Milestones

The following are highlights from November 2005 through December 2006

• CLRJ educated and mobilized Latina/o and multicultural voters to defeat two dangerous Parental Notification state ballot initiatives – Proposition 85 in the November 2006 election and Proposition 73 in the 2005 Special Election.  These misguided policies threatened the health, safety and lives of the most vulnerable young women in California.  CLRJ served as Statewide Co-Chair of Latina/o outreach for the Campaign for Teen Safety/No on Proposition 85.  CLRJ organized a statewide multicultural coalition of Latinas/os and social justice allies who stood in unified opposition to Proposition 85; played a key role in developing targeted bilingual messaging and materials to reach Latina/o voters; trained Latina/o media and community spokespersons; served as an expert source to bilingual news media; hosted a community forum with local allies; conducted a multicultural leaders press briefing with elected officials and social justice organizations; and worked in solidarity with grass roots organizers to educate communities of color about the dangerous effect of Proposition 85.    

• CLRJ trained over 100 Promotoras, community-based health educators and grass roots organizers in diverse California regions -- including Los Angeles, San Diego, the Bay Area, the Coachella Valley, the Central Valley and Salinas – about the importance of promoting family communication about sexuality.  These bilingual/bicultural, interactive “train the trainer” workshops provided critical information to community-based Latinas/os and built skills to raise visibility about parent-youth communication in an effort to promote the reproductive health and rights of Latina/o youth. 

• CLRJ educated or informed statewide policymakers, advocates and Latina/o community members about critical reproductive health, rights and justice policy issues affecting Latina women and teens in California.  CLRJ held Sacramento-based and local policy briefings, community forums and strategy sessions; co-sponsored and hosted statewide and national conferences with reproductive justice allies; provided expert testimony concerning reproductive justice policy issues; and conducted over 50 presentations to local, statewide and national audiences concerning key reproductive justice issues affecting Latinas, including comprehensive sexuality education, confidential access to services for minors, and the importance of alliance-building to promote a new reproductive justice movement. 

• CLRJ published its inaugural Policy Brief containing its Policy Platform for Action and disseminated it widely to state level and local leaders, advocates and community activists.  In doing so, CLRJ provided key data, critical analysis, and served to elevate the urgency of promoting reproductive justice issues in the Latina/o community.  CLRJ’s first policy brief informed key leaders about the need to educate, organize and mobilize our communities about reproductive/sexual health and rights and provided a range of policy and community-based recommendations for doing so.

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The following are highlights from January through December 2007 

• CLRJ co-sponsored the Sexual Health Education Accountability Act (AB 629-Brownley), new legislation enacted in October 2007 (effective January 1, 2008) to promote comprehensive sexuality education in California communities.  AB 629 requires that state funds for community-based sexuality education are spent on programs that are comprehensive, medically accurate, unbiased, culturally and linguistically appropriate, among other factors.  CLRJ educated policymakers about the importance of comprehensive sexuality education as a means to promote healthy communities, while mobilizing policy and community-based allies to support AB 629.

• CLRJ advanced key reproductive justice policies through its 2007 priority platform.   CLRJ served as co-sponsor of a policy initiative (AB 1511) promoting voluntary family communication about sexuality and played a key role in mobilizing Latino civil rights, health access and social justice groups.  CLRJ also played an active role in California’s health care reform debate by providing the reproductive justice lens to the Having Our Say! Community of Color’s Stake in Health Care Reform coalition and developing reproductive health policy principles to promote and protect access for low-income women of color in collaboration with the California Coalition for Reproductive Freedom (CCRF). 

• CLRJ produced a bilingual Policy Brief entitled Advancing the Reproductive Health and Justice of Young Latinas Through Comprehensive Sexuality Education/ Promoviendo La Salud Reproductiva de las Jóvenes Latinas a Través de la Educación Sexual Completa.This Policy Brief addresses the importance of promoting quality sexuality education as an essential component of advancing the reproductive and sexual health of Latina/o youth and the Latina/o community as a whole.  The Brief highlights relevant sexual health research, public opinion data and policy developments, followed by CLRJ’s policy and community-based recommendations to promote the health and well-being of young Latinas in California.     

