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Posted In: Abortion, Black Lives Matter and RJ, Bodily Autonomy, Decolonization and RJ, Prison Industrial Complex

Making Waves (Poem)

They speak of waves.
First wave, second wave
How they waved us into the voting booth
Onto rafts that carried us from the back alley-butchers into hospital doors
Parting the seas of picketers who would wash away our resolve with their photos of dismembered babies
They splash everything on the shelves in pink, so Susan G. Komen can swim home from the bank and tell us that pink bikinis will save us all
Because Sheryl Sandberg is telling us that the water won’t be so cold if we all lean in
And if we’re all swimming in marriage equality
And everyone has the right to buy a life vest
Then it’s your fault if you drown.

Those first and second waves
They rode in on tides that were red and yellow and black and brown
No matter how many flags they throw into the water
We know who built the boats
That the first and second waves splashed inside of
And claimed as their own
Then broke apart the pieces to build their homes.

We see the black and brown mommies and daddies and families
Whose babies’ bones settle on the ocean floor
Their tears crashing on shores littered with the bullets
That tore through the hearts of children buying candy
Begging not to be shot
Then publically executed by the media again in death
As “no angel”…
From the shores of Palestine to the deserts of US prisons
Where black and brown wombs are Damned and then dammed
So genocide just looks like the state’s role in family planning
Because criminals and terrorists shouldn’t wade in the gene pool.

To the detention centers
Where children wait with parched throats
That ache to be quenched with words of their families
And are instead poured full of poison
Because prison guards become sorry stand-ins for life guards
To work when your papers don’t.

Our swells will climb above the first and second waves
And churn the waters so our children’s and forepeople’s bones can rise
For people’s “right to choose” is more than contraception, abortion, marriage, and equal wages
But is about having the water for our communities to take root, grow, and flourish in soil
That isn’t poisoned by pollution from the freeways
Or washed away by the illusion that we can buy our freedom.

We are making waves
Beyond ovaries and hormones and clinics
And individual bodies
We can name our collective labor to love and survive
And thrive
As the changing tides of reproductive justice.

 

 

 

- Susila
  • S
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When we say #NOMORECAGES we mean #NOMORECAGES rega When we say #NOMORECAGES we mean #NOMORECAGES regardless of the administration! Children growing up FREE, safe from violence, with parents or caregivers, and the resources to thrive is #ReproJustice!

📢 #FREETHEMALL #FREETHEMNOW 📢

powerful artwork by @emulsify.art !

[ID: colorful graphic of a person holding a gold sign that says, “no more deportation” on a background of pink circles. In the bottom right corner, bold black text reads: “LA MIGRA LA POLICIA LA MISMA PORQUERIA”]
Incarcerated moms face unique risks. @repayannapre Incarcerated moms face unique risks. @repayannapressley , @corybooker , @durbincampaign , & @maziehirono’s Justice for Incarcerated Moms Act invests in programs to support pregnant people in jails and prisons, and includes policies to finally end the shackling of pregnant people. #Momnibus #SaveMoms #ThisisRJ

[ID: Dark blue text on a white background with Black Maternal Health Caucus logo. The text states, “Justice for Incarcerated Moms Act; 1) “Ends the practice of shackling pregnant people once and for all, in all jails and prisons in the US” 2) “Funds programs to ensure pregnant and postpartum incarcerated people have access to optimal maternal health care and support” 3) “Comprehensively studies the maternal health crisis among incarcerated people and develops solutions to end disparities / Learn more: @BMHCaucus  bmhc-underwood.house.gov”]
We must invest in solutions to save Black moms, wo We must invest in solutions to save Black moms, women of color, & birthing people in the U.S. The #Momnibus will:
🌎 Address social determinants of health
🏡 Invest in community-based organizations
📊 Improve data collection
‍⚕ Grow & diversify the perinatal workforce

[ID: Picture of a pregnant person with their hands on their stomach on a black background. Bold white text highlighted in red reads, “SAVE MOMS SAVE LIVES / Black Maternal Health Momnibus #Momnibus”]
The mass deportations and violence against Black m The mass deportations and violence against Black migrants continues everyday. We demand the protection, safety, and wellbeing of all Black immigrants and their families. #ThisIsRJ 

