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FIRST INVITATION TO PRESENT June 2006 Let’s Talk About Sex! SisterSong’s 2nd National Reproductive Justice Conference and 10th Anniversary Celebration
May 31- June 3, 2007 Chicago, IL
The SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Health Collective would like to invite you to apply to participate as a plenary speaker or workshop leader for our 10th anniversary national conference on women of color and reproductive justice called Let’s Talk About Sex! The conference will be held May 31- June 3, 2007 in Chicago, Illinois hosted by African American Women Evolving and more than 1,200 people are expected to attend.
Since the right to have sex is a topic rarely discussed when addressing reproductive health and rights issues, SisterSong believes that sexual prohibitions are not only promoted by moral conservatives in this country, but also by reproductive rights advocates who fail to promote a sex-positive culture. Sex is not just for pro-creation and sexual pleasure – it is a human right. We would like to create a pro-sex space for the pro-choice movement and we hope you will join us.
You are invited to submit an abstract proposal for this exciting conference. Abstracts are limited to 500 words in length and must be presented on a single page by December 15, 2006. Instructions for submitting an abstract are found below the potential topics list at the end of this document. The conference will be organized over a four-day period to include plenaries, workshops, and roundtables. The conference will be conducted in English and Spanish, and abstracts may be submitted in either language. SisterSong offers free technical assistance to activists who are not experienced in submitting abstracts for a conference presentation or in submitting abstracts electronically. Only women of color will invited to be plenary speakers but all people are eligible to be selected as workshop leaders and speakers.
If possible, title your workshop or presentation in an exciting and provocative way. We want to challenge our thinking, engage in stimulating intellectual exchanges, but most of all, we want to have fun! We are considering organizing the conference tracks similar to the movie rating system: G, PG, R, X, and XXX.
SisterSong is a membership-based organization. We invite all organizations and individuals to become members. Proposals from individual and organizational members will be given preference. Information on joining SisterSong is available at www.sistersong.net.
SisterSong is also soliciting organizational co-sponsors and individual donors for this important conference. If your organization is interested in becoming a major co-sponsor with special benefits and opportunities for our partners, please contact us at documentation@sistersong.net. If you are interested in joining SisterSong’s electronic listserv for future announcements, please send an email to listserv@sistersong.net.
Background on SisterSong:
The SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Health Collective is a network of 76 local, regional and national grassroots organizations and more than 500 individuals, as well as white women and male allies, who support our goal of improving the lives of women of color in the United States by advocating for Reproductive Justice. The mission of SisterSong is to amplify and strengthen the collective voices of Indigenous women and women of color to ensure reproductive justice through securing human rights.
We make the work of women of color more visible and our perspectives understood, both in terms of national politics and in our local communities. We represent five primary ethnic populations/indigenous nations in the United States:
SisterSong lifts the voices of women of color to have an impact on issues that affect us. The Collective was formed in 1997 with the shared recognition that as women of color we have the right and responsibility to represent ourselves and our communities. We do this work within the structure of three objectives:
1.SUPPORT: To create spaces for Indigenous women and women of color to strategize on developing a national movement of women of color for reproductive justice (i.e, conferences and meetings) 2.MENTOR: To build the capacity of Indigenous women and women of color organizations and to increase their visibility, sustainability, effectiveness, and influence (i.e, trainings and mentoring). 3.ADVOCATE: To lift the voices and perspectives of Indigenous women and women of color into the mainstream reproductive rights movement and into public policies (i.e, national newspaper and website).
The SisterSong concept of reproductive justice was coined by women of color in 1994 to define the experiences in the lives of women and girls that deprive us of self-determination and control over our bodies, and limit our reproductive choices. Our vision of reproductive justice is the complete physical, mental, spiritual, political, social, and economic well-being of women and girls, based on the full achievement and protection of women’s human rights. We fight equally for the right to have – and not to have – a child, and the necessary enabling conditions to realize these rights, including the right to parent the children we have. SisterSong is an advocate for reproductive justice to eliminate reproductive oppression. Following is a description of reproductive oppression and reproductive justice created by Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice, a founding member of the Collective. The Problem: Reproductive OppressionReproductive oppression affects the experiences and lives of all women and girls of color. Specifically, it is manifested through:
·Our experiences that deprive us of self-determination and control over our bodies and limit our reproductive choices. ·The controlling and exploiting of women and girls through our bodies, sexuality, labor and reproduction by families, communities and institutions. ·The inequalities of wealth and power, which affect an individual’s reproductive choice.
