Nakea, Maria, and Moira Bowman. “Intersections at the Grassroots: Insights from Organizing for Reproductive Justice, Youth Leadership, and Immigrant & Refugee Rights.” The Momentum Series. ACRJ, 2008. http://strongfamiliesmovement.org/assets/docs/ACRJ-MS2-Intersections-at-the-Grassroots.pdf.
Annotation
This report is part of the Momentum Series, a project of the Expanding the Movement of Empowerment and Reproductive Justice (EMERJ), which is a national movement-building initiative within Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice. It documents dialogues between reproductive justice groups and their allies, highlighting strategies for cross-community organizing, and focuses on four indicators of a strong social justice movement: (1) shared analysis and language, (2) leadership from marginalized communities, (3) cross-sector alliances, and (4) organizational capacity and resources. The authors identify Storytelling as a useful tool for creating a shared language and building an inclusive analysis of reproductive oppression. They state that reproductive justice requires an acknowledgement of intersectionality, and so propose leadership development within affected communities, including among youth and across generations, as a way to expand and sustain the movement. The challenges and benefits of cross-sector alliances are outlined using examples from the reproductive, LGBTQ, immigration, and environmental justice contexts. The authors identify common obstacles for intersectional movement building, including lack of funding, ineffective assessment tools, and marginalization of constituencies by mainstream organizations.
This report critically explores ways to strengthen the reproductive justice movement and use a reproductive justice lens as a tool for social change. In addition to identifying four indicators of a strong social justice movement, it challenges movements to learn from one another and embrace diversity.