California sheriffs organize against pregnant women

Tamaya at a rally to stop shackling.

By Tamaya Garcia, Center for Young Women’s Development

Over the past two years, I have worked alongside an amazing group of women to pass a common-sense bill for California moms. Assembly Bill 568 (Skinner) would limit the use of shackles on incarcerated pregnant women to the least restrictive restraints possible.

Translation: It would end the use of belly chains, leg irons, ankle restraints and other barbaric shackling devices that are used on pregnant women in jails and prisons across our state. Yes, shackles reminiscent of slavery are still being used on pregnant women as far long as 8 ½ months.

Medical professionals agree that it’s time for a change. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) was so moved by this issue that they became co-sponsors of the bill. ACOG opposes the use of any restraints on pregnant women because it increases the risk of falling and leaving the pregnant woman, whose balance is already compromised, unable to break those falls.

Women's delegation travels to Georgia in support of national resistance to anti-immigration laws

Debates on immigration reform have penetrated political spaces heightening the concern on both sides about who has the right or privilege to live in this country and under what circumstances.  Xenophobic scrutiny under the pretext of economic security and employment have shifted the debate in some states concentrating on the unfair targeting of immigrants who are struggling to feed, clothe and support their families.  At the heart of this debate and those who suffer the most are women and children.

C’mon, now…Play FAIR with our kids.

By Judy K. Appel, Executive Director, Our Family Coalition

The FAIR Education Act became law this Spring and is scheduled to be implemented in January. I am excited that as a result of this victory, when my kids Talia and Kobi learn California and American history, the roles of gay and lesbian men and women will be woven into the mix. Teaching history is complex. What students are taught has always been a reflection of our dominant culture and shapes how future generations understand the context in which they live. The FAIR Education Act offers the opportunity for our kids to receive a more fair and accurate picture of the people and events that have shaped our society, and LGBT people no longer be excluded from classroom discussions.

LGBT inclusion challenged by opponents of FAIR Act

The classroom, designated as a space for cultivating knowledge, has been the source of some highly politicized debates specifically when it comes to what should and should not be taught to today’s youth. Last July California Governor, Jerry Brown signed into legislation the FAIR Education Act, an act that would amend the Education Code to include social sciences instruction on the contributions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people. This bill would also prohibit discriminatory instruction and discriminatory materials from being adopted by the State Board of Education.

The color of justice: State-based legislation dangerous for people of color

By Shanelle Matthews, Communications Manager

Disclaimer: I believe, wholeheartedly, in the rehabilitation of formerly incarcerated people and of the welcoming them back into society to participate fully and reach their full potential. I am unreservedly anti-prison and anti-death penalty.

Bruce Reilly and Troy Davis

I frequently make the case that technology and social media have propagated, and with the possibility of anonymity, even encouraged racist behavior. We see it every day in trending topics on Twitter or read about it on websites like Microagressions.com. But something else that technology has provided is the ability to see, without looking very hard, the color of justice. The unjust execution of Troy Anthony Davis, who was convicted of killing a Savannah police officer over two decades ago but maintained his innocence until his dying moment, brings to the forefront the racial inequity that is sewn irreversibly into the moral fabric of this countries value system.  

We brought your names to Sacramento--end shackling now!

By Shanelle Mathews, Communications Manager

Six pregnant women shackled at the wrist, ankles and around their swollen bellies walked tirelessly through the streets of Sacramento. Their bodies uncomfortably lagging in the searing heat, they were desperate for relief from their restraints. Their delicate situations and the lives of their unborn children who would spend moments of their gestation with a shackle around their protective mother’s womb were of no consequence to those sitting, watching nearby.

Unemployment substitutes welfare: will the "American Jobs Act" change this?

By Melanie Tom, Field Organizer

From the Urban Institute

About a month ago, the 15th anniversary of President Clinton's welfare-to-work program quietly passed. Built on the backdrop on the dot-com boom and predicated on the false belief that hard work was all one needed to succeed, the welfare-to-work program effectively cut a hole into the social safety net and drastically changed how we care for others in need.

In came Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), whose requirements vary tremendously by state with the exception of one: the 50% Work Participation Rate, which means that for half the caseload, one or more adults are required to participate in a narrowly defined set of work activities for 30 hours a week.

What does this mean for a country, whose unemployment rate has risen 88% from 2007-2010? Some say the effectiveness of a government aid program can be best evaluated during times of need. Countries like Columbia, Georgia, Ethiopia and Mexico built their safety net systems during stable times to account for unanticipated events like droughts or food insecurity. The U.S., however, did the exact opposite, pulling back resources during an economic boom. And the absence of a social safety shows.

The Urban Institute's analysis of welfare during this period of high unemployment is striking. Here are their latest analysis from August 2011:

Urge Governor Brown to sign AB 499—call today!

By Melanie Tom, Field Organizer


AB 499 is on Governor Brown’s desk and we need his signature. With the Right wing gearing up to oppose this simple measure, we need your help now more than ever!

Under California state law, minors are able to consent to confidential medical services. While physicians encourage patients to involve parents, the Legislature has recognized that involvement is not always practical and what is paramount is that teens receive timely, necessary medical care.

