Undivided Rights: Women of Color Organizing for Reproductive Justice

by Loretta J. Ross, Jael Silliman, Marlene Gerber Fried

“If you have come to help me, please go away. But, if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, let us work together.”—Lila Watson, Aboriginal Activist Vibrant. Strong. Fierce. Undivided Rights captures the evolving and largely unknown activist history of women of color organizing for reproductive justice—on their own behalf. Undivided Rights presents a fresh and textured understanding of the reproductive rights movement by placing the experiences, priorities, and activism of women of color in the foreground. Using historical research, original organizational case studies, and personal interviews, the authors illuminate how women of color have led the fight to control their own bodies and reproductive destinies. Undivided Rights shows how women of color—-starting within their own Latina, African American, Native American, and Asian American communities—have resisted coercion of their reproductive abilities. Projected against the backdrop of the mainstream pro-choice movement and radical right agendas, these dynamic case studies feature the groundbreaking work being done by health and reproductive rights organizations led by women-of-color. The book details how and why these women have defined and implemented expansive reproductive health agendas that reject legalistic remedies and seek instead to address the wider needs of their communities. It stresses the urgency for innovative strategies that push beyond the traditional base and goals of the mainstream pro-choice movement—strategies that are broadly inclusive while being specific, strategies that speak to all women by speaking to each woman. While the authors raise tough questions about inclusion, identity politics, and the future of women’s organizing, they also offer a way out of the limiting focus on “choice.” Undivided Rights articulates a holistic vision for reproductive freedom. It refuses to allow our human rights to be divvied up and parceled out into isolated boxes that people are then forced to pick and choose among.

Genres: Feminism, Nonfiction, Race, Social Justice, Politics, Gender, History

331 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2004

About the author

Loretta J. Ross is a Visiting Professor of Practice in the School of Social Transformation at Arizona State University teaching "Reproductive Justice Theory and Practice" and "Race and Culture in the U.S." for the 2018-2019 academic year. Previously, she was a Visiting Professor at Hampshire College in Women's Studies for the 2017-2018 academic year teaching "White Supremacy in the Age of Trump." She was a co-founder and the National Coordinator of the SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective from 2005-2012, a network founded in 1997 of women of color and allied organizations that organize women of color in the reproductive justice movement. She is one of the creators of the term "Reproductive Justice" coined by African American women in 1994 that has transformed reproductive politics in the U.S.

Reviews

[Madeleine · Rating 4 out of 5]

really helpful in terms of building a history and historical intervention into the long work and history of womxn of color organizing that we are all so, so indebted to. concretely lifted up lovely frameworks specific to these groups. also was really fascinated by the work this text did to interrogate the ways that women of color have worked within, concurrently, and outside of more mainstream reproductive rights groups. a little repetitive/contradictory at times. wish this text had done more work delving into investigating what it means to interrogate Organizations as the prime vehicles of activism as opposed to what activist groups outside of the Nonprofit Organization has done. how do these groups interact with the nonprofit industrial complex and how does that shape the work they do/did/can do? thinking about the insertions: "thanks to a grant from the Ford Foundation..." -- what role do foundations play in this work?

[Emelda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hate when people say the pro choice movement is made up of white, middle class women. Mostly because it is, but also because non privileged women have been fighting for within the reproductive justice movement, not the pro choice movement. Confused? Read this book and it'll clear it all up.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

This history of women of color organizing in reproductive rights and justice is a good place to start if you're interested in unsung feminist struggles. The fact that I hadn't heard about the majority of the organizations in this book - who are all doing incredible work - is really an indictment of the lack of inclusiveness in the mainstream (white, middle class) abortion rights movement. WOC have really had to go out on their own to advocate for culturally specific issues, and the creation of racially and ethnically specific organizations is strongly supported here. There's also a thoughtful discussion in the last chapter about what it means for organizations to be ethnically specific, and what "having a seat at the table" with mainstream organizations really means.

