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This is An Activist Stomping Ground You Should Attend

8/29/2014

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By Farah Ardeshir

CLPP. Pronounced CLIP yet not meant to cut off, trim, pare, or curtail. But, it's funny because I would use all those adjectives to describe the manner in which we have recently seen civil rights and civil liberties cut off, trimmed, pared and curtailed. CLPP is the exact opposite. 

Civil Liberties and Public Policy Program, now you know it as CLPP,  is a "reproductive rights and justice organization" who  "for over 30 years, CLPP has been working to realize a world in which all people have the economic, social, and political power necessary to make healthy decisions about our bodies, families, sexuality, and reproduction." 

It's not just a conference where you hoard all the free event goodies, of course, that happens, but before you reach that point of geekery, you've officially put your cool face on because reproductive freedom heroines are roaming about, often standing nearly 2 feet from you in the 100 foot lunch line. If that isn't enough, you might be ogling over the food. I'm a foodster (made that up) who looks forward to rating their food because it doesn't taste like conference food. Check. It's definitely an event for dreamers. And it's most certainly a space for queers, for hip hop lovers, for femme queers, for friendly people, for dancers, for #LaverneCox lovers (wish she would be a keynote speaker), for Queen Bey disciples, and for anyone else you can think of that a) believes reproductive freedom is necessary to have a stake in for current and future earthlings and b) also believes it cannot truly be achieved without prioritizing immigrant rights, racial justice, trans justice, queer liberation, (dis)ability justice and c) in some way participates in that progress.

I remember feeling the whole room swallow up the chatter when Monica Raye Simpson, Executive Director of SisterSong, stepped onto the stage during the open plenary and sang. Being a dreamer, I swelled up with a sense of unfettered optimism thinking that the entire room was echoing my little inner voice dialogue, "Wow, Monica, you are so brave up there. This is beautiful. Why doesn't Congress host stuff like this?" 

So, I'm taking this moment to spread the gospel.  Here's what happened and what will hopefully happen when you go to CLPP:  

Colored Girls Hustle wipes the floor while the whole crowd claps along with them.

Loretta Ross, founder of SisterSong, and Dázon Dixon Diallo, MPH, founder of SisterLove recount historical moments in the reproductive justice movement and share visions of what will come for the movement. Found a little trashed up piece of paper at the last moment and got it signed by Loretta. Word. 

Made some of the greatest fellow organizer and activist friends spread across the United States. 

Listened to Deborah Peterson Small lecture about Marxism, White Supremacist Capitalistic culture, and state-sanctioned criminalization of black bodies and pregnant bodies. All of my academic dream topics in one lecture. 

Purchased a zine that afforded me a great deal of emotional support called Transplants, Sowing the Seed of Gender in the Garden. You can find your own copy at drawnbloodpress@etsy.com. 

Foolishly sang in unison with a group of Bey lovers to the entire visual album. What can be better than that? 


Like I said earlier, I hope that Laverne Cox is a keynote speaker in the near future. 

I hope there is a kickball game because a body gets stiff after hours of sitting through lectures. 


I would love to see Autostraddle send a few journalists to CLPP with swag in tow. 

It would also be great if the seminar on how to work in the movement extended into a mini job fair for participants. For a lot of us, we travel a great distance to reach CLPP so making the most of it with a mini job fair would be smashing. 

Bon voyage, kids. It's not all daisies and daffodils. You're going to hear people say things you disagree with. You'll have long conversations about engaging your community in different ways and short conversations about where to find coffee, immediately. All in all, you'll think and criticize and create and envision and learn. 





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Reflections on Radical Collaborations in our Movements for Justice

8/15/2014

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RADICAL COLLABORATIONS IN OUR MOVEMENTS FOR JUSTICE
Across Economic, Racial, and Reproductive Justice
A Breakthrough Conversation

In late June of 2014, KHJN co-hosted an event with CoreAlign called Radical Collaborations in our Movements for Justice. 

what was the purpose?
We wanted to discuss structural oppression in our community. With the heightening awareness of the importance of economic justice activists are teaching us, we wanted to reach across siloed movements and show solidarity and collaboration with other movements, racial and reproductive justice, that are equally important to unpinning systems of oppression. We wanted to ask: what role does radical collaboration play in our movements for justice?

interesting data about event:
  • Over 1/3 of participants identify as people of color
  • Participants ranged in age from 20s to 60s
  • At least 2 people used "they" as their pronoun
  • Co-hosts provided childcare for the full event

was there a breakthrough?