• CLRJ conducted over 65 presentations in 2007 – including tailored trainings and workshops -- to local, statewide and national audiences reaching over 4,100 people throughout key California regions and in selected national venues. 

• CLRJ trained over 120 emerging Latina leaders from diverse California regions in 2007 concerning reproductive justice principles, while building effective advocacy and strategic communications skills and providing networking opportunities.  CLRJ worked in collaboration with Latino Issues Forum (LIF) to develop the Latinas Empowered for Action Reproductive Justice Leadership Training Project (LEA).  CLRJ and LIF collectively developed a targeted, culturally-based and interactive reproductive justice, policy advocacy and strategic communications training curriculum.  CLRJ and LIF conducted two regional trainings with community- and college-based Latinas and a third, more intensive training in Sacramento in conjunction with a Latina Reproductive Justice Policy Briefing.  CLRJ and LIF are currently developing a new Latina Leadership Network comprised of LEA alumni to serve as a conduit for ongoing advocacy, mobilization and networking on reproductive justice issues.

• CLRJ organized Latina Delegations with young activists to promote reproductive justice.  CLRJ coordinated a “Latina Delegation to Sacramento” with seven young Latinas to CCRF’s Reproductive Freedom Day.  Through this delegation, CLRJ brought Latina voices to the policymaking process and mobilized emerging young leaders.  CLRJ sponsored a delegation of 10 community-based Latinas from California to participate in the SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Health Collective National Conference in Chicago and provided the opportunity for delegates to play an active role in the national reproductive justice movement. 

• CLRJ educated policymakers, advocates, Latina/o community leaders, allied organizations and the news media about critical reproductive justice policy issues affecting Latina women and youth in California through a series of policy briefings and community forums.  Below are highlights of 2007 briefings and forums in which CLRJ played a leading role: *Demonstrating Our Strength/Demonstrando Nuestra Fuerza:  Advancing a New Latina Reproductive Justice Policy Agenda,  Reproductive Justice Policy Briefing, Co-Hosted by CLRJ with LIF and Senate Majority Leader Gloria Romero,  Sacramento, CA; *Are California’s Reproductive Rights Policy Wins Reaching Our Communities? CCRF Reproductive Freedom Day, Sacramento, CA; *Latinas Empowered for Action:  A New Model to Advance Latinas’ Leadership and Advocacy, California Wellness Foundation’s Women’s Health Conference, San Francisco, CA; *Advancing Latinas’ Reproductive Health and Justice, National Latino Congreso, Los Angeles, CA;  *Building Bridges, Affirming Our Strength: Exploring the Intersections Between Reproductive Justice and Violence Against Women Among Latinas, Co-Sponsored with the Family Violence Prevention Fund.      

• CLRJ developed model educational, advocacy and organizing materials for community-based organizations to promote comprehensive sexuality education through its “Latina/o Sexuality Education Action Kit.”This Action Kit provides community-based organizers, advocates, Promotoras and health educators who work with Latina/o parents and youth information about their right to comprehensive sexuality education in California public schools, combined with tools to support the development of grass roots advocacy and organizing campaigns. The action kit includes a Policy Backgrounder, “action research” surveys, campaign development tools and two popular education materials: a Parent Foto-Novela and an illustrated Youth-Zine. 

• CLRJ developed and implemented an interactive, culturally-based comprehensive sexuality education training curriculum for advocates, organizers and health educators working with Latina/o parents or youth to explore potential advocacy and organizing opportunities for implementing California’s comprehensive sexuality education policies.  CLRJ conducted six sexuality education trainings and workshops specifically tailored for a range of Latina/o, reproductive justice and community-based advocates in diverse California regions, as well as within regional and national conferences. 

• CLRJ trained over 70 Promotoras, community-based health educators and grass roots organizers in diverse California regions about the importance of promoting family communication about sexuality.  These Spanish-language, culturally-based, interactive workshops provided critical information to community-based Latinas/os and built skills to raise visibility about family communication.  CLRJ collaborated with the Dolores Huerta Foundation (Lamont), Clinica de la Familia (Gonzalez), and Esperanza Community Center (Los Angeles) as local co-sponsors. 

