Miami, FL — Groundbreaking Reproductive Justice leader Loretta Ross spoke at eight Women's Fund events throughout Miami in late July. Ross’s speaking tour across the county launched the Women’s Fund of Miami-Dade campaign to meet a $100,000 matching grant for Reproductive Justice programs led by women of color from The Catalyst Fund at Tides Foundation.

More than 100 women from diverse perspectives came together for a series of thought-provoking discussions on women’s health, human rights, and social justice. Loretta Ross, who is based in Atlanta, lectures internationally on Reproductive Justice. She explained that “Women around the world use the human rights framework to talk about women’s rights. ‘Women’s Rights are Human Rights.’ But you don’t hear that discourse about women’s rights here in the U.S. Here, the Women’s Rights Movement has been about individual choices. But that doesn’t always represent the complexity of women’s lives.”

That is why Ross and her colleagues created the framework of Reproductive Justice – basically by combining reproductive rights and social justice. She emphasizes that there is room for many perspectives within the Reproductive Justice framework. There are women working on Reproductive Justice that are pro-life and many who are pro-choice. As she said in Miami, “Some believe that abstinence-only education is the only way to keep girls healthy, and others think it is the worst thing in the world. We may disagree, but no one leaves the table.”

Ross uses the example of what a woman first thinks about when she thinks she is pregnant to illustrate what Reproductive Justice means. “She is thinking about whether or not she is going to be fired from her job if she requires maternity leave. Is she going to be beaten when she tells her partner she is pregnant? Does she have healthcare? Does she have a bedroom to put that child in? Is there a school she can send that child to? All of these are human rights issues – well beyond should I keep this baby – if you don't have healthcare or earn a living wage – that is an economic human rights issue. If you are worried about safety, then that is a civil rights issue.” Environmental rights also play a role. If a woman is exposed to toxins in her environment that could harm her reproductive health, that is a reproductive injustice. And all of these issues intersect Reproductive Justice, just as they do in the real life experiences of a woman’s reproductive experience.

Women’s Fund Executive Director Claudia Kitchens said, “Loretta’s visit raised the level of discussion about women’s health in this community. Women’s reproductive health is a human right, and reproductive justice is important to every family.”

Women's Fund has been selected in a highly competitive grant process as one of eight partners for The Catalyst Fund at Tides Foundation, a national program that will provide a new source of funding to women of color-led Reproductive Justice work.

Women’s Advocacy Project Director Sophie Brion, who is leading the Women’s Fund Reproductive Justice grant process, says, “Nationally, Reproductive Justice work has changed laws to protect immigrant women workers from toxic chemical exposure, engaged young women in demanding accurate information about their reproductive health and challenged discriminatory practices in health care. Here in Miami we believe that by challenging issues at the intersection of human rights, environmental justice and worker rights - we will improve the overall health of entire communities.”

Women's Fund will receive up to $100,000 in matching funds from The Catalyst Fund at Tides Foundation to support local women of color-led organizations that are furthering the Reproductive Justice movement in our community.

“We read everyday about reduced funding for forward-thinking programs in our community. The Catalyst Fund is offering an unprecedented opportunity for us improve women’s lives here in Miami. By demonstrating local commitment and raising money locally, a group of private national foundations will match us dollar for dollar up to $100,000. That’s an investment in our community we can’t afford to turn away,” says Women’s Fund Director of Development, Tiffany Zientz Heckler.

Read Loretta's Biography
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Women’s Fund of Miami-Dade believes that all women and girls have the right to equality, safety, opportunity and self-determination in every aspect of their lives. Since 1993, Women’s Fund has made more than 300 grants to projects for women and girls and remains the only grantmaker in Miami-Dade County dedicated to funding gender-specific projects. Women’s Fund of Miami-Dade is a leading advocate for collaborative efforts and increased activism to eliminate discrimination, build women’s leadership, end violence against women and increase economic security in Miami. When women and girls thrive, our entire community prospers. For more information, please visit www.womensfundmiami.org.