SisterSong Research

At SisterSong, our research team is rooted in the amplification of community voices. The SisterSong research portfolio includes primarily qualitative community-based participatory research (CBPR) conducted through a reproductive justice lens. Our work seeks to uplift the lived experiences of Black women and gender-expansive people by producing powerful, community-rooted research that drives real change.

Led by Dr. Noelle Elizabeth Spencer and Nea Richard, our research efforts are committed to telling the truth of our communities through data, storytelling, and advocacy.

What We Do

Our research is unapologetically grounded in the lived realities of Black people, using qualitative research to engage directly with those most impacted by reproductive inequities to shape our understanding and inform solutions.

Our current research projects include:

  • The Reproductive Health Experiences and Access (RHEA) Study:  A 4-year collaborative study with the Urban Institute and Reproductive Equity Action Lab at the University of Washington-Madison exploring how people are navigating the post-Dobbs reproductive and sexual health landscape.

  • The Abortion Support Ecosystem Study: A collaboration project between SisterSong and Ibis Reproductive Health that uses focus groups to explore abortion access, support systems, and future care models.

  • Black (in)Fertility Awareness Work: In collaboration with Morehouse School of Medicine and SisterSong's maternal health team, we are supporting the work of the Black (in)Fertility Awareness project through research. 

  • Sexual Health and Reproductive Equity Program at UC Berkley: This study explores individual experiences with IUD and contraceptive implant use. The program is led by researchers in the  Sexual Health and Reproductive Equity Program at UC Berkeley. The SHARE Program is committed to conducting rigorous research to advance the understanding of what it takes for individuals to have the families they envision, to realize reproductive self-determination, and to experience healthy sexuality.

 
 

Why It Matters

Amplifying the real experiences of our community through fact-based research is a critical form to addressing inequities head on. Our research is ultimately  a form of resistance and community care and aids in the creation of a pathway to liberation. When Black communities are not just participants, but leaders in research, we reclaim our narratives and redirect policy, funding, and public attention where it belongs. 

For too long, the sexual and reproductive health experiences of Black people, especially in the South, have been misrepresented, under-documented, and ignored. Our work challenges that. We build research that mobilizes communities and drives change, impacting the world around us.

Our Programming

  • Coalition Leadership: We convene and collaborate with Georgia-based Reproductive Justice and Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice (RHRJ) organizations to align on strategy, uplift grassroots voices, and move together in power.

  • Legislative Advocacy: We fight for transformative policy-based change, from ending abortion bans and increasing birth center access to decriminalizing pregnancy outcomes.

  • RJ The Vote: We harness the political power of our community through healing-centered voter engagement rooted in joy, storytelling, and political education.

  • Trust Black Women: Actions and activations centering Black-led RJ leadership, mural unveilings, and community events.

  • Immigrant Justice Organizing: We provide support to detained and formerly detained people who sit at the intersections of reproductive oppression and state violence.

  • Rapid Response and Public Education: We deploy the power of grassroots mobilization when our communities are under attack, and use the same tactics to ensure our people know their rights and have access to critical resources.

 

Past Work/Legacy

We are proud of the research and projects we have created. Our past projects include: 

Our research team has also had the honor of sharing our research findings, conducting surveys, and sharing our approach to research with other members of the Reproductive Justice community and beyond. Some of those presentations and conference talks include: 

  • Youth and Voting Collaboration: In partnership with the SisterSong Youth Programming team, we joined forces to organize a virtual Youth and Voting session, providing critical information about the role of youth in the electoral process and the importance of the youth vote. 

  • Bloom How We Choose: Black SMA Stories: We are proud to serve as a co-sponsor of this abortion storytelling initiative that serves as a collection of stories from Black people who have self-managed abortions. 

  • Reproductive Justice: Research as Advocacy. Workshop Presentation at the Gender Equity & Climate Justice Conference 

  • Findings on Reproductive Health for state representatives through the Society of Family Planning 

  • The Centering Trust for Black Women Presentation at the Afiya Center

Get Involved

Want to support research that centers Black voices and transforms the landscape of reproductive health? Here’s how you can join us:

Together, we can build a future rooted in trust, equity, and justice.