Heavy thoughts on fat oppression

by Tavae Samuelu, Grassroots Fundraising Coordinator

This post is part of the 2011 Love Your Body Day Blog Carnival

When I heard that we were having a fat oppression workshop at ACRJ, my initial thought was that I didn’t need another way to be oppressed.  I was already feeling sufficiently oppressed by all of my other identities. I have come to know fat as an especially ugly word.  It comes out of my mouth, and my brain sends a signal to my facial muscles until they contort themselves into a cringe.  What happened to all of the nice euphemisms I had gotten accustomed to?  Words like thick or curvy that are less of an assault on the ears.  Then I realized how silly it was for me to want to dress up oppression and make it sound nice. 

The facilitator, Nancy Haque of Western States Center, opened the workshop by asking ACRJ staff to pair up and talk about the first time we became aware of our body image.  It occurred to me that I couldn’t think of a time when I wasn’t.  I remember being very young and conscious of my body.  It existed in comparison to my sisters.  The second born of three girls, I had always been the “skinny one.”  It was my moniker and the thing that seemed to distinguish me.  Only in hindsight did I realize that I took pride in the title because it was something people said with a smile.  They said it in the same gentle tone that they would say pretty making the words seem synonymous.  As I got older and people outside of my family felt it okay to comment on my body I began to hear things like, “You’re too skinny to be Sāmoan.”  I learned that being thin made me pretty but not Sāmoan.  At an early age, my body informed my family role, my racial performance, and my sense of self-worth.

The Real Contagion

by Tavae Samuelu, Grassroots Fundraising Coordinator


A new movie has just hit theaters. The star-studded Hollywood ensemble of Contagion tells the story of a flu that quickly spreads to billions becoming an epidemic causing national panic. Watching the trailer already has my hypochondria in overdrive. My throat suddenly feels scratchy, every sniffle is a sign of H1N1, and the guy sneezing on BART this morning may very well have been an agent of biological warfare. As the trailer so astutely noted, “No one is immune to fear.”

The Domestic Workers Bill of Rights is in “suspense,” but our campaign to win continues!

By Gracia Lima

The California Domestic Workers Coalition has been fighting for domestic workers rights for a long time and in the last 8 months have succeeded in pushing for the Domestic Worker Bill of Rights through the California legislature. The bill, which passed the California State Assembly on June 2, would provide domestic workers with the basic rights such as overtime, meal time, rest breaks and access to kitchen facilities to be able to cook their own food.

Thank you SAFIRE!

Chiravann performing her piec

By Chiravann Uch

This summer, I had the great opportunity of being a part of SAFIRE's summer session. Although I'm currently a second year at UC Berkeley, I didn't hesitate to accept the chance to spend another summer with SAFIRE, because of how much I get out of the program each year.

This summer was no different. Our summer celebration might have been the best yet, because of how well we transformed the topic of sexuality education into such diverse performances. In planning, I was curious to see how we can translate such heavy and personal topics into “performable” pieces without having the majority of the celebration become art pieces. I mean, it's sex. What more can we say?

Reflections on our young men's program

Young men perform at the Summer Celebration.

By Jack DeJesus, Young Men's Program Organizer

When our Young Men's Program started this summer, I was admittedly a bit nervous. Sure, we had done a ton of recruiting and put a solid curriculum together, but I've done enough youth programming to know that these things usually don't turn out as you envision them. And just as I thought, it didn't turn out that way.

It turned out much, much better.

The time is now--stop shackling of pregnant women

Tamaya Garcia of the Center for Young Women's Development

Last year, Strong Families supported The Center for Young Women's Development, Legal Services for Prisoners with Children and the ACLU of Northern California as they worked to pass a bill that would prevent pregnant women for being shackled in California's prisons.

They successfully moved their bill through the California State Assembly and Senate, and it sat on then Governor Schwarzenegger's desk for what seemed like forever before he vetoed it, much to our dismay.

The bill wouldn't have cost the state any money, but it would go a long way toward preventing injuries and undue humiliation and suffering for women who are pregnant and giving birth while incarcerated.

This year, a powerful crew of organizers took up the bill, again through the Women's Policy Institute of the Women's Foundation of California. They once again soared through the Assembly and the Senate, and again the bill sits on the Governor's desk, awaiting a signature.

Power of Choice Summit: Bringing together LA activists

Calling all LA-area readers: there’s an exciting event coming up next week for you!  On September 15^th, ACRJ joins with NARAL Pro-Choice California and over a dozen other awesome pro-choice organizations to host the Power of Choice Summit, an event that will help educate and train committed activists, students and young people who are interested in working to protect choice in their communities. 

Among other activities, the Summit will feature two great panels with speakers from sister organizations like Black Women for Wellness and California Latinas for Reproductive Justice.  One panel will focus on crisis pregnancy centers and the threat they pose to California women, and the second will deal with the trend of racist anti-abortion billboards, like the ones we fought this summer in Oakland. 

We have free tickets available for anyone in the LA area who is able to attend, contact Melanie at melanie@reproductivejustice.org for more information. We hope to see you there!

Words from inside

Several of our close friends, including The Center for Young Women's Development, Legal Services for Prisoners with Children, and the ACLU of Northern California are working to stop the shackling of pregnant women inside California's prisons.

They have succeeded in passing AB568, authored by Representative Nancy Skinner through the California State Senate and Assembly.

The bill is now sitting on Governor Brown's desk, awaiting his signature.