Save the Date: Join us for SPARK A Change on December 4th!

SPARK A CHANGE

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Join SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW for

SPARK A CHANGE
A FUNDRAISER AND CELEBRATION

Friday, December 4, 2015
Rialto Center for the Arts | Atlanta, GA

This community centered event will feature delightful local bites, fantastic live music and performances, and a prize raffle and honor community leaders and grassroots projects that we believe exemplifies our vision of a world where all people are empowered, valued, and able to make liberatory decisions about their communities, families, and lives with our Vanguard of Change Awards.

More information to come!

For sponsorship opportunities, click here!

Across Generations: Black Queer & Trans Organizing in the South

Across Generations PanelJoin SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW for LGBT History Month as we host a discussion on the legacy of powerful Black Queer & Trans organizing in the South, featuring an amazing, intergenerational panel of local organizers, elders, artivists, and more!

RSVP on Facebook!

When
Thursday, October 29th
6:30PM to 8:00PM

Where
250 Georgia Ave SE, Suite 209
Atlanta, Georgia 30312

Refreshments Provided

This event will replace our monthly Kick It with SPARK and is open to all, prioritizing space for LGBTQQ youth of color (16 – 25) to socialize, build community, and find resources.

Dare to Imagine with SPARK!

Dare to ImagineOn Wednesday, October 14th from 11:00AM to 4:00PM, join SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, as we host our very own #DareToImagine Imagination Station! We invite you to travel through time and space with us to 2035 and imagine a world where we have full liberation of our bodies, our lives, and our communities. We ask you to envision a future where we no longer live in fear of state violence. A future where there are no restrictive laws and policies controlling our bodies. A future where there are no more borders. A future where liberation is no longer a figment of our imagination.

Join us as we exercise radical social imagination—envisioning the world we wish to inhabit, sharing those visions with the world, and sparking next steps to bring that future into being. At our Imagination Station you can take part in an array of creative activities, make new connections, and make your voice heard.

The activities we have planned won’t require much of your time, but are sure to leave a lasting impression!

When & Where
Wednesday, October 14, 2015 @ 11AM to 4PM
250 Georgia Hill Ave, Suite 207C, ATL, GA 30312

Light refreshments will be provided!

Click Here to RSVP!

SPARK Presents “The Year We Thought About Love”

SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW! is thrilled to be joining Out on Film 2015 as a Community Sponsor of The Year We Thought About Love! Please join us on Saturday, October 3rd at 10:30am at the Landmark’s Midtown Art Cinema for a FREE showing of this amazing film!

RSVP on Facebook | Watch the Trailer

Film Synopsis

The Year We Thought About LoveWhat happens when a diverse group of LGBTQ youth dares to be “out” on stage to reveal their lives and their loves? “The Year We Thought About Love” goes behind the scenes ofone of the oldest queer youth theaters in America, with our camera crew slipping into classrooms, kitchens, subways, and rehearsal rooms with this fearless and endearing troupe. Boston-based True Colors OUT Youth Theater transforms daily struggles into performance for social change. With wit, candor, and attitude, our cast of characters captivates audiences surprised to hear such stories in school settings. Our film introduces a transgender teenager kicked out of her house, a devout Christian challenging his church’s homophobia, and a girl who prefers to wear boys’ clothing even as she models dresses on the runway. When bombs explode outside their building, the troupe becomes even more determined to share their stories of love to help heal their city. This year is the first year they dare to talk about love. Brave, inspiring, and funny, these are the inspiring LGBT youth that are leading us into the future.

Contraceptive Equity Must Include Abortion Access

By Cortez Wright

Abortion is one of the most controversial, and yet most common, medical procedures for women. An estimated one in three women will have an abortion in her lifetime, and economically disenfranchised women, particularly women of color, seek abortions in disproportionate numbers. The reasons why women have abortions are varied and complex, but most often have to do with a lack of economic opportunities and family and social support. These factors coupled with the financial inaccessibility of quality healthcare services and comprehensive sex education oftentimes leave women feeling robbed of their agency and the notion of choice seeming rather empty.

Read More

Abortion Access and Contraceptive Equity: A Matter of Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice

By Dr. Krystal Redman

As we work progressively in the fight towards social and economic equality, we must continue to include the argument of sexual and reproductive justice in order to takes steps towards achieving complete contraceptive equity, which includes access to safe and affordable abortion services. Contraceptive equity is the freedom to choose the contraceptive choice that works best for oneself. Furthermore, that all options are available and affordable, including access to adequate information regarding choice and patient-centered medical guidance. Contraceptive equity is only achieved through reproductive justice. In that, reproductive justice looks at the interconnectivity-transformational framework that links health, sexuality, and human rights to the social justice movement. Reproductive justice means having complete bodily autonomy over ones reproductive and sexual health, with supporting policies and legislation in place that protects an individual’s decision over their body. Meaning, all individuals should have the right and ability to access the contraceptive method they chose is best for them.

