September 24, 2015
Black Reproductive Justice Activists Gathering for National Strategy Summit
African American women reproductive justice activists will gather in Washington, D.C. Sept. 25 to Sept. 29 for the first Annual Strategic Communications for Policy Change Summit in Washington, D.C.
Dorothy Roberts, an acclaimed scholar and author of Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty, will deliver the opening keynote address on “Black Women and Reproductive Health: Where We’ve Been, Where We Are Today, and Where We Are Going.”
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“We are all excited about this policy convening of Black Reproductive Justice activists,” said Marcela Howell, founder and strategic director of In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda, in a statement. “Our goal this weekend is to develop a policy agenda and strategy that will enhance the reproductive lives and well-being of black women and girls across the country. Over the next year, In Our Own Voice will work with our organizational partners to outreach to black women leaders, policymakers and voters to mobilize support for these important reproductive rights and health issues.”
Other guest speakers at the summit include Byllye Y. Avery, founder of the Black Women’s Health Imperative, Carmen Berkley, director of the Civil, Human and Women’s Rights Division at the AFL-CIO, Glynda C. Carr, co-founder of Higher Heights and Michele L. Jawando, vice president of legal progress at the Center for American Progress.
Organizational partners involved in the event include Black Women for Wellness, Black Women’s Health Imperative, New Voices for Reproductive Justice, SisterLove Inc., and SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW.