Equity & Justice Archives - Page 7 of 12

16 Jan, 2013

How Has Mentoring Transformed Your Life?

By Nicole Clark, LMSW|2023-01-09T11:31:32-05:00January 16th, 2013|Categories: Equity & Justice|Tags: Equity, Mentoring|0 Comments

January is National Mentoring Month, a month dedicated to encouraging more adults to become mentors to young people. While I have been fortunate enough to have been mentored by some wonderful women throughout my life, I’ve noticed that many young women of color cannot say the same.

For lower-income communities and communities of color, it’s especially important that younger people are able to have tangible proof that what they want to be in life is actually possible.

And mentoring isn’t just for younger people. Women and young women of color are often entering new territory in which we’ve been told that we don’t have the knowledge and tools to succeed. We look around and notice that there aren’t many of us around, and we’re bombarded daily with stereotypical images that don’t show us in a positive light.

Why is mentoring important?

According to the Young Women of Color Advocates and Leadership, a tool developed by the Women of Color Network, mentoring is a relationship of mutual understanding and trust between someone with more experience (the mentor) and someone with less experience (the mentee). Mentoring relationships allows for the building of new relationships and also an exchange of ideas and advice. Mentoring, when done right, allows for the mentee and the mentor to have a constant exchange of various perspectives and knowledge building that are beneficial to both.

With mentors serving in a variety of roles, such coach, teacher, and advisor, mentees benefit from mentoring relationships because they increase their knowledge of a particular subject (a career field, sport, or passion), they build their skills and self awareness, and are introduced to new ways of thinking about themselves and about life. Being mentored by someone who has “been there and done that”, allows for mentees to avoid many pitfalls on their way to becoming who they envision themselves to be. (more…)

9 Jan, 2013

How Are You Raising Your Voice in 2013?

By Nicole Clark, LMSW|2021-08-19T18:00:57-04:00January 9th, 2013|Categories: Equity & Justice|Tags: activism|0 Comments

(Image credit)

We’re in the second week of 2013, and during the first days of every year we evaluate what took place last year, and develop resolutions or goals for things we want to get, where we want to be, and experiences we want have. In doing this, we focus mostly on ourselves and how we want some aspect of our lives to change for the better.

And that’s totally great! But how are you raising your voice in 2013?

2012 was one of the worst (if not the worst) years in women’s health. While major wins such as the United States Supreme Court ruling the Affordable Care Act as constitutional and the birth control mandate beginning in August were exciting, 2012 had the second-highest number of abortion restrictions ever made at the state-level. Not only that, health disparities also continue to run rampant in low-income communities and communities of color, and the politicizing of women’s bodies shows no signs of slowing down.

While fighting for women and girls (especially women and girls of color) to have access to the services that can improve their health and lives can oftentimes feel discouraging, we shouldn’t feel undaunted. Let’s make 2013 the year where huge strides are made in sexual and reproductive health. Not only when it comes to reproductive justice, but for women and girls’ mental, spiritual, and emotional wellness.

How do you want to raise your voice for women and girls’ health in 2013? Here are a few ideas to get you started: (more…)

19 Sep, 2012

8 Online Resources to Jump-Start Your Reproductive Rights Activism

By Nicole Clark, LMSW|2021-08-19T17:55:21-04:00September 19th, 2012|Categories: Equity & Justice|Tags: activism, reproductive justice|0 Comments

I tend to get lot of emails, tweets, and messages about one thing: How do I become more aware of what’s happening in my community and nationwide when it comes to reproductive health and rights? What are some resources I can start using to increase my awareness?

I’ve used many resources throughout the years to get timely information on what’s happening in reproductive rights, health and education, and I wanted to share some of the best resources I’ve found. Of course, this isn’t a complete listing of every online source that you can use, but hopefully you can use this as a stepping stone to begin increasing your awareness of what’s happening across the country and globally when it comes to reproductive health and information. Plus, you may already be familiar with these resources. In that case, great! I’m sure there is always something use, fresh, and useful for you to learn and share.

