Sterilization Abuse and the Carceral State: Healing Justice Responses to White Supremacy and Reproductive Violence
Tuesday, April 27
5:00-6:30 pm EST

In September 2020, nurse Dawn Wooten courageously exposed the forced gynecological procedures and medical abuses inflicted on immigrants at the Irwin County Detention Center in Georgia. Her disclosure catalyzed further resistance. A collective of birth workers, healthcare workers, healers, and public health practitioners condemned the abuses and called for a full transformation of health systems in their powerful Health, Healing Justice & Liberation Statement, part of the #ShutDownIrwin campaign anchored by Project South. It recognizes that ICE abuses are part of larger legacies of harm, including the prison and medical industrial complexes, violent and dehumanizing immigration policies and rhetoric, and racist population control and eugenics practices. Join some of the co-writers and editors of the statement to discuss their resistance, and learn how we can reimagine these damaging systems, support the healing of survivors, and stand up against the carceral state.

Speakers: Courtni Andrews, Eesha Pandit, and Dawn Wooten; moderated by Haile Eshe Cole  

Population Control and Eugenics
Tuesday, May 4
1:00-2:30 pm EST

You’ve probably heard about eugenics or population control in history class, but even now, our world and society are influenced by these ideas. In this 101-level workshop, we take history and bring it into the here and now. We’ll discuss how legacies of past population control and eugenics approaches are alive and well in forced sterilization abuses in detention centers and prisons, heavy-handed reproductive health agendas focused on reducing fertility rather than providing supports, and in the focus on long-acting reversible contraceptives over other methods in international family planning services. With Anne Hendrixson, Director of PopDev, we’ll trace the thread of eugenics and population control and discover how ideas of “overpopulation” and racial purity connect to environmental policies and anti-natal practices.

Facilitator: Anne Hendrixson  

Abortion Helpline, This Is Lisa - film screening and panel discussion
Thursday, May 6
7:00-8:30 pm EST

At the Philadelphia abortion helpline, counselors arrive each morning to the nonstop ring of calls from people who are seeking to end a pregnancy but can’t afford to. In this short documentary we learn how economic stigma and cruel legislation determines who in America has access to abortion. Join us for an online viewing of the film, followed by a discussion with CLPP alums working for abortion access.

Speakers: Araya Blakely, Sami Watts, Alyssa Stenson, Bridget Schwartz

Reproductive Justice 101
Thursday, May 13
3:30-5:00 pm EST

Heard the term reproductive justice thrown around a lot? Not really sure what it means or where it comes from? As a framework that many social justice organizations and activists base their work on, it’s important for us to understand what it is we are talking about. Reproductive Justice was coined in 1994 by Women of African Descent for Reproductive Justice, a group of Black women who recognized that the white-led women's rights movement was not prioritizing issues critical to women of color, and that we must represent our own communities. Join us to learn about the movement, and engage in a dialogue on the history, meaning, and application of reproductive justice in our work toward achieving reproductive freedom. 

 Facilitator: LaKia Williams

Leadership for Liberation: An Intergenerational Conversation
Date TBA

Join us for a panel exploring how the reproductive justice movement can respond to the societal crises we face and provide a leadership model centered in liberation. We know that we can't go back to "business as usual" after the events of this past year - the Covid-19 pandemic, mainstreaming of white supremacy and xenophobia, climate emergencies, and increased attention to the police brutality that BIPOC people have experienced for generations, to name a few. But how do we build a progressive movement that tackles the intersecting oppressions that have led to these catastrophes, and still center our commitments to reproductive justice? Activists and advocates with deep roots in RJ, abortion access, environmental justice, and other movements will speak about their work and how they continue to move forward in these challenging times.