As the sun sank over the sparkling lights of downtown Detroit, Shady Ladies flooded the The Whiskey Factory to talk about women’s healthcare. In particular, they were ready to hear about Everything Below the Waist, author Jennifer Block’s new book. 

Guests were greeted with “The Rebecca Lee” cocktail, named after Rebecca Lee Crumpler, the first African American female physician in the U.S. Detroit City Distillery bartender Erin Ura created the drink, which she said was “low octane” to honor the healthy conversation. She used DCD vodka, Dolin Blanc, cucumber juice, ginger syrup, lemon and elderberry bitters. 

Drinks in hand, guests toured the yeasty-smelling distillery, which was once home to the Stroh’s Ice Cream Factory. Guests learned the difference between whiskey and rye – and the meaning behind “all bourbon is whiskey, but not all whiskey is bourbon” — while tasting Detroit City Distillery’s award-winning bourbon.

Chef Omar Anani nourished the event with the modern Moroccan flavors of his restaurant, Saffron de Twah. Omar borrows many of his recipes from his mother and grandmother and credits them with driving him to make “community accessible food.” All we know is the lamb ribs were gone in a flash and we woke up the next morning wanting more!

Our Founder, Amy Haimerl, then gathered the Shady Ladies around a spotlighted leather couch, where her introduction brought the group together in a sense of pure love and connection – sharing her personal story in navigating the world of women’s health.

“We all feel like we are in these isolated little bubbles,” Amy said, “but in reality we are all having to deal with the same things.”  

Jennifer shed a light on her reporting into women’s reproductive healthcare. In Everything Below the Waist, she lays out a pattern of how women are undermined in finding good care, taking readers from Flint to Miami on a journey to find answers.

“So many decisions and protocols are based on only one thing,” she said, “but our lives are complex.” 

Testimonies from Shady Ladies, and the collective outcry for radical change, grew as the night progressed. Women opened up about their own experiences – some about home births, some about menopause, some about birth control – and all were met with acceptance and support from their fellow Shady Ladies. 

“Part of the solution is we need to take responsibility for what happens to our bodies,” said Jennifer. — Allia McDowell