• CLRJ participated actively in over 70 collaborative efforts – including coalitions, boards, networks, strategic collaborations and/or co-sponsorships -- with reproductive health/rights/justice, Latina/o, youth and social justice advocacy and community-based organizations.  New collaborations for 2007 include EMERJ (Expanding the Movement for Empowerment and Reproductive Justice); Having Our Say!  Community of Color’s Stake in Health Care Reform Coalition; Community Partnership/Center for Community Change; the Family Violence Prevention Fund; 19 local co-sponsors of the Latinas Empowered for Action trainings; 12 local co-sponsors of the sexuality education advocacy trainings; three local co-sponsors of CLRJ’s Family Communication About Sexuality trainings; and a range of reproductive health/rights and social justice groups.

• CLRJ serves as a recognized national leader in promoting a vibrant Reproductive Justice Movement for Latinas, communities of color and social justice allies.  This includes CLRJ’s role as a Founding Team Member of EMERJ, active participation in the SisterSong Women of Color Management Circle, and serving on the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health’s National Policy Advisory Committee.

• CLRJ was honored to receive the 2007 “Sisters of Fire Award” from The Women of Color Resource Center (WCRC) during its 9th annual event in recognition of CLRJ’s “dedication to social justice and women's rights.”

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The following are highlights from January through December 2008

Promoting Systemic Reproductive Justice Policy Change

• CLRJ played a leading role in educating and mobilizing over 1,200 Latina/o, community of color, immigrant and young leaders about California’s third parental notification initiative, Proposition 4, highlighting its detrimental effect on low-income communities of color.  Working in collaboration with Reproductive Justice allies statewide, CLRJ addressed other related initiatives (Propositions 6, 8 and 9) and reached thousands of additional voters through electronic tools -- including a tailored voting guide and a dedicated networking site for young Latinas, “Don’t Vote Against a Sister!” -- bilingual/bicultural popular education materials targeting Latina/o voters, ethnic and alternative news media.  CLRJ also encouraged women of color to “Get out HER Vote!” and break the silence in our communities.  California voters defeated Proposition 4, including a significant margin among young Latina/o voters (66% no to 34% yes according to CNN exit poll).

• CLRJ mobilized over 130 reproductive justice, community of color and social justice allies to urge California’s leaders to preserve vital safety net health and social services for low-income Latinas, women of color and immigrant communities in light of the proposed cuts within the 2008-2009 state budget.  This included organizing “Health & Justice Now! Women and Communities United to Save California’s Safety Net,” a mobilization campaign targeting the Governor and Legislative Leadership from a reproductive justice perspective.

• CLRJ launched its 2008 Policy Priorities & Reproductive Justice Platform for Action.  CLRJ’s annual Policy Priorities are intended to advance its Mission and Core Policy Goals, while reflecting the most urgent reproductive health and justice needs facing California’s Latinas, their families and their communities.  CLRJ’s 2008 Platform consists of specific policy initiatives within the following four areas:  (a) Promoting Latinas’ Reproductive Health Access & Positive Health Outcomes; (b) Promoting the Reproductive Health & Justice of Latina/o Youth; (c) Promoting & Preserving Young Latinas’ Access to Confidential Reproductive Health Services; and (d) Highlighting Latinas’ Reproductive Justice Framework & Cross-Movement Intersections. 

Raising the Profile of Latinas’ Reproductive Justice Policy Priorities & Advocacy Campaigns

• CLRJ educated policymakers, advocates, Latina/o community leaders, allied organizations and the news media about critical reproductive justice policy issues affecting Latina women and youth in California through a series of policy briefings and community forums.CLRJ conducted nearly 80 presentations -- including tailored briefings, trainings, workshops and media interviews -- to local, statewide and national audiences reaching over 3,200 people in 2008. 

• CLRJ released its new Policy Brief, Access to Health Insurance: A Vital Step in Promoting Latinas’ Reproductive Health and Justice (Fall 2008), urging California policymakers to ensure continued funding of California’s vital public health programs.  CLRJ conducted its first Webinar and conducted targeted media outreach highlighting the Brief’s findings and policy recommendations.  

