A fight for women’s rights in the South

THIS PAST year has seen a resurgence in the women's rights movement due to the heightened attack on reproductive justice by Republicans and Democrats alike. On February 15, the Oklahoma senate passed the Personhood Act which states that life begins at conception.

In the midst of all this, the Women's and Gender Studies Program at the University of Oklahoma hosted the "Take Root: Red State Perspectives on Reproductive Justice" conference on February 24 and 25. Fueled by frustration and the will to fight back, the energy level was high with over 200 people in attendance. There was also a rally in Oklahoma City on February 28 that drew about 200 people.

A group of 28 activists from Denton, Texas, carpooled up to Norman, Okla., for the conference. Participating organizations included the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance from the University of North Texas, the Radical Alliance for Gender Equality, the Denton Radical Activist Collective and the International Socialist Organization. The conference featured panel discussions like, "DIY Organizing," "Criminalizing Bodies in Red States: How it's Affecting You," "Perspectives and Priorities from Communities of Color," "From Local to Global: A Conversation about Sustainability and Environmental Justice" and "Allies, Adversaries and Bystanders: Recognizing Privilege."

Along with these insightful, educational discussions, attendees were treated to a slam poetry session by a group of poets who called themselves the "Dirt Choir." The event served as a truly energizing force for the whole weekend and offered a glimpse into the radical, progressive cultural alternative surrounding slam poetry performance.

While there were allies in attendance who did most of their work through the system, there was a distinctly grassroots, leftist, unapologetic umbrella over the whole affair. It was clear throughout all of the conversations had during the weekend. There were discussions about outreach strategies, networking, effective education, inclusion and diversity in the movement, and the overall importance of expanding the reproductive justice movement.

The panelists were informative and experienced. However, much of what we learned was through discussion when young activists shared their personal organizing experiences. Issues that some of us had not really explored, such as organizing and education work in rural areas and small towns, and acknowledging and addressing privilege without reducing to identity politics, were taken up.

FROM NORTH Texas, we brought information about our experience with clinic defense at Whole Woman's Health in Fort Worth. Every Friday and Saturday we escort patients into an abortion clinic past the screaming, aggressive, "slut"-shaming, false-information-giving, anti-choice protesters.

It is our shared stories from the front lines of the war on reproductive justice that help us understand our role as activists in the South and the importance of communication with one another in order to build and present a united front. As red state activists, we are engaged in a distinct struggle against the pervasive conservative ideologies of our region.

Another important aspect of the conference was the ever-present emphasis on doing and applying these things to our work. While there, we didn't just talk about networking, but we actively exchanged information, found one another online, and immediately started forming those concrete networks that will be so essential come the next rise in struggle. We exchanged ideas and advice gleaned from our own struggles.

There was also a general call to action. As activists coming from varying economic, racial, religious and regional backgrounds, we have the ability to go back to those communities as advocates for reproductive justice.

And these conversations didn't stop when the conference ended. At the very next FMLA meeting, we recapped the conference and brainstormed about future actions we could take. The list was long and promising.

We could use Tumblr and other blogging sites to expand and spread the discourse surrounding reproductive justice issues. Some good models are Oklahomans for Reproductive Justice and We are the 1 in 3. Oklahomans for Reproductive Justice, is an ongoing dialogue about the movement for Oklahoma and the rest of the South, while "We are the 1 in 3" focuses on the fact that one in three U.S. women have abortions: it aims to share women's stories about abortion in order to remove the stigma surrounding the routine medical procedure.

We talked about creating a hotline and providing resources for sexual assault and domestic abuse victims as an alternative for people who don't want to call the police as well as about researching the University of North Texas' sexual assault policy. At Oklahoma University, the statute of limitations that was just 30 days for victims of sexual assault was extended to a full year due to dedicated, passionate student activists who refused to be discouraged by apathetic if not neglectful administration and police.

Overall, we came home refocused and re-energized with a hope that our contacts were lasting ones. We often feel compelled to move away from the backwards politics of our home states, but this conference reminded us of our roots and that it is often times in our own communities with the people we've grown to understand that we can make the biggest difference.
Ruth Gulley, Denton, Texas