From August 11-14, CLPP and our partners at the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health (NLIRH) and the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR) brought together 22 activists from both the reproductive justice and LGBTQ liberation movements for our 2013 Summer Leadership Institute. Meeting at the Essex Retreat Center, we discussed the intersections between our work and ways to support, engage, and plan with each other as we face an increasingly polarized climate of big legislative wins and losses, along with the defunding of many community-based organizations that serve the most marginalized folks in our movements.
The program included a history of our movements, facilitated group dialogue and brainstorming, small group assessments and action planning, and presentations from participants on examples of successful cross-movement collaborations ranging from grassroots organizing to federal policy advocacy. Participants took away new insights on the landscape of our movements, new relationships to build collaborations, and a renewed sense of energy for the work.
Programming included:
One of the highlights of the meeting for participants was building relationships and community by tackling difficult conversations on funding streams and priorities; the lack of institutional support for women of color and trans women’s leadership; questions around credit and ownership of work; and facilitating leadership development and resource building, especially for groups at the grassroots who have seen their funding disappear in a difficult economic climate.
Aimée Thorne-Thomsen, Vice President for Strategic Partnerships, Advocates for Youth Ashland Johnson, Policy Counsel, National Center for Lesbian RightsBamby Salcedo, Founder and President, TransLatin@ CoalitionCandace Gibson, LSRJ Reproductive Justice Fellow, National Latina Institute for Reproductive HealthEesha Pandit, Editor, Crunk Feminist Collective Jasmine Burnett, Organizer, Black Women's BlueprintKayden Moore, Program Assistant, Civil Liberties and Public Policy (CLPP)Kellan Baker, Associate Director, LGBT Research and Communications Project, Center for American ProgressKimberly McGuire, Associate Director of Government Relations and Public Affairs, National Latina Institute for Reproductive HealthLa'Tasha D. Mayes, Executive Director, New Voices Pittsburgh: Women of Color for Reproductive JusticeLaura Nixon, LSRJ Reproductive Justice Fellow, National Center for Lesbian RightsLindsey O-Pries, Member Support Coordinator, National Network of Abortion FundsMari Schimmer, Program Director, Choice USAMia Sullivan, Director, Civil Liberties and Public Policy (CLPP)Monica Raye Simpson, Executive Director, SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice CollectiveRye Young, Third Wave Fund Director, Proteus FundSabrina Andrus, Executive Director, Law Students for Reproductive JusticeShanelle Matthews, Communications Strategist, ACLU of Northern CaliforniaShivana Jorawar, Reproductive Justice Program Director, National Asian Pacific American Women's ForumStacey R. Long, Director of Public Policy and Government Affairs, The National Gay and Lesbian Task ForceTaryn D. Jordan, Board Chair, SPARK Reproductive Justice NowVerónica Bayetti Flores, Assistant Director, Civil Liberties and Public Policy (CLPP)
