#but woc dying is political and complicated

[deansass]

low key embarrassed by the white feminists rising from the graves to defend Taylor Swift for whatever reaction she had at the GG while being dead silent about the literal murder of WOC around the world or the women who don’t have access to hygienic products or the ones being killed by airstrikes while pregnant or

[rapeculturerealities]

Recently, the New York Times published a feature about the racial and generational divide in the reproductive health and justice movements. The article focused on the ways in which Black and Brown women and non-binary people are excluded from prevailing narratives around the fight to protect Roe, while ignoring the very urgent and intersecting issues that affect their lives. I was one of the women interviewed and, after the piece was published, I found that much of the backlash was defensive; many people painted me and the young women of color interviewed as out of touch with the feminist movement, instead of embracing the opportunity in intersectional approaches.

Ultimately, the backlash proved my point: Reproductive rights spaces tend to be echo chambers that fail to adequately center those who are directly impacted by these issues. There’s more anger at young women of color speaking honestly about a movement that doesn’t include us than there is advocacy on behalf of the Black women dying due to pregnancy complications (#JusticeForSha-Asia), or migrant women being detained and separated from their children, or forced sterilizations impacting Indigenous women. These are all reproductive justice issues, and they reflect the urgent concerns facing communities of color.

I was disappointed that many organizations I along with the other activists named as exemplars of intersectional reproductive work were excluded. Organizations like SisterSong, Ancient Song, and the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice were all left out of the final piece. As a result, the article highlighted the problems that exist without also amplifying the work that's already being done to correct those problems. Editing processes like these are part of the challenges Black women and WOC face.

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[rapeculturerealities]

Recently, the New York Times published a feature about the racial and generational divide in the reproductive health and justice movements. The article focused on the ways in which Black and Brown women and non-binary people are excluded from prevailing narratives around the fight to protect Roe, while ignoring the very urgent and intersecting issues that affect their lives. I was one of the women interviewed and, after the piece was published, I found that much of the backlash was defensive; many people painted me and the young women of color interviewed as out of touch with the feminist movement, instead of embracing the opportunity in intersectional approaches.

Ultimately, the backlash proved my point: Reproductive rights spaces tend to be echo chambers that fail to adequately center those who are directly impacted by these issues. There’s more anger at young women of color speaking honestly about a movement that doesn’t include us than there is advocacy on behalf of the Black women dying due to pregnancy complications (#JusticeForSha-Asia), or migrant women being detained and separated from their children, or forced sterilizations impacting Indigenous women. These are all reproductive justice issues, and they reflect the urgent concerns facing communities of color.

I was disappointed that many organizations I along with the other activists named as exemplars of intersectional reproductive work were excluded. Organizations like SisterSong, Ancient Song, and the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice were all left out of the final piece. As a result, the article highlighted the problems that exist without also amplifying the work that's already being done to correct those problems. Editing processes like these are part of the challenges Black women and WOC face.

In response, I gathered nine Black, Indigenous, and Latinx women who are on the frontlines of intersectional reproductive justice work—whether as practitioners, advocates, patients, or a combination—to share their stories. I see you, I honor you, I fight with you.