The US movement for reproductive rights is in disarray - five decades of NGO fundraising, lobbying Democrats, and bringing lawsuits before unsympathetic courts have failed to protect access to abortion – access that was first won in the streets in the 1960s and 1970s.

Today, organizers are knitting together a new national movement using more direct tactics: interrupting pro-life demonstrations, organizing to get abortion pills from overseas, and rallying behind abortion funds to support those who can’t afford the procedure. At this event, prominent organizers from different parts of the movement for reproductive freedom will break down how their work functions and how it connects with the broader fight for reproductive justice. We’ll explore tensions in the movement: should we emphasize direct service or political organizing? Legislative fights or a mass movement in the street? And we’ll share lessons from battlegrounds like Texas that are transferable to parts of the country less likely to enact dangerous new bans on reproductive health care.

This panel will be a place to debate strategy and tactics with those leading the fight to expand the reproductive justice movement, and it will be shared widely with activists engaged in this struggle.

***Register through Eventbrite to receive a link to the video conference on the day of the event. This event will also be recorded and live captioning will be provided.***

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Speakers:

Laurie Bertram Roberts is a low income, black, queer, disabled grassroots reproductive justice activist, freelance writer, doula, prospective midwife, and mother. She is the co-founder of the Mississippi Reproductive Freedom Fund, and executive director for the Yellowhammer Fund in Alabama, a reproductive justice organization that seeks to meet the needs of those living in or traveling to Alabama for reproductive healthcare.

Monica Raye Simpson is the executive director of SisterSong: The National Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective. Simpson is a queer, Black, North Carolina native and long-term organizer fighting against systemic violence against southern Black women and LBGTQ people. A singer and spoken word artist, Simpson created Artists United for Reproductive Justice at SisterSong, a platform for artists to collaborate on replicable artwork that furthers the reproductive justice movement.

Rockie Gonzalez is an activist with over ten years of experience as a community organizer around issues ranging from reproductive justice, to labor, and environmental issues. Rockie serves as Executive Director of the Equilibrio Women's Worker Center, is the founder and co-chair of the Frontera Fund, an abortion fund serving the Rio Grande Valley, and is an Undoing Racism trainer with the People's Institute for Survival and Beyond. She is also a council member for Alma de Mujer, and sits on the board of the Vortex Theater & Butterfly Bar in Austin, Texas.

Farah Diaz-Tello is a human rights attorney specializing in issues of reproductive justice. She serves as the Senior Counsel & Legal Director for If/When/How, and previously held a position as the Senior Staff Attorney at National Advocates for Pregnant Women. She publishes on issues including the criminalization of pregnancy outcomes, economic coercion in childbirth, obstetric violence, and reproductive issues in pop culture.

Sarah Leonard (moderator) is editor-in-chief of Lux magazine. She is contributing editor to Dissent and The Nation. (@sarahrlnrd)

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This event is sponsored by Lux magazine, Verso Books, and Haymarket Books. While all of our events are freely available, we ask that those who are able make a solidarity donation in support of our important organizing, programming and publishing work.