Friday, June 1, 2012

The Working Group wraps up its first year!


The working group enjoyed a successful first year with high attendance and participation from UNC campus and the community at large. Through our seminars, invited speakers, film screenings, as well as other activities, we were able to spark and sustain dialogue that addressed the issues of reproductive justice and migration from the perspectives of many disciplines, including: law/human rights, sociology, women’s studies, public health, social work, geography, public policy, medicine, history, and demography. These activities, as well as the diversity of academic training and perspectives allowed us to deepen our understanding of sexual and reproductive health behaviors from a Reproductive Justice perspective of Latina migrants within the context of the Americas, develop a cross-disciplinary analysis of the reproductive justice movement, and connect academic and community knowledge production, enhancing mutual exchange and benefits.

Monthly meetings of the Promotoras de Salud Reproductiva at El Pueblo Inc. in Raleigh were attended by a working group coordinator, and have turned into a research project in which many working group members have contributed. Additionally, our film screenings have proven to be an accessible and entertaining way to involve community members.

This first year built significant momentum and participation at UNC and has lead to student and faculty involvement and leadership at Duke.