For nearly 45 years, Legal Voice has been fighting in the courts and statehouses for our rights in the pursuit of gender equity and liberation. And though our work was always performed with the best of intentions, too often crucial voices from impacted communities were left out of the conversation or included too late.
This situation certainly isn’t unique to Legal Voice; the anti-abortion/pro-choice movement has historically centered the voices of white women and shut out those of Black women and other communities of color.
About five years ago, Legal Voice had a reckoning. We started to implement and center an anti-racism lens in every aspect of our work–from litigation, to policy work, internal leadership, and community engagement. Much self-reflection, accountability, and interruption of harmful habits transpired and continues to take place every day. We know the work will never be done, as white supremacy is deeply embedded in every system we both work and live within, including our organizations endeavoring to make the world a better place.
There are so many important voices to be heard and shared. This is especially critical in the nonprofit sector, where less than 2% of philanthropic dollars go to Black-led organizations. This Black History Month we will highlight Black-led organizations that are championing the fight for reproductive justice and rights.
We want to highlight this work during Black History Month, not because it is the only time we engage in this practice, but rather to recommit to centering equity in all we do every day we do it! These famous words by Emma Lazarus are truer now more than ever–“Until we are all free, we are none of us free.”
- SisterSong is a national organization based in Atlanta whose purpose is to “build an effective network of individuals and organizations to improve institutional policies and systems that impact the reproductive lives of marginalized communities.” The vision that SisterSong has for our beloved community is beautiful and is truly rooted in radical liberation for all of us. Following their work is awe-inspiring.
- In Our Own Voice is a national-state partnership focused on lifting up the voices of Black women leaders at the national and regional levels in our fight to secure Reproductive Justice for all women, femmes, and girls. Our eight strategic partners are Black Women for Wellness, Black Women’s Health Imperative, New Voices for Reproductive Justice, SisterLove, Inc. SisterReach, SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW, The Afiya Center and Women With A Vision.
- The Afiya Center (TAC) was established in response to the increasing disparities between HIV incidences worldwide and the extraordinary prevalence of HIV among Black womxn and girls in Texas. TAC is unique in that it is the only Reproductive Justice (RJ) organization in North Texas founded and directed by Black womxn.
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