Reproductive Justice through Human Rights with Loretta Ross

Reproductive justice may be a new phrase to some but it has been a lifelong journey and career for activist and educator Loretta Ross. Ross’ passion for reproductive justice stemmed from her own traumatic childhood experiences. On April 18 at 6 p.m. in the CWU SURC Theatre, she will share this story.

Ross will cover all aspects of reproductive justice, emphasizing the intersectionality of social justice issues and how this impacts social change. The event is free and open to the public.

Ross is a rape survivor, was forced to raise a child born of incest, and is a survivor of sterilization abuse.

Speakoutnow.org describes Ross as “a model of how to survive and thrive despite the traumas that disproportionately affect low-income women of color. She is a nationally-recognized trainer on using the transformative power of Reproductive Justice to build a Human Rights movement that includes everyone.”

Ross helped coin the term “Reproductive Justice” in 1994, which has reformed reproductive politics in the United States. Her social justice activism began with pioneering work on domestic violence in the 1970s, and continues today with work on eliminating reproductive oppression, promoting women’s choice to have or not have children, and providing resources and sustainable communities for raising children.

Loretta Ross has transformed her painful personal experiences into a political movement. She is the co-founder and national coordinator of the Sister Song Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective, and is an expert on women's issues, hate groups, racism, intolerance, human rights, and violence against women. Learn more about Ross’ work at www.lorettaross.com.

This special event is sponsored by the CWU Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program. For more information about the program, visit their web page.

Media contact: Dawn Alford, Department of Public Affairs, 509-963-1484, Dawn.Alford@cwu.edu.