Author: SPARK

SPARK A Change: 15 Years of Sparkles!

  By , ,

Join SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW! on Thursday, November 17, 2022, for our “SPARK A Change: 15 Years of Sparkles” event!

This community centered event will feature delightful local bites, drinks, fantastic performances, and a DJ! We can’t wait to honor SPARK’s 15th birthday with a celebration of our biggest supporters and community!

This is sure to be an evening you do not want to miss!

The full variety show lineup will be announced soon, so be sure to follow us on social media (@SPARKRJNOW)!

Our ticket prices are set to create a sliding scale. We ask that when you purchase your ticket you choose the ticket that appropriately describes your relationship to SPARK and is a price you feel comfortable paying. If you are having trouble paying the price of the ticket please contact us at info@sparkrj.org.

PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS BY VISITING BIT.LY/SPARKLES22

A Message from SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW! —HB 481 is now in effect

  By ,

This past Wednesday, July 20th, the 11th Circuit ruled that HB 481 – Georgia’s 6 week abortion ban – would go into effect immediately. This law was extremely controversial when it was passed in 2019, leading courts to block its enforcement until now due to legal challenges. A regressively conservative three judge panel ruled that in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision to overrule Roe v. Wade, HB 481 should be immediately enforced in its entirety. 

This law is one of the most restrictive in the country, banning all abortion care after 6 weeks – before many people even know they are pregnant. Although there are exceptions for rape and incest, pregnant people must file a police report to qualify. Given that the “remedies” for sexual assault offered by the criminal legal system are often retraumatizing, inadequate, and focused on retributive punishment rather than what the survivor wants and needs, it’s not surprising that more than 65% of sexual assault survivors choose not to report. 

In addition to the ban itself, this law includes a fetal personhood provision that begins at fertilization. This is the first of its type to go into effect in the US, and the legal implications are expansive and unclear. This provision demands that starting at fertilization, an embryo can be counted on taxes, in the census, and for child support purposes. It also has the potential to impact and criminalize people who have IUDs and people using IVF to get pregnant. Due to racist over-policing and criminalization of Black communities, this provision is likely to be enforced in a way that disproportionately harms Black birthing people.

We are not surprised by this decision, and we are still deeply committed to unapologetically advocating to protect and increase access to abortion in Georgia. Here are some steps you can take today to support pregnant people on the ground and hold your elected officials accountable by demanding that they support pro-abortion policies: 

  • Donate to our local abortion fund, ARC Southeast, to support direct funding for abortion care and the additional travel, childcare, and other associated expenses 
  • Call or email your representatives in the state legislature and ask them to take proactive steps to expand access to abortion by supporting the Reproductive Freedom Act 
  • If you live or work in the Atlanta metro area, call your city council person and ask them to support the creation of the ATL abortion fund 
    • City Council is scheduled to vote on this on August 1st, so please make your calls before then
    • Sign onto this petition in support of the fund 
  • For people who live outside of Atlanta, call your local District Attorney and ask them not to prosecute people under this law

A Message from SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW! —Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey

  By ,

June 24, 2022

This morning, the Supreme Court handed down the official opinion in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, making official what we expected following last month’s leaked draft. The Court has overruled Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey, ignoring and invalidating over 50 years of precedent. This ruling nullifies the Constitutional right for birthing people to choose whether or not to end a pregnancy and opens the door for states to severely restrict and even ban access to abortion. 

This news is disheartening in a movement that holds bodily autonomy and empowered decision making at its core. We are all doing our best to honor our frustration, anger, and grief without losing the passion to continue fighting for liberation. As we sit with this challenge, we want to offer a brief meditation from Mariame Kaba on practicing hope as a discipline: 

“It’s work to be hopeful … You have to actually put in energy, time, and you have to be clear-eyed, and you have to hold fast to having a vision. It’s a hard thing to maintain. But it matters to have it, to believe that it’s possible, to change the world.” 

To be clear, this ruling does not make abortion illegal nationwide. Although many states can and will ban access in the wake of this opinion, options will still exist for people seeking to end a pregnancy, regardless of where they live. For example, those unable to access abortion care in their home state may be able to travel to a state where abortion is available in a clinical setting, and abortion funds can help cover the additional costs that entails. Additionally, self managed abortion with pills is becoming an increasingly accessible option, especially for those who would have to travel long distances or who face financial barriers to accessing in-person abortion care. 

