Vernahia Davis has always been aware of the challenges facing Black and brown women who have to navigate the healthcare system — and that was before she became a mother.
Davis and many other women have faced their medical concerns being dismissed by doctors, she said.
She shared her stories of navigating her reproductive health as part of “This Side of Salina,” a film directed by Brooklyn-based filmmaker Lynne Sachs. Davis was one of four women whose experiences are displayed in the film, which is being shown on the Everson Museum of Art’s facade. The film will run on a continuous loop every Thursday through Saturday from dusk until 11 p.m. through Dec. 21.
“Doing this for my daughter is just a legacy,” Davis said. “It’s the importance of learning her body, advocating for herself, and learning that these things happen to other women.”
Sachs’ film is intended to show women living in states where abortion is legal still face medical inequities, she said. To create the film, she worked with members of Layla’s Got You, an organization that focuses on the reproductive health of women of color.
Davis is joined in the film by: J’Viona Baker, 21; Ja’Rhea Dixon, 26; and Angela Stroman, 27. All are from Syracuse and all four are part of Layla’s Got You. In the film, the four women speak about the lack of support and empowerment they’ve felt when seeking information about their reproductive health.
Sachs also worked with Anneka Herre, the program director at Light Work Urban Video Project, Minnie McMillian, a psychology graduate student at Syracuse University, and Tiffany Lloyd, the founder of Layla’s Got You. Lloyd believes the film is a win for the community because it is rare to have Black women publicize their experiences with trying to get reproductive care in the city.
“When people saw the film for the first time, they identified with what the young women were saying and talking about [with] some of the challenges and issues,” said Lloyd.
Sachs began working on “This Side of Salina” in March. She received a grant from the New York State Council for the Arts through Light Work to work on the project, she said. Sachs, originally from Memphis, is part of the Abortion Clinic Film Collective. The group makes films in states where abortion rights have been challenged, Sachs said. After joining the collective in 2023, Sachs directed “Contractions,” her first short film about reproductive rights. It debuted earlier this year.
She’d been drawn to Central New York for her latest film because of its history in the feminist and suffragist movements.
“I wasn’t trying to give a contemporary tale, but I felt like there was a background around women’s rights, so that was feeding my curiosity about the area,” Sachs said.
Ultimately, when Sachs arrived in Syracuse, she knew she wanted to explore the experiences of women of color and reproductive health. Sachs connected with Lloyd, who introduced her to the four women who appear in the film.
Sachs stayed in Syracuse for a month to work with Herre, McMillian, and Lloyd to film the project.
Conversations between the four women and Sachs helped them decide on filming locations. The women took Sachs to the home of Dixon’s mother and grandfather, Black Citizens Brigade, The Classic Bop Hat Boutique, Brady Market and the Everson Museum of Art.
Sachs interviewed each of the women. She asked them reflective questions to prompt conversations. The responses are audio sound featured bites in the film:
- What was your mom’s life like?
- What was your grandmother’s life like?
- How was it different from yours?
“I remember the question like it was yesterday and I don’t think I’ll ever really forget a question like that,” Dixon said. “Honestly having those conversations built sisterhood, because we realized that, ‘Hey, I’m not the only one going for this. I’m not the only one experiencing these things.’ And so that kind of helped boost the bonds and the relationship that we were already building.”
The film helped shed light on the parallels between each woman’s experience trying to get reproductive care, Baker said.
Participating in the film prompted Davis to reflect on her life and her daughter’s life. She realized that she could not remove her daughter from the realities she would one day encounter as a woman trying to get care. She hopes to lay the foundation for change for her daughter.
“This is my first time actively speaking out on Black women’s health in this realm for the topic,” Davis said. “I will say that it’s been a journey, but it’s given me confidence.”
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