At a recent conference on abortion rights, access to contraceptive and comprehensive sexual education, there was a focus on the role of Black women’s roles in fight for reproductive justice.
The “In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda Summit” was held Sept.25-26 in D.C. at the FHI 360 Conference Center, 1825 Connecticut Avenue NW.
Organizations participating in the summit included Black Women for Wellness, Black Women’s Health Imperative, New Voices Pittsburgh, SisterLove Inc., and SPARK Reproductive Justice Now. The organizations represent more than 50,000 Black women throughout the United States.
Historically, Black women have been at the center of reproductive justice policies in the country, Dorothy Roberts, University of Pennsylvania Law School, said. During her speech she mentioned that some of the first laws in the colonies were about Black women’s reproduction as it pertained to slavery.
“I think Black women have a long history of organizing for reproductive justice. We coined the term and we have a framework that puts reproductive rights and decision making in a political context that is essential to understanding the role of it in society,” she said. Roberts was the keynote speaker for the event.
“Black women’s resistance against reproductive oppressions has been part of our organizing and part of our vision to develop reproductive freedom,” she said.
An example of the Black woman’s tenacity against reproductive oppression was seen in Roe vs. Wade, when Congress passed a law three years later that impacted low-income women, especially Black women who could not afford to pay for an abortion. “If you don’t have the money to access that right then you don’t have that right,” said Marcela Howell, founder and coordinator of the summit.
The way the issues intersect health, economic status, social class, and political power were also addressed during the summit. “It is important because there is a certain level of intersectionality that amplifies where these issues live and how these issues impact Black women’s lives,” said Dázon Dixon Diallo, founder of SisterLove, an organization striving to eradicate the adverse impact of HIV/AIDS and other reproductive health challenges upon women through education, prevention, support and human rights advocacy.
“It has to start where people are feeling it the most and that is with Black women and their bodies,” she said.
For attendees like Melanie Medalle, policy and advocacy program manager in SisterLove, it is important for the summit to maintain a focus on the overall goal. “One thing is to come back to the definition of reproductive justice,” said Medalle. “I think having that conceptual anchor is very helpful.”
The organizations plans to coordinate efforts to increase outreach in southern and northeast states, and establish partnerships with HBCUs throughout the country.