• Highlights of 2008 briefings and forums in which CLRJ played a leading role include the following: *Avanzando Nuestras Voces: Working for Latinas' Reproductive Health Access in Our World and Our Communities, Policy Briefing and Forum Co-Hosted with National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health and IPAS (San Diego, CA, July 2008); *Healthy Latinas, Thriving Communities:  Promoting a Reproductive Health and Justice Policy Agenda for Latina Women and Youth in California, Policy Briefing Co-Hosted with Senator Gilbert Cedillo (Sacramento, CA, April 2008); *Latinas’ Reproductive Health and Justice Community Forum, Co-Hosted with Assembly Member Mary Salas (San Diego, CA, January 2008); *Testimony before the Senate Education Committee in Support of SB 1600 (Sacramento, CA, April 2008); *Testimony before the Assembly Health Committee’s Informational Hearing on the STD Epidemic (Sacramento, CA, February 2008). 

Advancing Leadership Development, Training and Community Mobilization

• CLRJ trained over 250 emerging Latina leaders from diverse California regions concerning Reproductive Justice, why it matters to the Latina/o community, and concrete ways to play an active role in the policy advocacy process. 

• Through the Latinas Empowered for Action Reproductive Justice Leadership Training Program (LEA), CLRJ conducted four regional trainings with community- and college-based Latinas; one Spanish-language training for Promotoras; and two intensive policy trainings in Sacramento in conjunction with Latina Reproductive Justice Policy Briefings in 2007-2008. 

• In February 2008, CLRJ launched a new Latina Leadership Network (LLN) comprised of LEA alumni to serve as a conduit for ongoing advocacy, mobilization and networking on reproductive justice issues.  CLRJ has taken active steps to integrate LEA alumni in its advocacy, leadership development and alliance-building efforts; is supporting the development of a new LLN Advisory Council; and is creating an infrastructure to support LEA alumni’s ongoing engagement, leadership and advocacy. 

• CLRJ coordinated its second annual Latina Delegation to the California Coalition for Reproductive Freedom’s (CCRF) Reproductive Freedom Day in Sacramentowith nine young Latinas.  Through this delegation, CLRJ brought Latina voices to the policymaking process and mobilized emerging young leaders. 

• CLRJ conducted seven culturally-based, Spanish-language interactive trainings addressing the Reproductive Justice Framework and how it applies to Latinas and their communities reaching nearly 180 Promotora and farm-worker leaders in both urban (Los Angeles) and rural (Central Valley, Central Coast) California regions, as well as in the Pacific Northwest (Western States Center’s activist training). 

• CLRJ developed model educational, advocacy and organizing materials for community-based organizations to promote comprehensive sexuality education through its “Latina/o Sexuality Education Action Kit.”CLRJ disseminated over 100 copies of the Action Kit materials to targeted advocates and community-based health educators through its trainings and workshops, and posted electronic versions on its web site. 

• CLRJ developed and implemented an interactive, culturally-based comprehensive sexuality education training curriculum for advocates, organizers and health educators working with Latina/o parents or youth to explore potential advocacy and organizing opportunities for implementing California’s comprehensive sexuality education policies.  CLRJ conducted four sexuality education trainings and workshops specifically tailored for a range of Latina/o, reproductive justice and community-based advocates in diverse California regions, as well as within regional and national conferences in 2007-2008. 

• CLRJ co-sponsored two Sexuality Education Roundtable convenings in Los Angeles and San Jose, California with the ACLU of Northern California and Planned Parenthood Affiliates of California reaching nearly 80 sexuality education advocates and community-based organizations concerning policy developments and opportunities.     

Reproductive Justice Movement-Building: 2008 Reproductive Justice Action Summit

• Among CLRJ’s most significant movement-building developments was hosting the first California Reproductive Justice Action Summit (RJ Summit) in June 2008 in Los Angeles.  The RJ Summit was a tremendous success, with nearly 120 participants, 28 speakers, and 55 reproductive justice and social justice organizations represented.  The RJ Summit provided a strategic opportunity for the California reproductive justice community and its growing social justice alliance base to convene on a statewide basis in order to highlight the RJ framework and its various perspectives; explore cross-issue and cross-movement priorities; and identify shared values to serve as the foundation for further strategy development and action.  The RJ Summit is a principal component of a two-year project to collectively develop a California Reproductive Justice Policy & Action Agenda in close collaboration with reproductive justice, youth, community of color, and social justice allies.
  
