From Reproductive Justice to Human Rights Movement

Being an activist is one of the most amazing things that could ever happen to me! I, again, came to this conclusion after participating in a lecture organized by 2110 Center for Gender Advocacy at Concordia University in Montreal. The event welcomed a guest speaker, Loretta Ross, who was addressing topics such as reproductive justice, rape,women's rights, oppression, and building human rights movement. Even thought the theme of the talk may seem quite heavy, the lecture was one of the funniest, the most empowering, and uplifting speeches I have heard in years. 

Loretta Ross is one of the main forces behind an organization called SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective, whose "mission is to amplify and strengthen the collective voices of Indigenous women and women of color to ensure reproductive justice through securing human rights." 

Before I start sharing my observations and learning points, I'd like to shortly explain what 'reproductive justice' is. In short, it can be defined as a freedom for women to decide about their bodies but holding the state responsible for providing the proper framework for women to develop, raise children (if they wish to have them) and have actual choice. Loretta Ross explained the difference between reproductive justice and reproductive rights discourse as "not only have the freedom to have a child or not to have a child but also to be able to raise the child and have a quality life". In another words "for reproductive justice activists, the primary difference between the reproductive rights and health frameworks and the reproductive justice framework is that the rights and health frameworks focus on protecting individual rights and choices, while the reproductive justice framework focuses on broader socioeconomic conditions and bringing about structural change."(1) Loretta also compared those two discourses in a simple way: pro-birth (reproductive rights discourse) vs pro-life (reproductive justice discourse).

It was amazing to watch Loretta speak and share her personal story of sexual abuses and full of challenges in an empowering way, making the audience burst out laughing numerous times. One of the lines that I found very interesting, among many many others, was the way she dealt with receiving over and over again the same question about fighting oppression, she said: "Loretta, aren't you tired of fighting oppression? Then my answer is 'Tired offighting oppression? Not as much as being oppressed!'" It was just the beginning of the lecture and at the same a very powerful moment for me as an activist because this is exactly what I do and what it feels like! Even though Loretta and I work in different fields, it was so easy to relate to her words.

She also addressed the fact that activists and people working towards making a change in the world tend to complain about hardships, being tired, and having endless amounts of work. Her answer to this was: "We social justice people are very privileged! We are very fewpeople who don't put up with hate and oppression. We need to be responsiblewith that privilege! Like with any other privilege! And, please, don't play theoppression Olympics: my oppression is worse than yours! ;)" I was sitting there grinning because I knew exactly what she was talking about! Activists are amazing people but sometimes we need reality check in order to stop, see what we actually have, and we need to learn to appreciate it, and acknowledge how privileged we are to be able to do what we love and work to make change in the world. Not everyone is as lucky as we are!

Loretta talked about knowing differences between an enemy and problematic ally, which brought the audience, first to laughter, and then to a big round of applaud! "I know the difference between an enemy and problematic ally - with the ally you can actually agree on things that you want to work on together even though you may not necessarily understand each others realities". What I found interesting and maybe even a bit intriguing was her statement that in order to be able to work with (problematic) ally, we have to get over the unrealistic expectation that the ally will understand our realities because the truth is that they will not. I guess that this thought could be connected with the belief that many people thinking differently want to reach the same goal, which was identified as one of the major challenges of the human rights movement. Loretta believes that social rights movements need to get over the single-identity agenda fights but instead work intersectionally combining different identities and realities as we are never only 'one'. A person is never only a woman, but can be also trans, or have disability, and so on. We cannot work for equality not communicating with each other and being separated. Another round of applaud came with Loretta's reference to Martin Luther King's sermon delivered just 4 days before his assassination in 1968 where he was speaking about creating not 'only' civil rights movement but human rights movement, which he never managed to witness happening. She jokingly said "for all those years everyone was telling me that Martin Luther King had a dream! No one told me he had a plan!" :) She continued saying that "we need to build human rights movement - intersectional movement, you can't fight for women's rights in racist way, you can't fight for LGBTQ rights and violate disabled people." This also identifies one of the challenges, which is convincing people to work together even though there is no agreement on all fronts regardless of the end aim - equality, respect, and freedom. 

This is just give you a taste of what I experienced during 2.5h lecture full of reflection, laughter, and 'aha' moments. I could relate so many things to the LGBTQ or transgender movements, the mechanisms of work, cooperation, and internal struggles follow the same logic or maybe lack of it... To reflect on Loretta's words on being privileged as a civil rights activist, I definitely feel extremely privileged and lucky to be a part of this huge machinery for change! I would never trade this for anything else. I believe that if we let ourselves learn from each other and pay more attention to what we can offer to each other, we would be stronger and more efficient fighting for our rights. As a human being I would like to see people being safe and free; and as an activist, I would like to see one big united human rights movement envisioned years ago by a great activist and leader, Mr King to rock. Who's with me?

(1) Asian Communities for ReproductiveJustice 2005, p.3.

Why the Student Movement Must Evolve

Last Sunday, I went to Parc Lafontaine to observe the latest Quebec student protest along with several other scholars.  With the PQ government having already promised to quash the tuition increases, this rally attracted the most committed activists, those who are pushing for an end to tuition and who are nervous about the direction of the approaching summit on higher education.