Although tedious in the way it recounts the organizational evolution and structure of these groups, there are certainly lessons to take away from each group's struggle to grow, access funding, and achieve social change. The section on black women's activism has some crucial points, but if you've read the outstanding Killing the Black Body, there's nothing particularly new here. But this book was my first exposure to Native American reproductive rights issues and organizations; I was particularly impressed by the work of Katsi Cook at the Mother's Milk Project, who has integrated land rights and environmental justice into a reproductive health framework.

[Joe Xtarr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. You'll learn something in every chapter. Easy to read, and engaging. I didn't want it to end. Women of color are the true revolutionaries, and we need to learn from them and trust them to show us the way out of Capitalism. This work is a great tribute to those women. They understand that women's health care is about much more than just birth control and abortions. You'll learn a lot from this book.

[jewelthinks · Rating 5 out of 5]

For any and everyone working in the health care industry. I love how things are broken down and explained. I loved learning about the different organizations and as someone working in the repro rights movement for a mainstream org as a WOC, this book witnesses and testified to my many experiences. It explained and gave language to things that can hurt.

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good, informative overview on different organizations founded by women of color during the late twentieth century. Although I could've easily done without the way it was structured. Felt a little repetitive. But I'm a weirdo who hates going through the motions.

[Jung · Rating 5 out of 5]

An essential primer on the reproductive justice movement, as it centers the histories and experiences of women of color.

[alyssa]

this took forever for me to read because i can only read about forced sterilization so many times and definitely not right before bed but that being said it's an incredible and thorough read with a lot of important history and critiques (like better including LGBT/queer repro concerns). anyone with an interest in reproductive justice should check it out

[Bart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Undivided Rights very interesting but at times very boring. This may be due to how the book is set up. First, there is a general introduction to movement accounts of reproductive justice issues for four groups of women of color - African American, Native American, Asian and Pacific Islander, and Latina. Then there is an introduction to a specific grouping followed by two chapters addressing specific organizations of that group. Repeat. All of the introductions were interesting; the accounts on individual organizations were often tedious. I recommend reading these if one is actively seeking information on specific organizations.

[Latrinakelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lately, I've taken a real interest in the sexual health and reproductive rights of minority women, the past movements and the differences in reproductive rights vs. abortion rights. So this book seems a good start in laying the historical foundation for my potential work on the sexual health of women and girls. Fifteen pages into it, and I've taken notes and am learning a lot about the organizations that arose from minority women being excluded from the reproductive rights movement. It should be a good read.

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[Miranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of information, but some really good insight from incredible individuals.

[Mills College Library]

613.9 S584 2016

[Lolian]

Books like Undivided Rights reconnect us to the histories of resistance and organizing that mainstream education and media try to erase. Many of us (especially young people) who haven’t been exposed to these histories might feel overwhelmed and hopeless in the face of structural oppressions that seem too big to change. These histories—the detailed records of sociopolitical transformations and the work that women of color did to make them happen—are evidence that systems of oppression are not invincible.

The case studies of different organizations illustrate a variety of strategies: grassroots organizing to policy and advocacy, working separate from and within the mainstream (white) pro-choice movement, small community events to conferences, ways of collecting feedback from the community about needs and issues to prioritize, community driven research, and more. They detail the successes as well as challenges (ex. funding, overwork, differing visions) so that we may learn from, avoid the mistakes of, and build off of our predecessors instead of trying to reinvent the wheel.

A main takeaway is that reproductive justice for women of color encompasses more than just abortion rights—a core part it is also fighting against white supremacist population control against WOC—and WOC organizing for reproductive justice grew out of the mainstream pro-choice movement’s inability to address the needs of WOC. The book also highlights how for WOC reproductive justice is inseparable from other struggles for justice (ie. racial, economic, class, Indigenous sovereignty, environmental, etc.).