"White women are not making room for Black women’s leadership
within reproductive justice organizations."
"I don’t know what Black women’s priorities are." 

Top 4 crowd-sourced questions from the fishbowl and major takeaways for readers:
1. What can I do when I feel someone’s beliefs are in opposition to justice but I still want to welcome them to the movement?

2. How can we ensure that the least privileged among us are centered in our work?

3. White folks, what can you commit to today to ensure that social justice spaces you are in are more inclusive of People of Color who may also identify as poor, LGBTQ or differently abled?

4. Address the lack of strategic planning and just putting out fires.


where do we go from here? 
KHJN made a commitment to next steps around inclusion of POC and examination of how we can make our organization more welcoming to POC. Look for an update of our commitment coming soon!

'White folks, what can you commit to today to ensure that social justice spaces you are in are more inclusive of People of Color who may also identify as poor, LGBTQ or differently abled?'— Participant

connections made:
KHJN was asked to give an RJ101 to an organization.
KHJN was asked to have a strategic meeting with a participant, making a new connection for each party. 
3 participants are expected to attend a lunch to discuss how to make new collaborations possible.

wider connections made:
issues within racial justice, reproductive justice, and economic justice movements are connected, but the conversation connecting the dots needs to be continued. If you attended, please fill out the poll below!

See more photos of the event by visiting CoreAlign's Facebook or check out this guest blog by one of the co-host organizers, Farah Ardeshir! 


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RJ Ahora! Celebrating the 5th Annual Latina Week of Action for Reproductive Justice

8/7/2014

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This week, Kentucky Health Justice Network is proud to be signing on as an organizational ally for the 5th annual Latina Latina Week of Action for Reproductive Justice.   For the second year, we are joining over 40 organizations across the country to stand with Latinas as they organize for a better future for themselves, their families, and their communities. 

To read more about the week of action, check out the website and read the Declaration of Solidarity below:

We, the undersigned, join to declare our solidarity with, and commitment to work alongside, Latinas, their families, and communities, as they struggle for reproductive justice and the recognition of their human rights.

Twenty years ago, a group of visionary Black women created the Reproductive Justice (RJ) framework, founding a transformational and culturally grounded movement for human rights and social change. Latinas across the country joined with Black, Asian American and Pacific Islander, and Indigenous herman@s in embracing this new reproductive justice framework. In the process, we reframed our organizing and advocacy to work across issues and identities while building the movement for dignity, justice, and self-determination for ourselves, our families, and our communities.

Despite gains made over 20 years of organizing, resistance, and collaboration within the framework of reproductive justice, our communities are threatened. Latinas across the country are facing deportation, restrictions on access to abortion and other critical reproductive health services, violence, discrimination, lack of health care, and the denial of our human rights.

We declare our support for the full recognition of the human and civil rights of Latinas: among these are the human right to health care, including reproductive health care; the ability to decide when and if to have children, build families, and parent children with dignity; and freedom from policies that disregard the humanity and contributions of immigrant people.

Finally, we pledge to work in partnership and community with Latinas and reproductive justice advocates to join our struggles and build more inclusive movements for social change. We will fight together to challenge and dismantle the oppressive systems that deny the self-determination and humanity of Latinas, to transform our culture, and to work for change. The time is now.


Why do we stand in solidarity?

The title of this year’s Week of Action is ¡RJ AHORA! A Revolution 20 Years in the Making.    This year marks the 20th anniversary of the coining of the phrase “Reproductive Justice.”  As described in the Declaration of Solidarity, RJ was born out of the lived experiences and analyses of women of color.  At KHJN, the reproductive justice framework has been foundational in shaping the way we see our community and the way that we do our work.   Six years ago, local activists identified the lack of language access as one of the key barriers for people accessing abortion care in Kentucky. The Kentucky Support Network got to work and created a language accessible hotline and an accompaniment program for in-person interpreters to assist in abortion care. 