Our Vision of Reproductive JusticeReproductive justice calls for the end of reproductive oppression and a vision of building the social, political, economic and cultural power of women and their communities, so that they can survive and thrive. Specifically, reproductive justice calls for a vision in which women of color, their families and communities:
·Are healthy and thriving ·Have the economic, social and political power and resources to make healthy decisions about our bodies, sexuality and reproduction for ourselves, our families and our communities in all areas of our lives. ·Are free from all forms of oppression ·Achieve their full human rights.
Why is Reproductive Justice Important for Women of Color?
·Reproductive justice is central to quality of life issues for women of color – having reproductive freedom allows a woman to have self-determination for herself, her family and her community. ·The regulation of the reproductive decisions of women of color has been a central aspect of racial, class and gender oppression in the U.S. and is continuing to become more restrictive and punitive. ·Controlling the reproductive decisions of women of color has been and continues to be a key strategy used to exploit women workers and poor communities of color in the global economy.
Achieving Reproductive Justice means that all women of color would:·Have access to full and equal participation in society ·Be free from violence/harassment ·Be free to live in environmentally healthy communities without toxins and chemicals ·Be free to economically sustain themselves ·Have freedom from sexism, racism, homophobia and other forms of oppression ·Have access to quality and culturally competent health care ·Have full control over the size and configuration of their families ·Have their human rights protected and respected
Our Strategy: Build and Strengthen the Reproductive Justice Movement
In order to achieve reproductive justice, we need to strengthen the reproductive justice movement by:
·Building the social, political, economic and cultural power of low-income women of color and their communities so they can survive and thrive. ·Winning real policy, institutional and cultural changes in the reproductive lives of poor women and girls of color. ·Organizing power and developing leadership among poor women and girls of color who are most excluded from political power. ·Broadening the reproductive rights movement to include voices and concerns of poor women and girls of color. ·Working for reproductive justice on individual, community and institutional levels.
CONFERENCE THEME: LET’S TALK ABOUT SEX
As a steadfast advocate for reproductive justice for women of color, SisterSong recognizes that our reproductive rights are manipulated, ignored and violated when healthy conversations about sex are non-existent. Silence misinforms and kills. Consider the following facts:
·While the Bush Administration and Congress are collaborating with schools to obstruct students from receiving healthy sex education with abstinence-only programs that prohibit information about condom usage, STDs, contraceptives and abortion, teens are still engaging in sexual activities. There is little evidence that students who have received abstinence-only education abstain from sexual activity, and many reports that abstinence-only educated students who are sexually active often do not practice safe sex. There is a growing trend of oral and anal sex as alternatives to intercourse among adolescents and teens, without information about the risks of these behaviors. Some students participate in rainbow parties – gatherings where girls wear different colored lipsticks and perform oral sex on boys.
·Although the birth rates among African American teens between the ages 15-19 have decreased since 1991 (from approximately 118,200 to 68,300 in 2002), Latina teen pregnancy is on the rise. In 1997, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reported that 148 out of every 1,000 births were to Latina teens. The National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health attributes this epidemic to cultural and language barriers, as well as lack of access to medical care.
·According to the Waxman Report, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services awarded over $100 million to abstinence-only-until-marriage programs in fiscal year 2005. Reports indicate that some of these programs provide medical misinformation including that HIV/AIDS can be transmitted through tears and sweat. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control states that of the 40,000 to 80,000 new cases of HIV, half of infections are among people younger than 25. Among reported AIDS cases in teens, 50 percent occur in African Americans, 28 percent in Caucasians, and 20 percent in Hispanics.