The options that remain available may be more expensive, time consuming, or legally fraught than they otherwise would have been prior to this ruling. However, our movements and communities are committed to collecting and redistributing resources to get people access to care, regardless of their income or circumstance. If you are able, support people seeking abortion care by donating to your local fund, or a fund in an area that will be immediately impacted by the Dobbs decision. 

Although we were anticipating this outcome and are not surprised by the official opinion, we are still deeply disappointed. Moments like these force us to confront the reality of the political landscape we exist in – one that is often hostile to the project of Reproductive Justice and indifferent to the suffering of marginalized people. Engaging with this reality can be exhausting, but the practice of remaining hopeful and working towards positive change is an act of defiance and resilience. We invite you to join us in our Black Sanctuary spaces, FYRE camp, base member meetings, and other offerings as a way to build community, gain skills, and take care of each other as we all struggle to remain hopeful and continue fighting for our collective liberation. 

In Liberation,

SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW! Inc.

CLICK HERE to download the full statement

Resources: 

Information on the legal status of abortion by state: https://www.guttmacher.org/article/2022/06/13-states-have-abortion-trigger-bans-heres-what-happens-when-roe-overturned 

Information on accessing self managed abortion with pills https://www.plancpills.org/

Abortion funding for folks in Georgia: https://arc-southeast.org/

Abortion funding nationally: https://abortionfunds.org/need-abortion/

Repro Legal Helpline https://www.reprolegalhelpline.org/

A Message from SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW! —Supreme Court Leak of Draft Decision in Dobbs v. Jackson

  By , ,

May 3, 2022

Last night, Politico leaked a draft of the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson, a case that challenges Mississippi’s 15 week abortion ban. In the 98 page draft, author Samuel Alito indicates that the court is poised to wholly overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that Constitutionally protects the right to an abortion in the US. The draft would also overturn Planned Parenthood v. Casey, a case that reaffirmed but narrowed the right announced in Roe.

This leaked draft is NOT the official court ruling and will NOT be binding until released as a final opinion. For the time being, abortion is still legal and Constitutionally protected across the country. A leak of this nature is unprecedented, and while it appears to confirm what we feared the Supreme Court would do this summer, it also allows the movement for abortion access time to build support and strengthen our strategy before the official opinion is announced. 

Things will likely get worse before they improve. As written, the leaked draft would make it much more difficult to access abortion and will likely lead to increased surveillance, criminalization and policing of those who choose to end a pregnancy with a disproportionate impact and focus on the most marginalized among us. This draft demonstrates a very extreme view on the liberties granted under the 14th amendment. Most notably, the opinion explicitly states its intended implications for contraception access and marriage rights. In light of these threats, we refuse to back down in our advocacy for a vision of Reproductive Justice where reproductive care, which includes abortion services and care, is accessible to everyone who wants or needs it.  More specifically, we imagine a future where marginalized people have the autonomy to make decisions about their lives, bodies, sexuality, and reproduction free from fear, stigma and shame. We envision a world where our people get to be their and their ancestors’ wildest dreams.

The fight does not end with this leak or with the pending final opinion. As we continue our on-the-ground work, we call on our current political leaders to affirm the protection of our Constitutional right to abortion. In this election year, we also strive to elect decision makers who seek to protect and expand access to equitable comprehensive sexual and reproductive care that includes abortion care. In the midst of this election season, make sure your voter registration status is up to date. You can cast your vote for primary elections in Georgia by May 24, 2022. Make sure you’re registered to vote for the November 8, 2022 general election by October 11, 2022!

We must continue our fight to protect our right to abortion and the full range of reproductive health care. With that, we must also honor our own wellness and community care in this time of action. SPARK will be hosting a Black Sanctuary wellness space on Tuesday, May 10th 6-8PM EST. Use this link to register. 

Resources: 
Repro Legal Helpline https://www.reprolegalhelpline.org/
Information on accessing self managed abortion with pills https://www.plancpills.org/
Donate to Abortion Funds: https://fundathon.nnaf.org

To support SPARK’s ongoing advocacy for Reproductive Justice in Georgia and around the country, visit https://www.sparkrj.org/donate/

In Solidarity,

SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW!, Inc. 

