On the eve of our 23rd annual conference, CLPP convened 50 members of its New Leadership Networking Initiative (NLNI) to learn about and discuss racism, power and privilege within our movements; new advocacy opportunities to develop the field of climate justice; and new ways to evaluate movement-building work.
Ten activists working in other countries and internationally on youth leadership development participated in the meeting, as well as members of the Third Wave Foundation’s youth-led Reproductive Health and Justice Initiative, which met in conjunction with the NLNI meeting.
Over two days, Rani Varghese, Michael Funk and Tory Field, anti-racism trainers from local community-based organizations and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst’s Social Justice Education Program, engaged NLNI participants in interactive workshops and affinity group discussions to examine assumptions, biases and stereotypes that affect our work. Together, participants began to develop a common language and analysis of racism and oppression, and ways to communicate and work together across difference.
Elizabeth Barajas-Roman and Betsy Hartmann from CLPP’s sister project, the Population and Development Program, led a discussion on the current backlash against reproductive rights fueled by climate change concerns and positive linkages between reproductive justice and climate justice that can advance both movements. They also showed Stop the Blame, a free, newly released multi-media presentation created with the Committee on Women, Population and the Environment that displays historical prints, posters and articles from the US and other countries with commentary as a teaching tool that can be used in classrooms, activist trainings and public talks.
Amanda Wake from Expanding the Movement for Empowerment and Reproductive Justice (EMERJ) discussed their work in developing tools, models, and other resources to support organizing and policy change in our communities.
Spring meeting participants:
- Lisa Andrews, Prison Birth Project
- Pooja Awatramani, NARAL Pro-Choice New York
- Verónica Bayetti Flores, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health
- Victor Bernhardtz, Youth Coalition for Sexual and Reproductive Rights
- Alyssa Best, Wider Opportunities for Women
- Salimata Bocoum, African Women’s Millennium Initiative on Poverty and Human Rights
- Marianne Bullock, Prison Birth Project
- Yiping Cai, Isis International
- Katrina Cantrell, Feminist Women’s Health Specialists of California
- Maxwell Ciardullo, Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States
- Danilo Gonzalez, Elige, Red de Jovenes por los Derechos Sexuales y Reproductivos
- Amanda Dennis, Ibis Reproductive Health
- Gina deVries, Youth Trans and Intersex Education Services
- Nora Dye, Pro-Choice Public Education Project
- Ofonasaha Ekpoudom, Girls’ Power Initiative, Nigeria
- Elizabet Dimitrova, ASTRA Youth
- Kenyon Farrow, Queers for Economic Justice
- Susanna George, Asia Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women
- Nasra Giama, Peers United for Somali Health
- Leslie Grant, Sistas on the Rise
- Piya Gunsalus, Ipas
- Paris Hatcher, SPARK Reproductive Justice Now
- Thea Hillman, Consultant
- Cindy Ibarra, Young Women’s Empowerment Project
- Coco Jervis, Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project
- Tanya Karakashian, Video Vanguards / Youth Action Coalition
- Nerissa Kunakemakorn, Justice Now
- Agniva Lahiri, Network of Asia Pacific Youth
- Nicole Marin, Ipas
- Morgan Marshall, Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States
- Mia Mingus, SPARK Reproductive Justice Now
- S. Mandisa Moore, Institute of Women and Ethnic Studies
- Suely Ngouy, Khmer Girls in Action
- Lindsey Oliver, National Network of Abortion Funds
- Tiffany Otero, Sistas on the Rise
- Eesha Pandit, MergerWatch – Raising Women’s Voices
- Nia Robinson, Environmental Justice and Climate Change Initiative
- Cherisse Scott, Black Women for Reproductive Justice
- Maria Fernanda Siles, Red Latinoamericana y del Caribe de Jovenes por los Derechos Sexuales Reproductivos
- Hadley Smith, Translate Gender
- Tones Smith, Translate Gender
- Alexandra Smith, Choice USA
- Tara Sweeney, NARAL Pro-Choice New York
- Amanda Wake, Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice
- Imani Walker, Rebecca Project for Human Rights
- Paulina Wawrzynczyk, Ponton
- Heidi Williamson, SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Health Collective
- Natasha Wilson, Women’s Health and Justice Initiative
- Rae Wright, Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health
- David Zielinski Kozska, Stonewall Youth
SAVE THE DATE!