·The silence on sex also affects women serving in the armed forces. It is difficult to get women in the military to report any sexual misconduct, and yet, the number of reports filed rose to 1,700 in 2004. Domestic violence in the military is alarmingly frequent. In 1991, the Veterans Affairs Administration surveyed women serving in the Persian Gulf War and found one-third had experienced physical sexual harassment. The U.S. government violates the human rights of military women and dependents with restrictions on abortions and failing to protect them from violence at the hands of other soldiers.
·Hurricane Katrina tragically illustrated how a natural disaster can be exacerbated by policies that fail to protect the human rights of women, children, and poor people. Katrina exposed routine human rights violations often ignored by media, policy makers, and the public. Fault lines of race, and gender were revealed in the horror stories of the residents of the poorest and blackest neighborhoods of New Orleans and the GulfCoast highlighting massive reproductive health violations in already underserved areas.
·The pharmaceutical industry has discovered another way to profit off women’s sexuality by manufacturing drugs to correct “sexual dysfunctions.” In an effort to boost women’s sex drive, pharmaceutical companies have developed a testosterone patch for treating alleged “low-sex drives” of women. Rather than dealing with some of the real causes of a low libido like social, psychological and/or cultural problems, this medical experiment promises a quick-fix patch worn on the abdomen.
·Some women of color living in poverty in the United States, particularly African American women become sex workers or are coerced into sex and prostitution to survive. The media portrays women of color as hypersexual and whores (like the African American woman in the Duke rape case), implying these are the reasons for them entering into the sex industry, ignoring their economic realities. The laws against prostitution are disproportionately lined against women of color.
Potential Conference Topics:
Following is a list of potential topics to be covered at the conference. This list is not exhaustive or exclusive, and similar topics may be combined depending on the number of proposals received. Additional topics not on the list may be proposed. Remember: Select an interesting and provocative title for your workshop. This will help us to include it and persuade attendees to select it from other topics competing in the same workshop track.
Theme: Reproductive Health and Sexual Rights 1.Young Women’s Reproductive Rights 2.The Media and Sexual Myths about Women of Color 3.Health Disparities in Communities of Color 4.Midwifery and Birthing Options 5.Sterilization Abuses 6.STDs, HIV/AIDS, and Women’s Sexuality 7.Sexual Myths in Christian and Islamic Religions 8.Cultural Competency 9.Abstinence Education and Sexual Rights 10.Access to Abortion 11.Conscience Refusals: Impact on Women of Color 12.Impact of Parental Consent Legislation 13.Our Right to Parent: Challenges and Opportunities 14.Chemical-Free and Natural Family Planning 15.The Impact of Medicaid on Reproductive Health and Justice
Theme: Celebrating Sex and Our Sexuality 16.Sex and Pleasure 17.Celebrating the Erotic 18.Distinctions between Erotica and Pornography 19.Teen Sexuality 20.Sex and Spirituality 21.The Fashion Industry and Women’s Sexuality 22.The Entertainment Industry and Women’s Sexuality 23.Pregnant Sex 24.Healthy Love Parties and Safe Sex Practices 25.Sex After Menopause 26.Women’s Sex Drive and Experimental Drugs 27.Sex Behind Bars: Opportunities, Risks and Consequences
Theme: Reproductive Justice and Building Our Movement 28.Katrina, Natural Disasters and Impact on Women 29.Class Issues among Women of Color 30.Legislative and Policy Issues 31.Third Wave Feminism and Women of Color 32.Male Sexuality, Reproductive Health and Sexual Rights 33.Women of Color in the Anti-Abortion Movement 34.The Sexualization of Women of Color 35.Challenging the Right-Wing Assault on Women’s Rights 36.Media Polling and Reproductive Justice 37.Working Across Generations in Our Movement 38.Documenting our Movement: Keeping our own Herstories 39.Building Sustainable Women of Color Organizations 40.Sister Sucker Punches and Conflict in Our Movement 41.Reproductive Justice: Redefining the Meaning of Civic Engagement