A Message from SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW! —UPDATE ON SB 435

  By

This week the Senate Education and Youth Committee voted in favor of SB 435, a bill that would prevent trans and gender expansive children and young adults from participating in school sports on teams that correspond with their gender identity. If passed into law, this bill would harm all young people – cis, trans, intersex, and gender expansive alike – with particularly troubling implications for Black girls and young women. For more detailed information on how this bill would negatively impact students in Georgia schools, please see our detailed statement. 

We unapologetically oppose this transphobic and misogynistic piece of legislation. We are deeply disappointed, although not particularly surprised, that the committee voted in its favor. However, this committee is only one set of decision makers that the bill needs to go through before it becomes a binding law. We invite all of our base to join us in continuing to fight it as it goes through the next steps in the legislative process, whether that be through contacting your legislators, giving committee testimony, or educating others in community about the bill. 

To gain advocacy skills and have opportunities to speak directly to your legislators, please register to attend our Legislate This! advocacy day on March 3, 2022. 

A Message from SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW! —SB 435

  By

On Monday, February 1st, a group of Senators in the Georgia Legislature introduced SB 435, a bill that denies the existence of trans and gender expansive students in Georgia schools and actively excludes them from full participation in school athletics. 

If passed, SB 435  would require K-12 schools to discriminate against trans and gender expansive student athletes. Hyperbolic and unsupported claims of unfair competition are no justification for systematically excluding children as young as 5 years old from participation in sports. This bill serves no legitimate purpose and is yet another thinly veiled attempt to advance a bigoted, transphobic agenda.

Trans and gender expansive students experience significantly higher rates of depression and anxiety than their cisgender peers. However, when their families and communities accept and reflect back their names, pronouns, and identities, these students have better mental health outcomes across all measures. Requiring schools to discriminate against their trans and gender expansive students will make it impossible for educators to create environments that foster community acceptance and support. We need legislation that will protect the mental wellbeing of all students, not a bill that will exacerbate existing disparities. 

Trans and gender expansive folks, even when they are young, know themselves. They deserve space to explore their identity and self expression without having to sacrifice opportunities to participate on teams that affirm and respect who they are. Trans and gender expansive children and young adults exist and have always existed, and they are valuable members of our communities. We demand that the Georgia Legislature treat them as such. 

Join us for our annual SPARK Organizing Intensive

  By

New to organizing? Want to develop your leadership while building community with other advocates? What does liberation look like to you?

Leading up to our annual Legislate THIS! Advocacy Day. Join SPARK as we discuss the issues that impact our communities the most and learn how we can build the power needed for us to live our most liberated lives. This training is for new and seasoned organizers and advocates who want to learn about the issues facing Georgia today and gain the valuable skills necessary to build power and effect change.

You will gain:

  • Concrete organizing and campaign development skills
  • Tools and tips for organizing & advocacy
  • Useful information about the 2022 legislative session
  • The confidence to speak truth to power
  • The opportunity to build community with fellow RJ leaders

The SPARK Organizing Intensive is a space that centers Black queer, trans, and nonbinary young people. We invite all to register, but we are amplifying the issues that impact those that exist at the margins.

SPARK will provide $25 Uber meal codes to all participants.

Register by visiting: bit.ly/soi-2022

Support SPARK this month during “SPARK’s Giving Month”!

  By , , , , ,

SPARK’s Giving Month 
[November 1, 2021 – November 30, 2021]

To celebrate Giving Tuesday this year, SPARK is taking the entire month of November as an opportunity to raise funds and support for some of our unique programming and organizational needs!!
 

We are calling this campaign, SPARK’s Giving Month!

Watch the following video for a quick message from SPARK’s Executive Director about SPARK’s Giving Month!


Throughout the month we are asking donors to support the following unique programs and organizational needs:

On our donation form you will be able to specify which programs you would like your donation to benefit! 

We are also thanking our supporters by sending out new SPARK SWAG! 


For more information about these donation opportunities AND to donate, please visit www.sparkrj.org/givingtuesday.

Happy Latinx Heritage Month

  By

Today marks the beginning of Latinx Heritage Month! Recognized nationally as starting on September 15 in celebration of the independence anniversaries of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. These independence anniversaries are followed by Mexico’s Independence Day on September 16 and Chile’s on September 18.

Join SPARK in celebrating, uplifting and advocating for our Latinx communities during this heritage month and every month.