Anyone who likes a little social consciousness with their comedy should know Angelina Spicer.
The Brooklyn-born and Los Angeles-based comedian became an “accidental activist” after the birth of her daughter in 2015 led to a severe bout of postpartum depression that required hospitalization. Since then, much of her comedy has centered around that experience and she’s become an outspoken advocate for mothers suffering from postpartum depression, even working with lawmakers on legislation to support maternal mental health.
Spicer kicked off her “Postpartum Revolution Road Trip” earlier this month and will stop at the Tull Family Theater in Sewickley on Saturday. Her event, sponsored by Allegheny Health Network, starts at 7 p.m. and will include a screening of her comedy special “The Waldorf-Hysteria” followed by a panel discussion on postpartum depression featuring local survivors, birth workers and medical professionals.
Tickets for the screening are available via postpartumcomedyspecial.ticketleap.com. The Tull has made 40% of the tickets to Spicer’s show free for women who have dealt with postpartum depression or, as Spicer put it, “moms who want a night out but can’t afford a babysitter and a ticket.”
“We are thrilled to support Angelina’s work, not only as a filmmaker, but as a women’s health advocate making significant contributions at the national level,” said Carolina Pais-Barreto Thor, the Tull’s executive director.
In her comedy special, Spicer is brutally honest about the realities of postpartum depression, noting that she ended up in a psychiatric ward. She said the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic triggered her lingering postpartum depression and reminded her how important balancing motherhood and her professional life have been to stabilizing her mental state.
“I felt trapped again,” Spicer said. “No, I didn’t have an infant, I wasn’t breastfeeding, my wombs weren’t recovering from a vaginal delivery. But emotionally, I felt like I was trapped and there was no escaping my home. I was wedded to my house and the relentless responsibilities of motherhood.”
Spicer’s advocacy has helped boost the passage of three bills in California supporting new moms. Some of her frustration with the pandemic stemmed from the fact she had a slate of meetings scheduled on Capitol Hill to discuss national legislation on this topic that were either canceled or moved to Zoom, which “is not the same effect as me walking up to the Capitol building and shaking hands or giving a fist bump,” Spicer said.
Now that Spicer has been vaccinated, she has been busy helping others gain access to vaccines. She is excited to be on the road touring cities in an RV.
“That was the main reason that mama got her vaccine, so I can get back to work,” she said. “I’m tired of babysitting, homeschooling and looking at my man. I need to get back to work and do what made me happy.”
Part of the tour, which has already hit Atlanta and will be in Philadelphia Thursday, is working on her documentary, “The Push for Permission” that details Spicer’s battle with postpartum depression and her efforts to give women the resources they need. The tour and documentary are mostly crowdfounded and paid for out of Spicer’s pocket, so she’s appreciative the Tull is hosting her screening for free.
This will be her first time doing a show in Pittsburgh. The Steel City has been on Spicer’s radar for a while thanks to her work with AHN and the services it provides for local women suffering from postpartum and perinatal depression. She has also partnered with the Pittsburgh-based Alexis Joy Foundation, an organization that supports mothers and new families, on being there for moms in crisis who require immediate assistance.
One of the goals of the Postpartum Revolution tour is to educate locals on how accessible resources like those are in their own cities.
“I want to help them amplify their efforts and really engage the community,” she said. “I don’t know that the whole community, especially the Black and brown communities, know that AHN is there. ... A part of my hope and mission to normalize having postpartum depression is connecting moms to care and knowing there are resources here in your own backyard.”
Spicer hopes that anyone interested enough in her comedy and message comes Saturday ready to laugh but also with “an open mind and heart.” She also wanted to make it clear that her work isn’t designed to only resonate with mothers.
“We want to include dads and the whole family,” she said. “They are likely mom’s first line of defense. A mom delivers on her own but relies on support. If mom is struggling with postpartum depression like I was, she needs the people around her to understand what she’s going through.
“The postpartum revolution isn’t just for moms, but for everyone in the community.”
Joshua Axelrod: jaxelrod@post-gazette.com and Twitter @jaxelburgh.
First Published: July 14, 2021, 1:51 p.m.