Go to @instaBAJI to find out more about the recent deportations of Black migrants and read about the impact of anti-Black racism that African migrants face at Mexico’s southern border. #ImmigrationIsABlackIssue #FreeThemAll

h/t @instaBAJI repost @migrantscribble

[ID: 1) a picture of a Black woman on a yellow background with bold, black text that says, “There is a Target on Us” and subtext, “The Impact of Anti-Black Racism on African Migrants at Mexico’s Southern Border.” 2) a screenshot of a tweet via @ BAJItweet that reads, “Last week, the Biden administration deported hundreds of Jamaicans + Haitians. Today, this week & month, they are set to deport close to 2000 Africans + Caribbeans. At 3 pm today, a deportation flight takes off for Africa. Yesterday, one for Haiti; a few days before another for Jamaica. 3) BAJItweet screenshot that reads, “UPDATE: We have confirmation that the ICE deportation flight w/ Africans from Cameroon, Angola & DRC has been CANCELED. Now, we demand that they & others in detention are released and given permanent protections from deportation. And that all remaining deportations be canceled.” 4) BAJItweet: “Electeds and the immigrant rights movement must also fundamentally confront their anti-Blackness and stop using Black immigrants as sacrificial lambs in their attempts to pass ‘bi-partisan’ immigration legislation.”]
Returning to the status quo on family planning is Returning to the status quo on family planning is important but not enough to ensure abortion justice. Let’s not forget who is most harmed by abortion restrictions--it’s people of color. The same people who are bearing the brunt of this pandemic; the same people who bear the brunt of systemic racism every day. We need bold action NOW to ensure Reproductive Justice for all.
#ThisIsRJ #ReproBluePrint #BeBoldEndHyde

h/t @ifwhenhow
It’s been a tough year for all of us but there’s still time to help us meet our end of year crowdfunding campaign goal. Now more than ever we need your sport to continue fighting for reproductive justice for our communities!

Visit the link on our bio or go to bit.ly/CLRJ15 to make your donation of any amount to support and continue la lucha for #ReproJustice. Help us welcome 2021  by supporting our work 💗

#QuinceYQue #LatinxGive
In less than two weeks, Governor Newsom will be re In less than two weeks, Governor Newsom will be releasing his budget proposal for CA and we need your help urging him to include the budget request to establish the Forced Sterilization Compensation Program.

Between 1909-1979 CA sterilized at least 20,000 people - a third of eugenics sterilizations nationwide. Eugenic ideologies and practices continue to seep into state institutions across the country.

It’s time to #CompensateSurvivors of forced sterilizations and #EndEugenicsLegacy 

🚨Link to the social media toolkit is in our bio.🚨

[ID: Bright yellow text on a black background that says, “I was 21 years old when I was sterilized without my consent. When I requested copies of my medical records I was made aware of three separate copies, which reflected conflicting reports of the procedure that was done. The hospital records were not the same as the prison medical records”. -Incarcerated at CA Women’s Prison]
🚨Action Alert: Call your state legislators toda 🚨Action Alert: Call your state legislators today and demand they support AB 15 & AB 16 to protect people and families from eviction during the pandemic and beyond.

AB 15 would extend COVID-19 eviction protections and AB 16 would provide assistance to tenants and small landlords. 

#ReproJustice #AB15 #AB16 #KeepFamiliesHome #NoEvictions #HousingIsAHumanRight
Our deepest, heartfelt condolences to your family Our deepest, heartfelt condolences to your family and all the community that carries your light in our hearts. You were and will always be remembered for the RJ warrior sister, comrade, and friend we were blessed to know. Thank you for blessing us with your love of community. We will never forget 💗 

Repost from @ladysoulfly
•
Soraya “the Brightest Star” Medina 
“Soraya Medina is a Los Angeles cultural worker that has been working/organizing around issues of access to greenspace in the innercity since the 92' LA Riots. Since 2006 she has worked as a Promotora de Salud with the LA Free Clinic and Physicians for Social Responsibility's Healthy Homes project. She was co-owner of the late Bohemia Books in Mac Arthur Park and is a member of California Latinas for Reproductive Justice. Soraya is deeply committed to issues of the environment as it relates to the feminine body. She is inspired everyday by the women who prioritize the health of others before themselves.”
:::
Taína, Boricua Pinay, Bombera, My River Sister, My Family, I Love You Soraya! 💛👑
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