Yes, the afterglow. The time where everything seems brand new and you have that look of contentment and happiness on your face, be it from sex, kissing, or cuddling. The same goes for the final day of the SisterSong “Let’s Talk About Sex: Love, Legislation & Leadership” Conference. The last day of the conference focused on emerging issues within reproductive justice, and here are some highlighted tweets from the plenary speakers:

Suzanne Persard, Jahajee Sisters, speaking on Indo-Caribbean women in the reproductive justice movement:

• Jahajee Sisters addresses domestic violence, gender-based oppression, and LGBT issues in the Indo-Caribbean community.
• We were considered authentically Indian if we do not discuss our sexual and reproductive health.
•  Dismantling patriarchy is at the core of the RJ movement.
• Entitlement is the reason why rape is labeled as “alleged”.

Andrea Smith, Incite! Women of Color Against Violence, discussing the prison industrial complex & the human right to sexuality:

• The pro-choice and pro-life movements have something in common: criminalization and making something against the law.
• The state is the beneficiary of our oppression.
• The mainstream movement is racist. We have to hold these mainstream movements accountable.
• We support the nonprofit industrial complex when we continue to look at others as the permanent enemy.
• We have to build alliances around our similarities instead of being divided by our differences.
• Organize instead around a permanent enemy- support people in changing and becoming part of alliances.
• What defines the pro-life movement is not a commitment to life, but a commitment to criminalization.
• There is innovation and radicalism in our youth, and we should get with the program.
• You can win a revolution on your own… Anything else is simply not worth our time.

Beata Tsosie, TEWA Women United, on fighting the military industrial complex for environmental justice:

• We deserve job options that are sustainable for our people.
• US military is largest polluter in the world…not responsible for cleaning up.
• It’s important that as people of color, we continue to insert our voices in the policies that affect our communities.
• We still “live off the land”, the impacts of the nuclear industry are big on the community.

(more…)

We know how to “sista”. We know how to partner with each other. 

~Serena Garcia, SisterSong Communications Coordinator

Day 3 of the 2011 SisterSong “Let’s Talk About Sex” Conference focused on leadership. We cannot sustain ourselves as a movement if we do not have leaders on the front line and behind the scenes. To me, leadership takes many forms: from the spokesperson of an organizations (such as SisterSong’s National Coordinator, Loretta Ross ) to the intern who or volunteer who does a lot of the footwork in getting signatures for petitions that can encourage lawmakers to support laws that work for women of color and our reproductive health.

This day was very important for me because there was more of a focus on developing and sustaining leaders among younger women. I volunteered as a sophomore at Spelman College for the first SisterSong conference back in 2003, and I was swept up in the reproductive justice movement because of it. Even almost 8 years later, I still try to find ways to develop my leadership. It’s an ongoing process. As Serena’s quote above mentions, we’re very good at partnering with each other. But how can we develop leadership in ways that are inclusive and highlight all parties involved without the usual competitive nature?

Here are some highlights via Twitter from Day 3’s leadership plenary panel:

Paris Hatcher, SPARK Reproductive Justice Now: Shackling as a reproductive justice issue

• Many of us are in the reproductive justice   movement because we want to dismantle patriarchy.
• I’m tired of politics that are coated as reproductive justice   issues…it creates advocates instead of leaders.
• This movement was centered around having transformative work become deeper.
• Incarcerated women and shackling issue allows us to shift framework from abortion. How can mothers protect their children when they themselves are shackled with chains in jails and prisons?

Maria Rodriguez, Florida Immigrant Coalition discussing immigrant human rights issues

• Immigrants in this country are just displaced poor people, not different than some of the gentrification we’ve seen.
• Our immigration policies are driven by racism. Let’s bring some humanity to what immigrant women are going through.
• In 2024, Florida will be majority people of color.
• We need to have a broader analysis when we look at gender, race and class.
• The criminalization of women and immigration policies is about creating a permanent underclass and profiteering.
• Under our Democratic administration, there are record numbers of detainees.
• We have to self-lead our own sexuality.

Maria Nakae of Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice, discussing strong families and reproductive justice

• No matter what our families look like, women are at the center. Families are at the core of reproductive justice.
• By telling your own story, you can make your voice heard.
• We’re moving away from the image of the “nuclear family” to an image of a family that is multicultural and multi-loving.
• When women struggle, families struggle.
• ACRJ’s Strong Families program consists of families where reproductive justice   for all members are met and provided.
• Strong Families is an opportunity for women of color to be at the lead of cross-sector work.
• Now is the time for women of color to take strong leadership in a bold vision to build our families.

Crystal Crawford, California Black Women’s Health Project, discussing engaging young women in policy advocacy

• Folks are more focused on ourselves instead of on how we can serve the people we partner with.
• We have to honor the legacy where we come from and the shoulders we stand on. We should never go into this work alone.
• Engaging young women in a two-way process. We have to have their backs to help them to be effective leaders.
• Inter-generational leadership is critical. We in the  reproductive justice movement oftentimes don’t walk the talk. We need to take care of our bodies and wellness.

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