Hi there friend,

As we commemorate the 100th annual Black History Month this year, we do so during a political moment marked by increased state violence, surveillance against our communities, and continued attempts at the systemic erasure of our people.  

This moment matters – because Black History Month also reminds us that, through the power of collective action, we will not be erased. Black history is about community care, reimagining alternative systems, and calling on our past as a blueprint to move forward. 

 At the heart of this history is Reproductive Justice: a framework named and crystallized in 1994 by Black women, known as the Women of African Descent. What later became the SisterSong Women of Color Collective, this group of Black women responded to the exclusion of women of color and LGBTQIA+ folks from mainstream activist spaces and instead laid the groundwork for what a multi-issue movement can look like. It is a framework grounded in collective care, and an example of how we have refused to be erased. 

Their work did not exist in a vacuum; it was the culmination of hundreds of years of Black women, trans, and queer-led activism, storytelling, and movement-building. In the same vein, we carry their labor with us today as we continue to fight against reproductive injustices.  

All-month long, we’re uplifting Black leaders, artists, and resources that ground us in the multiple ways Black activists have shaped movement through community care.  

Check out the syllabi below, curated by Aleo Pugh, URGE’s Georgia Communication & Cultural Strategies Manager:

• Black Labor & Resistance Syllabus 
• A History of Black Feminist Discourse & Its Futures Syllabus  

In the weeks ahead, stay tuned as we continue to highlight Black movement leaders throughout history, who’ve embodied what community care looks like as a means to fight systemic erasure. Make sure you’re following URGE on IG, TikTok, and Facebook so you can share this important message with your networks. 

Because learning about our ancestors' legacies helps us build a path towards collective liberation for our futures. We will not be erased! 

URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity
4315 50th St. NW
Suite 100 #4616
Washington, DC 20016
United States

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