There are a couple chapters each devoted to African American, Native American, Asian and Pacific Islander, and Latina women’s organizing (the authors do acknowledge that these racial categorizations do not fully represent the diversity within/out each of these groups). I appreciated how each section highlights the unique contexts and struggles that different groups face, and how the conclusion chapter analyzes similarities and differences across these contexts. I did find the chapters on Indigenous women’s organizing the weakest section, possibly because none of the authors are Native.

The book mentions some instances of coalition building across identity groups and newer multiracial organizing efforts; however these mentions are brief without much detail. I wish there was a section devoted to multiracial organizing efforts, even if it was just speculation on how and where coalition building might happen. I’m also curious about the authors’ decision to focus on non-profit organizations, and want to know more about organizing contexts outside of non-profits.

Overall, the book is well organized, presenting a clear roadmap and overarching ideas, moving into specific examples, and finally synthesizing the lessons learned from the examples. I definitely recommend this book for an inspiring non-fiction read.

[Josie Brennan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was gifted this book by one of the nonprofit contributors to the book, the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights in 2021. I was doing a project for my public speaking class on comprehensive reproductive education, and my mom, who had worked with them over the years contacted them about getting me a shirt for my presentation. When hearing what I wanted it for, the Executive Director gifted me a signed copy of the book.

This book has truly shaped me as a person. It was not the first I'd read regarding systemic racism and systems of oppression within the US, and not the first including reproductive injustice against women of color. However, it was the first comprehensive account of reproductive injustice across the US and across ethic groups.

Despite being 1/4 Mexican and being largely raised with that cultural influence, I'd never really been informed about how different reproductive access and the reproductive rights movement looked cross culturally. I've lived the past 5+ years of my life appalled at the lack of access to sterilization procedures for white women, completely in the dark about how sterilization has been weaponized against women of color for centuries.

This book moved me to tears and shaped the direction that I want to move my education and career path to.

Stan Loretta Ross for clear skin.

[Linnea Plumb · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Women of color have brought diverse voices and concerns to the political arena, broadening both the understanding of reproductive rights and the constituencies supporting them… By virtue of being embedded in the changing needs and concerns of their communities, they revitalized the meaning of reproductive rights on an on going basis to include the concerns of those who are often overlooked.”

This book is a must read, especially in today’s political sphere. Reading this as a white person really opened my eyes to things that I have been ignorant to. But as I was reading, I was kicking myself because of COURSE! How could I have not known where the fight was coming from? Why was I never given this information, especially about things like the Hyde amendment and birth control bills? Black women and women of color have always been fighting, so much so that we owe most of the reproductive rights movement to them. This book is a devastating read, but it is a necessity to understand what the people who have came before us set out to do.

[Amanda at Bookish Brews]

I loved all the info but it was way too dry for me to really enjoy the read

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[S.J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting book that discusses the context around WoC organising for reproductive justice, but that mainly closely examines a few WoC reproductive justice organizations, their strategies, challenges they faced, and their relationships with communities outside of the organizations.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent wealth of information. I learned so much about reproductive rights in the U.S. and how abortion rights are just one piece of the whole picture. I would love an updated edition of this book considering current fights and detailing the status of the organizations discussed in this book.

[Elana · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great history, but in my view is too uncritical of the orgs/individuals in the movement(s) and their tactics.. especially RC / co counseling

[New · Rating 4 out of 5]

all i can say is i’ve never been the same since the day the term “undivided rights” summarized for me how all of our woes and systems of oppression—racism, sexism, queer phobia, trans phobia, fat phobia, environmental destruction, ableism, etc—are linked and how u can’t truly say ur fighting against one without fighting against the others as well. liberation isn’t a buffet where u can just pick and choose what u fight for, because these issues are all connected: that’s why it’s called UNDIVIDED rights. 🥵🥵⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️ go read it losers (jk love u)!!!!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting case study of different women of color-led reproductive justice organizations. A bit dense and academic, but if you’re passionate about reproductive justice and/or want to learn more about it this is a great read.