Reproductive Rights & Social Justice Conference in Amherst,MA

This weekend conference was AMAZING. I traveled all the way to Massachusetts, just to be apart of this empowering experience. I'm fairly new to the RJ movement. This conference was really informative. We were given precise information, lots of resources, and loads of hospitality.(I'm definitely going next year.) Some of the workshops I attended were; Making DC Work For You, Building the RJ Movement, Economic Justice in the U.S., Abortion Access Internationally, there were a lot of other great workshops that I wanted to attend(but couldn't be in 2 places at once). All the info I get I share. I could never sit still or be quite, there's just no time for that. Now that I'm back home(Chicago), gotta get to work, Literally! Bye
FYI
RJ= Reproductive Justice
All workshops were at Hampshire College

We're at the table,.....LITERALLY

Whoever said that abortion was a white woman's issue, lied. Every time I step into a room where concrete decisions about abortion and reproductives rights are made, faces like mine are scarce. This lets me know that the people making decisions about "our" bodies don't have our opinions. Chicago Abortion Fund, through the leadership group has afforded me a ticket to most of these meetings that the average black women can't walk into. When I'm sitting at the table with executive directors, and coordinators my first thought is.... "WOW, I'm the only person here under 35. My next thought is, "where are all the black people? Did they not get the memo?" Reproductive Justice is a movement, and if people/women of color are not at the table,incorporating the voices of black youth, then we're not moving forward with the movement. So I understand greatly the impact of me being present,..... I gotta represent. Then later, go back and present this info to as many women as I can who may never be at the meetings. My face being at the table is proof that these issues are universal. When I enter the room, I'm sure they wonder who I am and who i came with, but after I speak, they are quickly impressed. I have made it a point within the last year to be a leader, which means that I can't be afraid to go to unfamiliar places, and I can't be afraid to shine. So I'm highly educating myself about reproductive justice , so I can do just that.