Community Mobilization

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Increasing Latina Visibility in the Reproductive Justice Movement

We educate and develop leaders to build regional networks of activists that inform and support our national policy agenda. Our Community Mobilization Program is centered around our LOLA Training Series and our Latina Advocacy Networks.

Latinas Organizing for Leadership and Advocacy trainings (LOLA)

Our LOLA trainings that seek to build a group of Latina leaders, strengthen the voices of Latinas and enable them to be seen as a powerful group who can influence policy decisions that directly impact our lives, our families and our communities. We welcome activists from varying levels of social justice experience.

Our LOLA Reproductive Justice Institute is an intense three day training designed to be a space where we can share our experiences, learn new skills, and strategize around reproductive justice campaigns.

   

Specific training components include:

  • Latina Reproductive Health & Rights
  • Organizing 101: Introduction to Social Change Theory & Strategies
  • Building a Latina Movement
  • Communicating for Reproductive Justice
  • Starting a Reproductive Justice Campaign

NLIRH is excited to announce that it will offer new issue-based LOLA trainings in 2009. Stay tuned for more details.

Latina Advocacy Networks (LANs)

What is a Latina Advocacy Network (LAN)?
The National Latina Advocacy Network is an association of regional Latina Advocacy Networks (LANs) developed in coordination with NLIRH to advance reproductive rights on a local and national level. The National LAN serves as our main way to mobilize Latinas and involve them in national campaigns.

 

How are Latina Advocacy Networks established?
Most LANs are established with a Latinas Organizing for Leadership and Advocacy (LOLA) training. These trainings bring together Latina(o)s who have an interest in reproductive justice and a desire to engage in local grass-roots organizing and national advocacy campaigns.

 

Where are the Latina Advocacy Networks?
We currently have LANs in New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Texas, Florida and Washington, DC.

 

Who can join a LAN?
LANs are founded by dedicated Latina activists living in the same area, many of whom have attended our LOLA trainings. Group membership is open to all activists, and we welcome and a diverse set of experiences.

 

What kind of activities have LANs done in the past?
Each LAN gets to decide what events and campaigns they want to participate in, and what makes sense and addresses the needs of their community. NLIRH provides materials and support.


Past events:

  • Workshops on Emergency Contraception
  • Rallies & Marches
  • Tabling at Health/Cultural Fairs
  • Cafecitos (informal discussions at coffee shops)
  • Informational Phone lines
  • Advocacy Campaigns (letter writing, lobbying)

Latina Advocacy Networks

For more information on any of the LANs, please contact MariaElena@latinainstitute.org

New York City, NY LAN
Established in September 2004 with the first LOLA training, the NYC LAN has been involved in a variety of activities including EC workshops, pro-choice marches and rallies, and a forum on sterilization.

Chicago, IL: Latinas Organizing for Reproductive Equality (LORE)
Established in March 2005, the group is committed to promoting reproductive health and reproductive choices as fundamental human rights for Latinas and their families within Chicago Communities. They are united in creating a safe space for dialogue and community mobilization to ensure reproductive justice.  Their work has included a LORE web group and web page, free bi-lingual workshops, Cafesitos, and much more. Their most recent activities include participating in the host committee for the Sistersong Conference: “Let’s Talk About Sex!” and the Escucha Mi Grito conference on September 19, 2007 at UIC.
 

Philadelphia, PA LANEstablished in April 2006, this group of young Latina and allied activists is involved in a variety of arenas of social service work in the city, including domestic violence prevention, public health, truancy intervention and education. The group’s first event as a LAN was tabling and passing out information at La Feria, a Puerto-Rican cultural festival in Philadelphia.

 

Rio Grande Valley, TX LAN

This diverse group of women came together in February 2006 and has been working with local organizations and community leaders to advance women’s issues in the region. Their organizing is centered around increasing access to reproductive health care and their strategic campaigns have involved marches, health fairs and meetings with local officials in partnership with Migrant Health Promotion. Check out their work here and here.

 

Miami, Florida: Miami International-Latinas Organizing for Leadership and Advocacy (MI-LOLA)

This diverse group of women came together in April of 2007 and have since been working vigorously on issues affecting Latinas in the Miami area, including the creation of the Florida Reproductive Justice Alliance. Past events include canvassing in a local mall in commemoration of Women’s Equality Day and hosting a movie screening and discussion on sterilization in the Latina community. Check out MI-LOLA’s 2008 campaign, a series of YouTube videos to get out the vote: Call. Email. Text.

 

Minneapolis/St.Paul, Minnesota LAN

This group of primarily Latina immigrant women came together in June 2007. They come from a diversity of backgrounds, and are involved in many areas of social service work in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area. Past events have included a civic participation event featuring Sen. Patricia Torres-Ray and an event for the cervical cancer campaign on International Women’s Day.

The Southwest Partnership


The Southwest Partnership is a joint effort by Choice USA and the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health to build a diverse base of young leaders in the reproductive justice movement in the Southwestern United States (CO, NV, AZ, NM). Our goal is to develop the leadership skills of activists in the region so that they can launch reproductive justice campaigns based on multi-issue and multi-racial organizing efforts.For more information on the Southwest Partnership, check out our info sheet here.

 

Las Vegas, Nevada: Pleasure Education Resource of the Vegas Valley (PERVV)
This group of activists focuses their efforts on sex-positive, pleasure education work. Past projects have included a community forum about reproductive justice, workshops at festivals and a Pleasure party. For more information about PERVV, email Melody Nelson.

 

Denver, Colorado: Luz Reproductive Justice Think Tank
The Luz Reproductive Justice Think Tank is a coalition of young women and transgender people of color and their allies from a variety of social justice movements who work to incorporate reproductive justice into their activism.  Working across intersecting issues, the Luz Think Tank focuses on information sharing and skills building.  In its structure and approach, the Luz Think Tank strives to model equality, inclusion, and social change. For more information visit their website: http://www.luzthinktank.org/

Last Update 3/10/09