

Jamila Johnson returns to Good Life Stories with a deeply personal story and perspective on the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision that overturned Roe v. Wade.

Jamila Johnson is an attorney who has worked extensively on issues related to reproductive rights, criminal justice reform, and advocating for underserved communities. After the Dobbs decision, Jamila made a career shift to focus on preserving the constitutional right to travel between states and assisting those who need to access abortion care in other states.

During the interview, Jamila shares how she became involved with an organization in Louisiana that organized a train trip for Black advocates and activists to travel from the South to Chicago, which was one of the closest locations for people to access abortion services after clinics closed in their home states. Jamila discusses the challenges and barriers people face, especially those without means, in having to travel long distances to receive essential reproductive healthcare.

"Two months after the Dobbs decision, I was on this train, and two months after that, I was no longer working in plantation prisons. I was normalizing being an abortion attorney in your forties."

This episode reveals a first-hand, personal account of how the Dobbs decision has upended lives and the immense practical and emotional toll it has taken. Jamila's story humanizes the real-world impact of this landmark Supreme Court ruling and underscores the critical importance of preserving fundamental rights and freedoms. Listeners will gain a deeper understanding of the realities facing those who are directly affected by these changes to abortion access.

Jamila also reflects on her own teenage pregnancy and the arduous path she chose, emphasizing the significance of having the freedom to make such decisions. Her story highlights the resilience required to navigate systemic obstacles and the importance of supporting those who are denied that choice.

In a lighter segment, Jamila shares her unique superpower of consuming audiobooks at double speed while multitasking, a skill that helps her manage her demanding workload. She also discusses the powerful influence Allen Ginsburg's poem "America" had on her life and work, and the emotional complexity of engaging with the nation's ideals and shortcomings.

"What I've been thinking about is just how important it is to have people help you on things, particularly in times of stress and trauma, because not only is a helper helping you do that thing that you need to do, but they're also in some way is saying, like, we're all connected."

The episode concludes with Jamila's thoughts on the importance of helpers in times of need, underscoring the interconnectedness of our successes and the profound impact of offering and receiving support.

00:00:00 " Jamila Johnson shares personal story about Dobbs decision on Good Life Stories

00:00:33 " You share a story about what you did after the Dobbs decision

00:04:00 " Jamila: The Dobbs decision came down on June 24 of 2022

00:07:39 " Louisiana recently passed a law that bans abortions for non-viable pregnancies

00:13:24 " I'm going to go to something a tiny bit lighter for a moment

00:14:04 " When I asked you what your superpower is, you talked about audiobooks

00:16:37 " I asked you about your favorite quote, saying or poem about America

00:23:15 " The nice thing about moving across the country is that you downsize

00:24:43 " I love that when I asked you if you hit one thing done

00:25:54 " Jamila: I've been thinking a lot about helping others lately

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About Jamila Johnson

Jamila Johnson (she/her/y’all) is a Senior Counsel. Jamila joined the Lawyering Project after almost a decade in private practice and nearly six years litigating around the remains of slavery and Jim Crow in Louisiana’s criminal systems. Jamila was the Deputy Director at the Promise of Justice Initiative (PJI), where she ran its End Plantation Prisons Project. For two years, she was PJI’s Managing Attorney for its Jim Crow Jury Project. There she led a mass post-conviction project during the pandemic for those in prison with non-unanimous jury verdicts. Before that, Jamila was a senior supervising attorney at Southern Poverty Law Center and a shareholder at Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt. She holds a law degree from the University of Washington School of Law.

Jamila is actively licensed to practice in Louisiana, Oregon and Washington. Jamila resides in New Orleans, Louisiana and is unreasonably enthusiastic about crawfish season.

Jamila’s Links

• Website: https://lawyeringproject.org/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamila-asha-johnson/
• Southern Poverty Law Center: https://www.splcenter.org/

About Tracy Crowley

Tracy Crowley has always been an entrepreneur. Whether it was making gowns for fellow Army wives, taking portraits in black and white, or working on her other businesses, she is always learning something new.

That passion for learning something new and giving something back collide nicely in this podcast.

Join Tracy for Good Life Stories, where simple curiosity brings out great stories, every single time.

Website: https://goodlifestories.com/

Check out Tracy’s new book! https://tracycrowley.life/