Mobilizing for Reproductive Freedom in the Battle Over Bodily Sovereignty
Watch Now: A PRA Roundtable Discussion
Protestors at a rally organized by the Moral Monday Movement in Raleigh, NC, in February 2014 (Credit: Stephen Melkisethian/Flickr.com)
July 23, 2021
Under the perceived threat of a Democratic administration stymieing the war of attrition against reproductive rights, the anti-abortion movement continues to strategize for a post-Roe future. From the growth of the abortion abolitionist movement to the anti-abortion agenda of armed paramilitaries, the battle over bodily sovereignty continues. Join us for a conversation of experts on the anti-abortion movement and practitioners committed to building access to reproductive care as we take stock of this current moment in the struggle for reproductive freedom.
This webinar is the fifth and final in PRA’s ongoing series It’s Not Over Yet.
For this roundtable discussion, we were joined by:
- Adaku Utah is the Organizing Director at the National Network of Abortion Funds and co-founder and co-director of Harriet’s Apothecary. Hailing from Nigeria, Adaku Utah is an Igbo Queer teacher, organizer, healer and ritual artist committed to cultivating movements that are strategic, sustainable and mutually nourishing. For over twenty years, her work has centered in movements for radical social change, with a focus on gender, reproductive, race, youth and healing justice. She has taught and organized both nationally and internationally with organizations like the Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health, Black Lives Matter, Black LGBTQI+ Migrant Project, The Movement for Black Lives, Yale University, Planned Parenthood, Astraea Foundation, Black Women’s Blueprint, the Audre Lorde Project and more.
- Cloee Cooper is the Research Analyst at Political Research Associates. Cloee holds a master’s degree in journalism from the Medill School of Journalism, specializing in social justice and investigative reporting. Cloee tracked, monitored, and organized against anti-immigrant organizations with ties to White nationalism with the Center for New Community from 2009-2012. Her work can be seen at Chicago’s local PBS affiliate (WTTW), Alternet, Social Justice News Nexus, Imagine2050, and Hard Crackers. She currently serves on the editorial board of Hard Crackers, a journal documenting the everyday life of those striving to overturn the mess we are in.
- Loretta J. Ross is an Associate Professor at Smith College, co-founder of SisterSong–a Southern based, national membership organization building an effective network of individuals and organizations to improve institutional policies and systems that impact the reproductive lives of marginalized communities, a principal partner with 14th Strategies Consultants, a public affairs strategic agency dedicated to helping organizations, universities, and corporations live up to the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, and co-creator of the theory of Reproductive Justice.
- Tara Romano Executive Director of NARAL NC - Prochoice North Carolina - and author at NC Policy Watch. Tara previously served on the Steering Committee of NC Women Matter. In 2017, she was appointed for a two year term as an affiliate representative to the NARAL Pro-Choice America C4 national board. She has previously served on the Community Advisory Board for the North Carolina State University’s Women’s Center/Women and Gender Studies Program. She also is a past member of the Advisory Committee for the Institute of Women’s Research Policy’s most recent report, The Status of Women in the South.