When I returned home from this comparatively small march, I started thinking further about where the movement is going to go next.  I then came across an op-ed in the Toronto Star written by leaders of the more ‘radical’ of the student groups, CLASSE, who had organized and led the day's march.  

I decided to submit the following letter to the editor of the Star:

CLASSE is right to pause and recognize the victories of the Québec student movement ( Québec Student’s Hail Their Movement’s Victories).  That hundreds of thousands of citizens mobilized to protest peacefully for change, taking to the streets for months, should inspire people on both sides of the solitude regardless of where one falls on the tuition issue itself.

But if the student movement has truly shown there are no limits to the “politically possible,“ and that the “dogmas of the rich and powerful” can be overcome by broad citizen engagement, then the movement must now begin to look beyond the singular issue of access to education.

The student movement was always on its strongest footing when it linked its fight for access to education to the broader fight against growing corporate power and the perverted spending priorities of government.  It was less compelling when the salaries of University administrators and researchers were its principle focus and target.

To its credit, CLASSE’s manifesto challenged head on the narrow economic way of thinking guiding neo-liberal policy.  The Manifesto decries the privatization of public services and the increase in corporate wealth at the expense of average citizens. It speaks out against spiraling environmental degradation at the hands of industry and the persistence of ethnic, gender and other forms of systemic discrimination.

Where the Occupy movement could muster several thousand to city streets, the Québec student movement brought hundreds of thousands together listen to student leaders describe a system they see as stacked in favor of the few.

But while its one thing for student leaders to have spoken to other issues and struggles, its another entirely to mobilize action around those issues. 

It is important to consider why so many people took to the streets of Montreal: was it because the tuition increase affected their bottom line? Or was there something more to the movement, a broader dissatisfaction with the status quo and a will to fight for broader societal change?

Whatever the answer to these questions, the student movement has an opportunity to use its momentum to channel the energy and awareness already built during the spring towards taking action on other causes.  Its not hard to imagine the message that would be sent to those in power, whether in Québec city or Ottawa, if 100, 000 people were marching in the streets, month after month, to demand increases in corporate taxation, or to oppose the Northern Gateway pipeline and call for stricter environmental regulations.

In Québec, that will mean some tough choices for student leaders many of whom are sovereigntists and have an affinity with the ruling péquistes.  It means CLASSE must speak out, and loudly, when the government betrays progressive principles; when it drifts into worrisome flurries of ethnic nationalism, or excludes First Nations from a fare say in the development of the North for example.

The student movement can certainly pause to reflect on and acknowledge its achievement.  But it would be foolish not to link its fight to broader social struggles that are even more pressing. For progressives across the country there lies the hope the movement in Québec might lead to something much bigger, something that can undermine the dominance of neo-liberal thinking in our provincial and federal capitals alike.

Fall at Trout Lake

As I watch the leaves slowly reaching the ground, I have an epiphany about why ‘fall’ is called ‘fall’.

Almost three weeks into the Sauvé Program, and nine of us are having a relaxing retreat with the stated mission of ‘enjoying Canada before it gets cold’.

I am eating Corn Flakes with milk and listening to Cuban music. Outside it is raining. I am sitting on a sofa in the veranda of a cottage somewhere outside Montreal contemplating leaves becoming yellow. Yesterday I was not sure what a ‘cottage’ was all about. Now I know it is a place from which the world seems a little slower and calmer.

This morning I passed up going on an excursion to the local fruit market in order to work on my “one pager,” a document that will be circulated to support the achievement of my goals during the next nine months. I stayed behind in the calm of the cottage to put my mind in order. 

A lot has happened since I moved to Montreal. We have been in a constant orientation mode and my system has not yet assimilated to the reality that the Sauvé house and Montreal are my new homes.  Last week I was lucky to attend the CIVICUS World Assembly which turned out to be an inspiring networking and idea-rich experience. 

Meanwhile, I still do not have a lot of clarity about how I will prioritize and reach my goals this year. Working on the one pager is helping me organize and compartmentalize the different inputs, plans and considerations I have had so far. I am ready (and slightly edgy) to dig into the heart of my work: building a financial strategy and a board of directors to ensure Recrear, the organization I co-founded and worked with during the last two years, can continue working towards its vision. In the weeks that follow I will begin a full regime of meetings, classes and independent work…This weekend at the cottage is an opportunity to put things in perspective, and get reenergized.

Most importantly, however, this weekend I am on a mission to enjoy this time with my roommates. After a few hours of reflection (the falling leaves and pattering rain a backdrop for my contemplation) I am actually looking forward to the return of my Sauvé buddies at the cottage. In the midst of all the little practical things we talk about on a daily basis, we still have had little time to get to know one another more deeply.  We have a good idea of one another’s professional experiences and ambitions, but still little real comprehension of how the micro thoughts and experiences of each person blend together to make us the unique cocktail we are.

This weekend, I want to make sure to engage in real conversations with each person, without getting stuck in the technicalities of our “to do's.” At the very beginning of this exercise, I feel that every little story that we share is this gateway to another culture and conception of the world- to another very unique individual universe. In the process, I am starting to become very aware that this type of exchange will be the most incredible aspect of my experience during the Sauvé Program.

By Gioel Gioacchino