Read More

Trans Justice is Reproductive Justice

Trans Justice is Repro Justice21 trans women, largely trans women of color and many of them Black, have been murdered in the United States in 2015. In death, they’ve been mis-gendered, deadnamed, shamed and blamed for their murder, and denied self-determination. From mainstream media to elected officials, even our progressive movements, their struggles have remained largely invisible.  Business as usual.

According to the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs’ Report on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and HIV-affected hate violence, in 2014 50% of homicide victims were transgender women of color, transgender people of color were 6.2 times more likely to experience police violence, and 1.6 times more likely to experience physical violence. We know that across the board, trans people of color, particularly Black trans folks, are more likely to experience discrimination and violence in housing, employment, and healthcare. Simply put, trans communities of color are in a state of emergency. Enough is enough.

On #BlackTransLiberationTuesday, SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW! stands in solidarity with our Black trans friends, lovers, colleagues, and accomplices in the fight for justice and liberation of all our communities. We condemn the senseless violence and constant devaluing of your lives. We uplift and name the ways in which trans women of color, particularly Black trans women, disproportionately face the brunt of this racist, sexist, transphobic, transmisogynist world. We speak your names. We affirm that Trans Justice is Reproductive Justice. We must fight for Black Trans Lives.

We call their names . . .

Papi Edwards. Lamia Beard. Ty Underwood. Yazmin Vash Payne. Taja DeJesus. Penny Proud. Bri Golec. Kristina Gomez Reinwald. Keyshia Blige. Vanessa Santillan. Mya Hall. London Chanel. Mercedes Williamson. Jasmine Collins. India Clarke. K.C. Haggard. Amber Monroe. Shade Schuler. Kandis Capri. Elisha Walker. Tamara Dominguez.

We remember you.  We love you. We honor your memory by fighting for those left behind to build a future free from violence!

In community power,

The SPARK Family


 

Two Ways to Take Action NOW!

Raise your consciousness: 24 Actions You NEED to Take to Help Trans Women of Color Survive

Raise your voice: Find a #BlackTransLiberationTuesday event in your area!

If you’re in Atlanta, show up tonight at Underground Atlanta, 50 Upper Alabama St, Atlanta, GA to show your support and love for Black trans people, especially Black trans women. Facebook Event

Celebrate with SPARK!

You are cordially invited to celebrate our newly re-opened space, the great work of our dedicated staff, and to meet our new Executive Director, Dr. Krystal Redman.

Join us as we honor this new chapter at SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW! and discuss the latest and greatest of what we’ve been up to!

SPARK in 2015

When & Where
Thursday, September 3, 2015 @ 6:00PM – 8:00PM
250 Georgia Hill Ave, Suite 207C, ATL, GA 30312

RSVP Requested by Monday, August 31st!

Light refreshments and beverages will be provided!

We look forward to seeing you soon,

The SPARK Family

Kick It with SPARK! – Ice Cream Social Edition!

Ice-Cream-SocialAs the summer heat rises, come cool down with US at Kick It with SPARK! – Ice Cream Social Edition! We’ll provide yummy ice cream treats and board games, but feel free to bring some of your personal favorites.

When & Where
Thursday, July 23, 2015 @ 6PM
250 Georgia Hill Ave, Suite 207C, ATL, GA 30312

Refreshments will be provided!

RSVP on Facebook

This event is a collaboration with Georgia Equality.

Kick It With SPARK! is a monthly program for LGBTQQ youth of color (16 – 25) to have a dedicated space to socialize, build community, and find resources. It will be held every fourth Thursday of each month.

SPARK Celebrates U.S. Supreme Court Ruling on Marriage Equality and Upholding Obamacare Subsidies!

July 1, 2015 – ATLANTA, GEORGIA

SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW! applauds the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in upholding marriage equality for all. We also celebrate the Court’s decision to protect affordable healthcare for millions of women and families in the King v. Burwell decision. These rulings mark great victories in our communities’ fight for social justice and liberation. Last week, the Court took major steps in the right direction, and yet, we still have miles to go.

“As we celebrate these accomplishments, we know our work is not done. Queer and trans people of color, particularly Black women and youth of color, continue to face homelessness, unemployment, discrimination in the workplace, and violence. Additionally, many of our constituents lack access to affordable quality, culturally competent healthcare services, and in some cases, complete denial of care,” says Dr. Krystal Redman, SPARK Executive Director.

These victories present great opportunities for us to re-commit ourselves to all the issues that directly impact the most marginalized families in our communities. We recognize that marriage equality is one pathway to recognize all families under the law, but does not reflect the myriad of challenges queer and trans communities face in building their families. That is why our commitment to close the coverage gap in Georgia and ensure comprehensive access to reproductive health services including abortion services is so critical.

As we continue this important work, we need your support to build and sustain a reproductive justice movement in the Deep South that allows us to advocate for policies and practices that empower young families throughout Georgia and foster sustainable change. Your generous gift allows us amplify the voices of those often most marginalized in public policy conversations to shift policy, practice, and culture.

Please give and join us in our call to action: SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW!

Sincerely,

Dr. Krystal Redman
Executive Director
SPARK Reproductive Justice NOW!