Theme: Reproductive Justice and Human Rights 42.The Intersection of Race, Sexuality, Gender and Human Rights 43.Defining Sexual Rights for Women of Color in Human Rights Documents 44.Violence against Women and Reproductive Justice 45.Emergency Contraception and the Abortion Pill Propaganda 46.Teen Abortion 47.Child Prostitution and Pornography 48.Foreign Policy and Population Control 49.Redefining Genocide 50.Sexual Violence (harassment in the workplace, marital rape, incest) 51.Militarization and Women’s Sexuality 52.HIV/AIDS and Reproductive Justice 53.Quinacrine and Chemical Sterilization Abuse 54.Elder Abuse and Violence 55.Psychiatric Abuse and Sexual Violence 56.Sex, Sexuality, and Reproduction: The Primary Tools of Oppression
Theme: Reproductive Justice for All 57.Immigrants’ Rights as Reproductive Justice 58.Sovereignty, Treaty Rights and Reproductive Justice 59.Prisons/Incarceration and Reproductive Justice 60.Prostituted and Trafficked Women and Girls 61.Down-Low Men – Myths and Realities 62.Disabilities and Reproductive Justice 63.Teen Pregnancy as a Reproductive Justice Issue 64.Lesbian Reproductive and Sexual Health Issues 65.Transgendered Activists and Reproductive Justice 66.C.R.A.C.K. Sterilization Abuses against Substance-Abusing Women 67.Culturally-induced Sexual Violence (child marriages, dowry abuse, female genital mutilation, forced pregnancy) 68.Reproductive Justice for Marginalized Women (chronic illness, mental health, etc.) 69.Sex for Survival (food, shelter, protection)
Theme: Reproductive Technologies and Women of Color 70.Bio-Technology, Genetic Engineering, Stem Cell Research and Cloning 71.Medicalizing Women’s Aging 72.Contraceptive Development and Testing 73.Population Control, Eugenics and Scientific Racism 74.In Vitro Fertilization and Surrogacy 75.Traditional Healing Practices 76.Microbicides and Vaccine Testing and Development 77.Work and Employment Issues Affecting Reproductive Justice 78.Missing Research Data on Women of Color 79.EC in the ER: Creating Access to Emergency Contraception for All Rape Victims
Please consider submitting an abstract to this very important conference for consideration. SisterSong encourages responses to this call for papers from all people working on a range of reproductive justice issues that affect reproductive health and sexual rights, and the list above are suggested topics. While proposals addressing other topics not included on our list are welcome, presentations must not promote commercial products or services. While we welcome frank and honest dialogue, we are not accepting presentations that are pornographic and harm or humiliate women, children and individuals.Remember, proposals for similar topics may be combined into one joint session. Please note that the suggested topics listed above may not all be included in the conference. This depends on the abstracts we receive.
The abstract proposal must make clear its direct significance to the reproductive health and sexual rights needs of women of color through a Reproductive Justice lens. Reproductive Justice is described as the complete physical, mental, spiritual, political, social, and economic well-being of women and girls, based on the full achievement and protection of women’s human rights.
Please keep in mind that the target audiences for this conference are grassroots community activists, health care providers, and advocates who work on a wide range of issues. A key review priority for SisterSong is conceptual and language clarity and accessibility. Your abstract must include:
We will make every effort to have the conference simultaneously translated into Spanish so please keep this in mind when you are preparing your proposal.
We are exploring possibilities for publishing the papers and proceedings after the conference, thus submissions should contain no information or materials that will be proprietary or confidential. Timely submission will allow the SisterSong Management Committee to make an early decision regarding your proposal. If this is your first time presenting an abstract to a conference for consideration, please do not hesitate to contact SisterSong for help in mentoring in preparing your abstract proposal. For assistance with the abstract submission process, please contact us at documentation@sistersong.net or 404-344-9629.
Our preferred method for abstract submissions is on our website: If you cannot submit this form, you may:
The deadline for all proposals is December 15, 2006. Authors will be notified of acceptance or rejection by March 31, 2007 and will be offered the opportunity to present their work in a scheduled session with other speakers.
CLICK HERE to Submit an Abstract
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