POLITICAL EDUCATION

Because political power belongs to the people. We educate, we organize, we transform.

What Is Political Education?

Political education is the process of learning how systems of power operate and how we can shift them.

At Black Mothers In Power, we believe that knowledge is the first step toward liberation - especially for Black mothers, birthing people, and families. Understanding the roots of injustice helps us build the future we deserve.

 

What Is Reproductive Justice?

Reproductive Justice (RJ) is a framework created by Black women in 1994 that connects reproductive rights with social justice. It's about more than abortion - it's about the right to have children, not have children, and parent in safe, sustainable communities.

 

Start Here - Click on each resource below to learn more.

Each link will take you to an external website with more information, services, or support.

 

📘 Core Resources

SisterSong – What is Reproductive Justice?

The original creators of the RJ framework. A must-read overview rooted in Black feminist theory and human rights.

Forward Together – What Is Reproductive Justice?

Clear explanation with visuals. Breaks down how RJ includes parenting, safety, and bodily autonomy.

ACLU – Reproductive Justice Explained

Focuses on legal and policy perspectives. Explains how RJ differs from “reproductive rights.”

 

📚 Books to Deepen Your Knowledge

Reproductive Justice: An Introduction
by Loretta Ross & Rickie Solinger
- A foundational text - great for classrooms, community groups, or personal study.

Undivided Rights: Women of Color Organize for Reproductive Justice
- Powerful stories of Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Asian American women in the RJ movement.

Radical Reproductive Justice
- A deep anthology connecting RJ to prison abolition, trans justice, environmental justice, and more.

 

📝 Articles & Reports

“A New Vision for Reproductive Justice” by Loretta Ross (2006)
- A key RJ piece from the founder herself - defining how and why RJ emerged.

Black Women Birthing Justice – Reproductive Justice Report
- Community-based research and storytelling rooted in Black birthing experiences.

 

🎥 Watch & Learn

SisterSong YouTube Channel
- Teach-ins, speeches, and panels from the leading RJ organization in the U.S.

The Birth Seat Podcast
- Produced by BMIP, featuring the voices and lived experiences of Black women in the maternal justice space.

 
 

Honoring Black Resistance, Liberation, and Leadership

We recognize and honor key moments, leaders, and movements in global Black resistance, self-determination, and liberation, including:

Foundational Moments & Global Black Liberation

  • Haitian Independence Day (January 1) - the first successful Black republic

  • Black August (entire month of August) - resistance, political prisoners, and freedom struggles

  • Attica Prison Uprising (September 9)

  • March on Washington (August 28)

Black Political Leaders & Revolutionaries (U.S. & Global)

  • Marcus Garvey - Birth: August 17 (Pan-Africanism, Black self-reliance)

  • Patrice Lumumba - Assassinated January 17

  • Malcolm X - Assassinated February 21

  • Kwame Nkrumah - Birth: September 21

  • Thomas Sankara - Assassinated October 15

  • Amílcar Cabral - Assassinated January 20

  • Assata Shakur - Birth: July 16

  • Fred Hampton - Assassinated December 4

  • Medgar Evers - Assassinated June 12

Black Freedom, Abolition & Civil Rights

  • Harriet Tubman - Birth: March 10

  • Martin Luther King Jr. - Birthday: Third Monday in January; Assassinated April 4

  • Ella Baker - Birth: December 13

  • Fannie Lou Hamer - Birth: October 6

Pan-Africanism, Sovereignty & Resistance

  • Founding of the Black Panther Party - October 15

  • Emancipation Day (Caribbean & Global) - August 1

  • Juneteenth - June 19