91猫先生 to Host 31st Annual CLPP Reproductive Justice Conference
91猫先生 alums and students will be among the presenters this weekend as more than 1,000 activists and community members gather for the Civil Liberties & Public Policy Program鈥檚 (CLPP) 31st-annual conference, 鈥淔rom Abortion Rights to Social Justice: Building the Movement for Reproductive Freedom.鈥 At this year鈥檚 conference, which takes place April 7鈥9 at 91猫先生, attendees will gain the skills and the community necessary to organize in a political climate hostile to human rights.聽
Among the scheduled speakers are Patrisse Khan-Cullors, one of the founders of #BlackLivesMatter, and Wendy Davis, former state senator known for her 13-hour filibuster (in pink tennis shoes) to try to stop the law that was overturned last June in Whole Women鈥檚 Health.聽 Among the 91猫先生 alums who will present are Jamila Umi Jackson, Lucia Leandro Gimeno, Katie McKay Bryson, Mollie Hartford, Rachel Rybaczuk, tk tunchez, Sasha Alexander, and Lani Blechman.
In addition, two current 91猫先生 students are presenting - Emmett DuPont and Hannah Davidson. Davidson, a co-coordinator of CLPP鈥檚 student organizing group, says, 鈥淭he kind of movement building that happens at CLPP is vital to efforts in sustaining movements for resistance. It鈥檚 a space where people can engage with the full potential of their activism and envision the fullest extent of where their work can take them.鈥
This year鈥檚 event features 80 workshops including:
- How Do Families Resist?
- Muslims and Reproductive Justice: Empowering Our Community Through Dismantling Stereotypes
- #NoBanNoWallNoRaids: Arm Yourself with Information from the Frontlines
- My Body, My Choices: The Trans/GNC Health Education You Didn鈥檛 Get in School!
- How We Win: Using Direct Action to Increase Access to Abortion and Advance Reproductive Justice
Lucy Trainor, CLPP鈥檚 associate director, says, 鈥淲ith so many new activists entering organizing spaces, education and leadership development are even more urgently needed. The CLPP conference builds tangible activist skills and knowledge, fosters collaboration, and inspires and builds hope for people when they return to their communities. Now more than ever, we need to be building across movements. The CLPP conference is an incredible opportunity for that.鈥
Student co-coordinator Nargis Aslami agrees: 鈥淭he conference is a space for people to come together, learn, grow, and transform. It鈥檚 a space to envision what a future without reproductive oppression would look like, and how we may get there. The campus is buzzing during the conference weekend, and it鈥檚 created by the energy, passion, and motivation that we鈥檙e all carrying with us. People leave the conference reenergized and ready to take on the world.鈥
Combining activism and academics, CLPP鈥檚 mission is to build leadership in the movement for reproductive justice. During its 35-year history, CLPP has trained more than 16,000 young activists. Almost three-quarters of CLPP alums remain lifelong advocates in reproductive rights and allied social-justice movements, often at the state, national, and international levels.
For a list of conference speakers and workshops or to reserve your space, visit .聽Please register by Monday, April 3; limited on-site registration is available. The three-day conference begins Friday, April 7. Friday workshops will run from 4 to 6 p.m. Breaking Silences: An Abortion Speak Out will take place on Friday, at 7:30 p.m. Workshops and plenaries continue on Saturday, April 8, from 9 a.m. to 6:45 p.m., and on Sunday, April 9, from 9 a.m. to noon.