Five Black Women Who Pave The Wave to Reproductive Justice 

The reproductive justice movement was started by black female activists in 1994. They were frustrated by the reproductive health statistics for black women across the globe, and so they started a new movement. This movement was focused on the importance of the human rights framework for women of color and low-income women, and the issues of bodily autonomy and reproductive decision-making, as the options were especially limited for women in these demographics. The path to Reproductive Justice has continued to be paved by black women and these four women have been at the forefront of the movement. 

Dázon Dixon Diallo

Dázon Dixon Diallo is a pioneering advocate in sexual and reproductive health, rights, and justice (SRHRJ).  As the founder and president of SisterLove, Inc., the first women-led HIV/AIDS and reproductive justice organization in the southeastern United States, Diallo has dedicated her career to advancing health equity, especially for Black women and marginalized communities.

• Founder and President of SisterLove, Inc. (est. 1989), the first women-led HIV, sexual, and reproductive justice organization in the Southeastern U.S.
• Co-chair of Act Now: End AIDS National Coalition, leading the charge to eradicate HIV/AIDS.
• Founding member of SisterSong Reproductive Justice Collective, advocating for the rights of women of color.
• Member of the UNFPA Global Advisory Council, working on global reproductive health initiatives.
• Serves on the Women-At-Risk Subcommittee and the Scientific Advisory Group of the HIV Prevention Trials Network, influencing HIV prevention strategies.

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Faye Wattleton

Faye Wattleton, born Alyce Faye Wattleton, was born on July 8, 1943, in St. Louis Missouri. She is the only child of her construction worker father and traveling preacher mother. As her mother traveled she spent each school year caring for church members from all different states. By the time she reached high school, she had not spent two consecutive years at any given school. After becoming a nurse she saw firsthand the effects of poor healthcare, and her desire to combat this blossomed.

•  Wattleton became the youngest and first Black American president of Planned Parenthood in 1978 and served until 1992. 

• She was the second-ever president, serving directly after the founder Margaret Sanger. 
• Wattleton directed the expansion of women's and families' reproductive services from 1.1 million to roughly 5 million. 

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Byllye Avery 

Byllye Yvonne Reddick was born on October 20, 1937, in Waynesville, Georgia. After graduating from her segregated high school, she attended Talladega College, the oldest historically black college in Alabama. She studied psychology and got involved in the civil rights movement while enrolled. After marrying Wesley Avery, she took on his last name and went by Byllye Avery. After her husband died from suffering a major heart attack, her passion for health care started. 

• Avery founded the Black Women's Health Imperative, formally the National Black Women's Health Project. 
• She also founded the Avery Institute for Social Change 
• Avery helped women from states where abortions were not available, before the passing of Roe v. Wade, find a way into New York, where abortions were safe and legal. 
• Avery founded the Gainesville Women’s Health Center, a first-trimester abortion provider in Gainesville, Florida. It also provided condoms and contraceptives. The only one in Gainesville at the time. 

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Lolo Cynthia

Lolo Cynthia was born in Lagos, Nigeria, and is a UNHCR Nigerian influencer and founder of the popular social media enterprise THE LOLO CYNTHIA SHOW. She always dreamed of studying medicine and in 2009, Cynthia moved to Johannesburg, South Africa for her post-secondary studies, and discovered the opportunities of working within the fields of reproductive and sexual health. Cynthia knew many girls from her hometown who had sadly lost their lives due to unsafe abortions and she developed a passion to try and prevent this issue from ever happening. 

• She started the NoDayOff campaign and distributed 1,000 pads to women and girls in Lagos State’s Festac Town. 
• Cynthia started an initiative for women to create reusable menstrual pads to combat the shortage. 
• Cynthia is a strong advocate for other young girls to stand up against issues of menstrual product shortages and reproductive rights issues, and to use social media as a tool to further this cause. 

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Monica Simpson 

Monica Raye Simpson is a proud Queer Black Feminist artist raised in Wingate, North Carlina. After realizing she was often the only black child in spaces such as honor classes she launched into a path of activism and advocacy for the rights of black women and people. She earned her bachelor's degree in communications at Johnson C. Smith University, a historically black university. She often organized LGBTQ+ events on and off campus. Simpson focuses on civil and human rights, LGBTQIA+ liberation, and sexual and reproductive health. 

• Simpson is the executive director of  SisterSong, the southern-based national Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective. 
• She received awards from both the National Black Justice Coalition and the Human Rights Coalition for co-founding Charlotte’s Black Gay Pride celebration. 
• Simpson founded Artists United for Reproductive Justice, which uses collaborated artwork to enhance the Reproductive Justice movement.  
• She was one of the first reproductive justice leaders to speak at the Democratic National Convention about canceling the Hyde Amendment. This amendment prohibits the use of federal funding to pay for abortions, further limiting access to women, especially those of low-income, imprisoned, and those who experience high rates of sexual violence. 

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These five women laid the groundwork and continue to spearhead the Reproductive Justice movement. They will continue to fight and inspire others to fight against reproductive equity and justice within the United States and Globally. They are a beacon of hope as we continue this fight, much like the other black activist at the forefront of this movement. 

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