Giving Compass' Take:

• Mwende Katwiwa explains how she came to connect reproductive justice and Black Lives Matter to improve the lives of Black women and children. 

• How can funders work to support local leaders in grassroots organizations? How do cultural factors influence effective reproductive justice efforts? 

• Learn about barriers to reproductive rights globally. 

I was 23 years old when I first heard about Reproductive Justice. I was working at Women with a Vision, where I learned that Reproductive Justice was defined by Sister Song as:

  1. A woman's right to decide if and when she will have a baby and the conditions under which she will give birth.
  2. A woman's right to decide if she will not have a baby and her options for preventing or ending a pregnancy.
  3. A woman's right to parent the children she already has in safe and healthy environments without fear of violence from individuals or the government.

There is something about being Black in America that has made motherhood seem complicated. Seem like, I don't know what to do to raise my kids right and keep them alive. Do I tell my son not to steal because it is wrong, or because they will use it to justify his death?

As I learned more about Reproductive Justice at Women With A Vision, and as I continued to be active in the Movement for Black Lives, I found myself wanting others to see and feel these similarities. I found myself asking: Whose job is it in times like this to connect ideas realities and people?

Read the full article on reproductive justice and Black Lives Matter by Mwende Katwiwa at TED.