"Who said Black queer women don't lead? This is what it means for Black queer women to lead. To be steadfast and unwavering in our beliefs and to continue to fight for them and never give up. To work to make change in our communities and then to take it one step further, to the state level, the national level, and even the international level. We must continue to fight and never give up. Our fight is for Black queer women AND our fight is for everyone. Forward Ever."
- Deon Haywood, Executive Director of Women With A Vision
The fight for Reproductive Justice is far from over and it’s time we
start centering
Reproductive Justice and the women that are most harmed by these laws in this fight.
The term reproductive justice has often been confused with reproductive rights but we must remember that reproductive justice has always been led by Black women. We have no other choice but to lead. Our existence is political.
Reproductive justice is defined as “the human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities.”
Black women have been fighting for reproductive justice since the beginning of history but in 1994, a group of Black women coined the term “reproductive justice” by uniting the ideas of reproductive rights and racial justice in response to their marginalization from the white-middle-class-centered women’s rights movement.
Black women and child-bearing folk in the United States and especially in the deep South ALWAYS suffer the most at the hands of restrictive abortion laws. Black child-bearing folk die at disproportionately high rates during childbirth. In Louisiana, the Black child-bearers are 3 to 4 times more likely to die during childbirth. Black parents and families are more likely to fall into poverty or to fall deeper into poverty due to the oppressive systems that intersect with restricted abortion access. Black families suffer most when parents are not able to access abortion.
But reproductive justice extends far beyond the right and ability to access abortion. Reproductive justice also means that our state is safe for Black children and parents. Reproductive justice means comprehensive sex education in schools. Reproductive justice means that drug users have safe access to safer sex materials and safer drug using materials. Reproductive justice means that Black families are able to keep food on the table for the Black children that come into the world. Reproductive justice means being able to live in a society free of environmental racism. Reproductive justice means that trans parents have access to safe birthing facilities, doctors, and doulas. Reproductive justice means that sex workers are safe to do their work unharmed.
Reproductive justice it’s not about one or two laws. Reproductive justice is about creating freedom for our community to live in safety and peace with the families that we choose to create.
Invest
in the safe community that we are working to create.
Invest
in a future led by queer Black women.
Hear Black women. Listen to Black Women. Trust Black Women.
