Thursday, August 19th
6:30-8:30pm
Oakland Asian Cultural Center
388- 9th St., Suite 290, Oakland Chinatown, 94607
This summer, SAFIRE participants are collecting stories from their family members about their struggles, dreams, histories, accomplishments and what makes their families strong. Please join us while they share their multi-media story projects with family, friends, community members and you!
There will be artwork, food, presentations from SAFIRE, a time to honor SAFIRE Alumni and much more.
SEE YOU THERE!!!
For more information or to volunteer, please contact Amanda Wake, Youth Organizer at amanda@reproductivejustice.org or (510) 663.8300.
July 28, 2010
July 27, 2010
Support our Sisters in Atlanta: Trust Black Women!
Things continue to heat up in Atlanta as our sisters in the movement for justice tell anti-abortion activists to "Trust Black Women." Read SPARK's press release and Loretta Ross' firsthand account as white anti-abortion activists tried to lay claim to the the rights of black women, the civil rights movement and even the black national anthem. Are they serious?
July 21, 2010
Kierra Johnson: The Myth of the Teen Pregnancy Epidemic
Excellent piece on Huffington Post by EMERJ Strategy Team member Kierra Johnson on the need for sexuality education JUSTICE for young people, not shame and scapegoating. Right in line with the Sexuality Education Justice framework developed by the SexEd! Strategic Cohort. For tools and resources for bringing sexuality education justice to YOUR communities, check out The New Sex Ed!
July 15, 2010
Curiosity Allowed Me to Discover: the ME in WOMEN
By Xuanzi Jia
(ACRJ EMERJ Intern, a position supported by the Civil Liberties and Public Policy Program at Hampshire College
Being a young Asian American woman and working in the Reproductive Justice Movement has taught me many crucial facts about myself; one of which that is most alarming on a personal level is just how little I know about sex, sexual health, my body, and my reproductive system. I’ve always believed myself to be a fairly well-informed young woman, and well-educated decision maker, and yet I am still having to sift through incorrect health information that was once taught to me.
But here I am, at the very beginning of my journey to learn about myself as a woman and hoping that I can in some small way, reach out to my friends who may also be in need of health information that is unavailable to them. As I look at my own past, I not am guided by my mother’s careful and deliberate teachings (she was told not to confide in me any information about sex, under the belief that I will become over-sexualized) about my body, sex, and relationships. Rather, I am forced to set out on my own, trying to unshackle myself from my past restraints and freeing myself while grow-up and making good life decisions—all at the same time.
(ACRJ EMERJ Intern, a position supported by the Civil Liberties and Public Policy Program at Hampshire College
Being a young Asian American woman and working in the Reproductive Justice Movement has taught me many crucial facts about myself; one of which that is most alarming on a personal level is just how little I know about sex, sexual health, my body, and my reproductive system. I’ve always believed myself to be a fairly well-informed young woman, and well-educated decision maker, and yet I am still having to sift through incorrect health information that was once taught to me.
But here I am, at the very beginning of my journey to learn about myself as a woman and hoping that I can in some small way, reach out to my friends who may also be in need of health information that is unavailable to them. As I look at my own past, I not am guided by my mother’s careful and deliberate teachings (she was told not to confide in me any information about sex, under the belief that I will become over-sexualized) about my body, sex, and relationships. Rather, I am forced to set out on my own, trying to unshackle myself from my past restraints and freeing myself while grow-up and making good life decisions—all at the same time.
July 13, 2010
Introducing The New Sex Ed: Empowered Youth Strengthening Communities!
EMERJ is excited to introduce The New Sex Ed, a brand-new multi-media resource on a NEW way of organizing for sexuality education that's grounded in grassroots communities! EMERJ is a national movement building initiative of ACRJ.
Why do we need it?
The growing awareness that abstinence-only education is a failed strategy creates an opportunity for us to demand the kind of sexuality education that will provide young people in all communities the information, skills and support they need to thrive. Comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) is useful, but we can do more to include the experiences and needs of communities of color, immigrant communities, LGBTQ communities, and others who have traditionally been left out of CSE programs and policies.
In many schools districts, CSE doesn't guarantee linguistically and culturally appropriate information for English language learners. It offers little to no information specific to LGBTQ youth. And, for many young people of color, CSE does not give students the support and resources they need to navigate their sexual health and development in the context of a broader culture that continues to view youth of color through a lens of racist myths and stereotypes.
What does it provide?
The New Sex Ed has lots of tools and strategies that are holistic, grounded in our communities, and engages those whose experiences and realities are often overlooked. It is a resource for building a new movement for sexuality education in this country that is relevant to all people in all communities. Imagine that!
What can you do with it?
Use it, share it with your allies, and please let us know what worked and didn't work for you and your communities. Together we can work toward making sure that all of our communities have the support and resources they need to thrive!
The New Sex Ed is a collaborative creation of the SexEd! Strategic Cohort, a movement building vehicle of EMERJ (Expanding the Movement for Empowerment and Reproductive Justice). The five groups in SexEd! are all doing cutting-edge work on sexuality education in diverse communities across the country: Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice, California Latinas for Reproductive Justice, Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights, Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health, and SPARK Reproductive Justice Now.
The growing awareness that abstinence-only education is a failed strategy creates an opportunity for us to demand the kind of sexuality education that will provide young people in all communities the information, skills and support they need to thrive. Comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) is useful, but we can do more to include the experiences and needs of communities of color, immigrant communities, LGBTQ communities, and others who have traditionally been left out of CSE programs and policies.