  
• Planning Advisory Committee:  A central component of advancing the RJ Summit’s goals and objectives was to develop an inclusive planning process that is representative of California communities.  As such, CLRJ collaborated with the following allied organizations who participated in the RJ Summit Advisory Committee:  ACCESS/Women’s Health Rights Coalition; Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice and EMERJ (Expanding the Movement for Empowerment and Reproductive Justice); California Black Women's Health Project; California Partnership; Generations Ahead; Khmer Girls in Action; Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center; National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum; and Physicians for Social Responsibility – Los Angeles. 

• Summit Program Highlights:  The Opening Plenary, composed of visionary women of color Reproductive Justice leaders, provided Summit participants with a diverse range of community-based definitions and perspectives on Reproductive Justice.  Five simultaneous workshops covered a broad range of issues and allowed for the participants to discuss and identify core values that were shared between Reproductive Justice and their own respective movements.  The workshop themes were as follows:  (a) Youth Reclaim Reproductive Justice:  Young leaders spoke about issues such as STDs & STIs (sexually transmitted diseases & infections), the rights of parenting youth, comprehensive sexuality education and the environment.  (b) Violence, the State and Women’s Reproductive Health:  Experts examined the impact of violence in its various dimensions – including communities living with fear of state violence (deportation, incarceration and war) – and its effect on women’s health and Reproductive Justice.  (c) Women Workers, Our Environment and Reproductive Justice:  Participants were engaged in a dialogue that merged reproductive and environmental justice, and the rights of women workers in the service and personal care industries.  (d) Taking Action Now!  Race, Reproduction and Public Policy:This workshop explored the intersections between Racial Justice and Reproductive Justice within the public policy context, with a focus on the California state budget cuts.  (e) La Salud, Los Derechos y la Justicia Reproductiva para Latinas:We identified the need for a Spanish track workshop that would allow our participating health educators (Promotoras) to engage in a dialogue with experts to search for connections among issues of violence, the environment and Latinas’ reproductive health. 

• Exploring Common Values and Priorities:  The Summit participants identified the following key values: “dignity, freedom and autonomy”; “family, community and systemic change”; and “culture, security and gender equality.” 

• Evaluation Highlights: The RJ Summit evaluations demonstrated its overall success in reaching the day’s goals of exploring common values, learning about different perspectives on reproductive justice, and learning about the intersections between reproductive justice and other social justice causes.  Over 97 percent (97.6%) of respondents rated their overall experience as “Very Good” or “Outstanding.”  The most valuable part of the Summit reported by almost three quarters of respondents (74.4%) was “Learning about the intersections of reproductive justice with other social justice causes.” 

Building Alliances & Increasing the Base of Support for Reproductive Justice

• CLRJ participated actively in over 80 collaborative efforts – including coalitions, boards, networks, strategic collaborations and/or co-sponsorships -- with reproductive health/rights/justice, Latina/o, youth and social justice advocacy and community-based organizations.

• CLRJ increased its Statewide Alliance Network data base to over 1,500 organizational and individual contacts in 2008, including allied organizations, training participants, and a range of contacts developed through CLRJ’s advocacy activities.

• CLRJ serves as a recognized national leader in promoting a vibrant reproductive justice movement for Latinas, communities of color and social justice allies.  This includes CLRJ’s role as a Founding Team Member of EMERJ, active participation in the SisterSong Women of Color Management Circle, and serving on the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health’s National Policy Advisory Committee.

Organizational Growth & Development

CLRJ continued to grow and thrive over the past year!  We are pleased to announce that CLRJ has been approved to operate as an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization following its original fiscal sponsorship.  This follows an intensive Organizational Transition process that entailed preparing for all aspects of CLRJ’s exciting new phase of development, in close collaboration with CLRJ’s dynamic Board of Directors.

 

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