Over the past year, the Reproductive Justice framework helped us identify the need to hear more from our trans* brothers and sisters about their experiences accessing healthcare.  In collaboration with researchers from the University of Louisville schools of medicine and psychology, we launched our trans* health survey in July (it will be open until November) and we hope to use the results to identify ways to improve access to healthcare that affirms and supports all gender identities.   

So, reproductive justice recognizes that ALL PEOPLE have the right to live their best lives and to have autonomy over their bodies.  As mentioned in the declaration, Latinas and their communities are facing some serious threats today.  We stand in solidarity with Latinas working for reproductive justice because Latina’s issues are our community’s issues and when Latinas thrive, all people thrive.    

Let’s take a minute to dig in to some of the issues we see facing Latin@s in our communities and how these issues relate to reproductive justice.

Cringe-worthy “English-Only” rhetoric:  We often here people demanding that English be the only language spoken.  Although we have federal legislation affirming the right to have access to information in one’s own language and we have access to wonderful technology and a diverse workforce to facilitate the process, we still see rampant language access barriers.  “English-only” rhetoric goes beyond ones’ personal opinion and can influence policy and ultimately a person’s ability to access basic community services.  Imagine a survivor of domestic violence who can’t access the court system because there is no interpreter for her when she goes to file for a protective order.  Picture a father who can’t communicate with his children’s school although he is concerned about bullying and his son seems to be depressed.   Language access is a key component to having safe communities and providing parents with tools they need to help their children succeed.  Language access also is also a first step in offering accessible healthcare and we all need to hold our healthcare providers accountable.  

Deportation and Separation of Families: In the last few years our federal government has deported record numbers of immigrants.  On a typical day, there are over 30,000 immigrants imprisoned in the world’s largest immigration detention system.  One-quarter of all deportees are separated from their children and countless others from spouses and other family members. Deportation separates families because often people in the same family have different legal statuses.  This problem is compounded by the fact that our immigration system is complicated and broken and for millions of people there is no path to legal residency or citizenship.  The RJ framework brings us back to the basic human right that women (and men, and everyone) should be able to parent their children with dignity and in safe environments.  Separation of families by deportation is a direct affront to that basic right.  Nicole’s story (from Reform Immigration for America) tells of her experience with family separation by deportation.

Latin@s are organizing and demanding that their rights be recognized.  As ally organizations (and individuals) we have a role to play in standing in solidarity with Latin@s.  

4  Ways to Act In Solidarity With Latinas Today:

1.    Drop the “i-word.”   Words matter, and no person is “illegal.”  It’s time to move beyond this inaccurate and racially charged language.  Take it a step further, and if you hear somebody else using the “i- word”, take a chance to educate them about the problem with the “i-word.” 

2.  Support an organization that lifts up Latinas.  Latinas are organizing!  We have a chance to support their work and a duty to do so in support of inclusive social change.  Get creative, support can often be financial but can also include gifts of time and talent.  Maybe they need help with childcare during meetings while the parents get together to work for social change or study.  Perhaps a leaky faucet needs some TLC. Kentucky has a thriving Latina activist network.  Below is a brief list:

o   La Casita Center, Louisville 

o   KY DREAM Coalition, statewide


o   Kentucky Equal Justice Center, Lexington

3.  Speak up! Write a letter to the Editor (or a blog!) expressing your support for compassionate policies towards child migrants on our nation’s borders.  During a humanitarian crisis, the United States cannot compromise on fundamental principles of compassion, fairness, and due process.  There are even some good organizations that offer templates to get you started.

4.  Educate yourself (and others too!) Information is everywhere, many of us spend lots of time every day on the internet reading about topics of interest to us.  Take the time to follow a few Latina blogs or websites and educate yourself about the issues facing Latinas.  Here’s a few starting points:

o    Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights 
 o    Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice 
 o    California Latinas Organizing for Reproductive Justice 
 o    National Domestic Workers Alliance 
 o    Colorlines.com


Bree lives in Oldham County, KY.  She is trying to connect with her inner blogger.

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