337004
Why Reproductive Justice and All Black Lives Matter to Reproductive and Sexual Health
Lynn Roberts, PhD,
Community Health and Social Sciences, CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy, New York, NY
Cynthia Greenlee, PhD,
Richards Civil War Era Center and African Research Center, Penn State, University Park, PA
Zakiya Luna, PhD,
Social Science and Media Studies, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA
Opal Tometi,
Black Alliance for Just Immigration, Brooklyn, NY
The concept of Reproductive Justice (RJ) first emerged at a Black women’s caucus in 1994. The Reproductive Justice Framework – the right to have children, not have children, and to parent the children we have in safe and healthy environments — is based on the human right to make personal decisions about one’s life, and the obligation of government and society to ensure that the conditions are suitable for implementing one’s decisions. The RJ framework represents a shift for women advocating for control of their bodies, from a narrower focus on legal access and individual choice to a broader analysis of racial, economic, cultural, and structural constraints on our power. Similarly, #BlackLivesMatter was created in 2013 after Trayvon Martin’s murderer, George Zimmerman, was acquitted for his crime, 17 year old Trayvon was post-humously placed on trial for his own murder. Rooted in the experiences of Black people in this country who actively resist our de-humanization, #BlackLivesMatter is a call to action and a response to the virulent anti-Black racism and state violence that permeate our society. Black Lives Matter is a unique contribution that goes beyond extrajudicial killings of Black people by police and vigilantes to center and protect the lives of all Black people. The presenters are scholars and activists who will share their perspectives on the confluence and convergence, including points of divergence, of the Reproductive Justice and Black Lives Matter frameworks in the lived experiences and strategies of liberation in which they individually and collectively engage.
Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health education
Diversity and culture
Systems thinking models (conceptual and theoretical models), applications related to public health
Learning Objectives:
Describe the origins and history of the Reproductive Justice and Black Lives Matter frameworks
Define critical factors and strategies used to apply these frameworks nationally and regionally within the U.S. and globally
Demonstrate the necessity of the integration of both frameworks within sexual and reproductive health, and implications for advocacy and practice
Keyword(s): Reproductive Health, Police Brutality
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Active public health researcher, scholar activist and has also served as Co-Chair, Adolescent Health Committee of APHA and Board Member of SisterSong Reproductive Justice Collective.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.
