In Our Own Voice: Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Launches Action Fund to Mobilize Voters On Key Repro Justice Issues
In Our Own Voice: Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Launches Action Fund to Mobilize Voters On Key Repro Justice Issues
In Our Own Voice Action Fund to support federal and state candidates committed to advancing intersectional policy solutions that result in more equitable health and wellness outcomes for Black women, girls, and gender-expansive individuals.
August 22, 2024 — Today, In Our Own Voice: Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda launched a new 501(c)4, In Our Own Voice Action Fund, during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois. The action fund launches on the heels of the 30th anniversary of the creation of “reproductive justice” at an informal caucus of 12 Black women reproductive advocates and elected officials that met at a health reform conference in Chicago, who were fed up with Black women being purposely overlooked in the fight for reproductive health services.
In Our Own Voice Action Fund seeks to educate voters on the importance of the Black women’s Reproductive Justice agenda, endorse a slate of pro-reproductive justice federal and state candidates, and launch a national voter education and mobilization digital and phone-banking campaign championing an expansive Reproductive Justice agenda including voting rights, economic equity, criminal justice reform, and other issues directly impacting Black women.
As the first and only national organization focused on Reproductive Justice and policy change for Black women, girls, and gender-expansive individuals, In Our Own Voice Action Fund endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic presidential nominee ahead of a consequential U.S. election in November.
In Our Own Voice Action Fund will build on these efforts by accomplishing the following:
- Educate and engage voters in Georgia, Texas, Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virgina, Nevada, Arizona, and Colorado on key Reproductive Justice values and issues;
- Establish a foundation of political organizers and volunteers dedicated to, and aligned on, a vision for the future of Reproductive Justice;
- Hold policy leaders accountable for amplifying the need for greater, equitable civil rights protections across all levels of government;
- And ensure the election of Reproductive Justice champions nationwide.
“We are witnessing a pivotal moment in the ongoing fight to secure Reproductive Justice for those most marginalized by the U.S. healthcare system,” said Regina Davis Moss, President and CEO of In Our Own Voice Action Fund. “The recent nomination of Vice President Harris is helping revive important conversations around Reproductive Justice, but there’s more that needs to be done to ensure Black women’s voices and experiences remain a priority down the ballot. In Our Own Voice Action Fund will endorse candidates that are committed to addressing the full range of social, economic, political, and cultural supports needed for Black women and families to thrive.”
This latest announcement from In Our Own Voice comes at a critical time for advancing Black women’s reproductive freedoms, as 2024 marks the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Reproductive Justice legislative movement.
“The founding of In Our Own Voice Action Fund is a full circle moment,” said “Able” Mable Thomas, politician and founding mother of Reproductive Justice. “This organization is committed to carrying the torch we lit 30 years ago in Chicago in an effort to center Black women in the Reproductive Justice movement. The issue is, three decades later, this organization shouldn’t have to exist. This is the moment for us to commit to a Black women’s Reproductive Justice agenda and get this right.”
In Our Own Voice Action Fund is preparing to launch a national speakers series to educate voters on the importance of a holistic reproductive justice agenda that digs into not only if, when and how Black women expand their families, but ensuring they have access to a high quality of life.
To read more about the In Our Own Voice Action Fund and upcoming activations, click here.
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In Our Own Voice Action Fund is a 501(c)4 organization committed to shifting gender justice, reproductive health and rights, and abortion spaces by anchoring multi-issue strategies rooted in the Reproductive Justice (RJ) framework. The core focus of the action fund actively fights to engage and educate more voters on Reproductive Justice values, especially Black voters, to increase accountability in both electing RJ champions and building a greater base of political organizers and volunteers amplifying its key issues.