In many schools districts, CSE doesn't guarantee linguistically and culturally appropriate information for English language learners. It offers little to no information specific to LGBTQ youth. And, for many young people of color, CSE does not give students the support and resources they need to navigate their sexual health and development in the context of a broader culture that continues to view youth of color through a lens of racist myths and stereotypes.
What does it provide?
The New Sex Ed has lots of tools and strategies that are holistic, grounded in our communities, and engages those whose experiences and realities are often overlooked. It is a resource for building a new movement for sexuality education in this country that is relevant to all people in all communities. Imagine that!
What can you do with it?
Use it, share it with your allies, and please let us know what worked and didn't work for you and your communities. Together we can work toward making sure that all of our communities have the support and resources they need to thrive!
The New Sex Ed is a collaborative creation of the SexEd! Strategic Cohort, a movement building vehicle of EMERJ (Expanding the Movement for Empowerment and Reproductive Justice). The five groups in SexEd! are all doing cutting-edge work on sexuality education in diverse communities across the country: Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice, California Latinas for Reproductive Justice, Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights, Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health, and SPARK Reproductive Justice Now.
July 7, 2010
CA SexEd Roundtable: Advancing the Reproductive Justice Approach
By Xuanzi Jia (ACRJ EMERJ Intern)
Maria, Yvonne, and I had the opportunity to travel down to Fresno, California to attend the California Sex Ed. Roundtable this past Thursday. Maria was on a mission to support organizations working on sex education in better serving their communities by helping them to incorporate a reproductive justice approach to their work. For ACRJ, that means going beyond the prevention approach (i.e. one that focuses narrowly on preventing pregnancy and sexuality transmitted infections) to a more holistic approach that puts sexuality education in the context of real people’s lives, is grounded in the experiences of marginalized communities, and supports people in becoming their own agents of change. Yvonne and I were there to support Maria as she presented the reproductive justice approach and the work of ACRJ to the participants.
As I delve deeper into my own understanding of the issues that women of color face as they campaign for their reproductive health, I am thinking more critically about the ways in which language, communication, and perspective play a role in the understanding of sex, culture, and society. Coming from a liberal arts background and studying at Smith College has provided me with the specific tools to analyze perspective and context; the roundtable meeting has solidified my understanding of personal perspective by giving me real-life examples. One of the prime examples that made a lasting impression on me was the lesson on how we need to approach the phraseology of questions and campaigns. I realized exactly how important it was to critically think about the conscious and unconscious underlying meanings within the word choices that we use.
From the perspective of an intern, I obtained a clearer picture of the Reproductive Justice Movement on the local, county, state, and national level. Additionally, I learned to consciously remind myself that the work cannot stop once organizations have successfully pushed for the lawful passing and acknowledgement of the need for sexual education at the policy level. Rather, we all need to ensure that educators are actually teaching accurate sexual health information, that schools are abiding by the Education code, and that youth are receiving the education, support and resources that they need. I also began to better understand the ways in which the grassroots level and policy level coalesce to ensure the ideas are implemented and promoted throughout the community. I was honored to be a part of this roundtable and listen in on the inputs by the participants--all of whom were clearly dedicated to encouraging one another in their respectively diverse areas.
Maria, Yvonne, and I had the opportunity to travel down to Fresno, California to attend the California Sex Ed. Roundtable this past Thursday. Maria was on a mission to support organizations working on sex education in better serving their communities by helping them to incorporate a reproductive justice approach to their work. For ACRJ, that means going beyond the prevention approach (i.e. one that focuses narrowly on preventing pregnancy and sexuality transmitted infections) to a more holistic approach that puts sexuality education in the context of real people’s lives, is grounded in the experiences of marginalized communities, and supports people in becoming their own agents of change. Yvonne and I were there to support Maria as she presented the reproductive justice approach and the work of ACRJ to the participants.
As I delve deeper into my own understanding of the issues that women of color face as they campaign for their reproductive health, I am thinking more critically about the ways in which language, communication, and perspective play a role in the understanding of sex, culture, and society. Coming from a liberal arts background and studying at Smith College has provided me with the specific tools to analyze perspective and context; the roundtable meeting has solidified my understanding of personal perspective by giving me real-life examples. One of the prime examples that made a lasting impression on me was the lesson on how we need to approach the phraseology of questions and campaigns. I realized exactly how important it was to critically think about the conscious and unconscious underlying meanings within the word choices that we use.
From the perspective of an intern, I obtained a clearer picture of the Reproductive Justice Movement on the local, county, state, and national level. Additionally, I learned to consciously remind myself that the work cannot stop once organizations have successfully pushed for the lawful passing and acknowledgement of the need for sexual education at the policy level. Rather, we all need to ensure that educators are actually teaching accurate sexual health information, that schools are abiding by the Education code, and that youth are receiving the education, support and resources that they need. I also began to better understand the ways in which the grassroots level and policy level coalesce to ensure the ideas are implemented and promoted throughout the community. I was honored to be a part of this roundtable and listen in on the inputs by the participants--all of whom were clearly dedicated to encouraging one another in their respectively diverse areas.
July 2, 2010
VAWnet's new resource on the intersection of reproductive justice & violence against women!
VAWnet, the National Online Resource Center on Violence Against Women, has a new page on their site called Reproductive Justice & Violence Against Women: Understanding the Intersections. As reproductive justice organizers and advocates, we recognize the inherent intersectionality of reproductive justice with various other sectors and movements, so a BIG shout out to VAWnet for articulating this analysis and creating a useful and valuable resource for both of our movements, and for highlighting ACRJ's contributions to the development of reproductive justice as a framework and movement!