From perspective blogs to interactive maps, here are 8 online resources you can use to jump-start your reproductive rights activism (and 3 ways to get the most out of them):

RH Reality Check– RH Reality Check is an online community that provides evidence-based information on what’s happening in sexual health and reproductive rights policy. From birthing rights, abortion, law and policy, public health, and many other topics, RH Reality Check has its regular site writers and also invites readers to submit posts and videos as guest bloggers in order to increase it’s range of progressive and insightful news an analysis. Not only will you find information and commentary on reproductive health and rights happening in the United States, you’ll also read what’s happening globally.

Scarleteen– Scarleteen is the go-to site for all things positive sexuality for youth and adolescents (and their parents and caretakers). Headed by author and activist Heather Corinna, Scarleteen provides frequently updated information on comprehensive sexuality, dating, ways to do outreach offline, resources, mentoring and leadership opportunities, advice on where to go for services, and much more. Coupled with All About S.E.X.: The Scarleteen Book!, Scarleteen also runs a moderated message board for you to ask questions and get answers on all things pro-healthy sexual development. (more…)

29 Aug, 2012

Ask Nicole: How Can We Create More Affirming Spaces for Women & Girls of Color?

By Nicole Clark, LMSW|2021-08-19T18:06:29-04:00August 29th, 2012|Categories: Equity & Justice|Tags: Ask Nicole, Youth|0 Comments

Do you have a question that other Raise Your Voice community members can benefit from? Contact me and I’ll answer it!

I recently received an email from a young woman of color and a recent college graduate. She contacted me to ask if I could point her in the direction of women of color organizations in her area that are open to having volunteers, as the organizations she’s already contacted currently do not have any volunteer opportunities. She shared with me that, being a recent college graduate, Latina, and the first of her family to attend college, she has a passion to give back to her community and to empower others.

What heightened my interest in her email was that she mentioned that she was an active member of a women of color group on her college campus. She described the campus group as a multi-generational safe space for women of color on campus, which meets monthly. The monthly gathering, complete with food and fellowship, invites current students and staff to share experiences and advice over a chosen topic of the month (spiritual wellness, intellectual wellness, environmental wellness, among others.) Her group has also hosted a woman of color retreat on campus as well as a gala to recognize the many contributions of the women of color on campus.

I responded back to her, letting her know that I will look into women of color organizations in her area, but I also gave her the suggestion of creating a similar supportive group based on her campus group. Here in New York City, I am part of the New York City Reproductive Justice Coalition. We meet once a month to discuss what’s happening locally and nationally around reproductive justice and women and girls of color. What we’re currently doing every month sounds very similar to what her campus does: We connect, inform, enlighten, strategize, and fellowship.

The need for more spaces for women and girls of color to grow, connect, and be affirmed in a world that tells us that we’re in the minority is crucial. Instead of it being a matter of chance, women and girls of color spaces need to be a given, a space where women and girls of color are mentored and supported by peers who have their best interest in mind. In a perfect world, there would be no need for spaces like these. Until then, the more spaces we have that tell women and girls like us that we matter, the more likely we will be able to step up and pay it forward.

Are you interested in starting a space for women and girls of color in your community or on campus? Here are a few ideas to get you started: (more…)

16 Aug, 2012

Stepping Up: 10 Young Women of Color Making a Difference

By Nicole Clark, LMSW|2021-08-19T17:52:19-04:00August 16th, 2012|Categories: Equity & Justice|Tags: activism, Young Women of Color|0 Comments

(Pictured left to right): Shalee Forney, Angy Rivera, Andy Marra, and Jerin Arifa

Last week, I shared my list of 10 women of color who are game changers in helping to make the world a better place for girls. This week, I’m highlighting 10 young women of color who are paving the way for the next generation of youth of color activists.

They say that young people are complacent. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Young people today (known as millennials) are influencing many social issues today: from same-sex marriage to gender rights to even technology and how we connect with each other. More importantly, young people have proven time and time again that when they stand up for what they believe in, they can bring about enormous change. As with last week’s post, connect with these young women, share ways that you can work together, and become inspired. And don’t forget to share what you’ve learned in this post with the women and girls of color in your lives.

Without further ado, here are 10 young women of color that are making a difference: (more…)

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