FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: January 21, 2025
CONTACT:
Lasamee Kettavong, media@napawf.org
Aurea Bolaños Perea, media@latinainstitute.org
Kindeya Chiaro, inourownvoice@berlinrosen.com
WASHINGTON D.C. – As a new administration takes office amidst division and uncertainty, Intersections of Our Lives (Intersections) reaffirms its commitment to advancing equity and justice for women and gender-expansive individuals of color. With a clear roadmap for transformative change, Intersections is prepared to tackle the pressing threats to the lives, health, and rights of our communities while building a future grounded in dignity and justice.
This week—marked by the convergence of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, and the inauguration of a president whose prior term was characterized by divisive policies—underscores the urgent need for unity, representation, and action. The irony of honoring civil rights and reproductive freedom in the same week as the inauguration of a leader whose past policies threatened these ideals cannot be ignored. Our communities are at a critical juncture, and the need to safeguard and expand rights has never been more pressing.
Intersections is a collaborative of three leading reproductive justice organizations: the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF), In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda (In Our Own Voice), and the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice (Latina Institute). Together, these organizations remain resolute in centering the needs of women and gender-expansive individuals of color through three transformative pillars outlined in their Reproductive Justice (RJ) Policy Agenda: healthy bodies, healthy families and communities, and healthy democracy.
Sung Yeon Choimorrow, Executive Director of NAPAWF, stated, “Women of color have always borne the brunt of harmful anti-immigrant policies and restrictive abortion laws. With this administration’s promises of mass deportations and further restrictions on reproductive healthcare, AAPI women and gender-expansive individuals—and our families—will face grave harm. Yet, we know this: we deserve safety, security, and wellbeing. Our communities’ futures depend on our ability to stand together, and we will not fight alone. In partnership with In Our Own Voice and Latina Institute, we will continue to advocate fiercely for justice and equity while rejecting any policies that violate these principles.”
Lupe M. Rodríguez, executive director of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, stated, “We are deeply concerned about further attacks on im/migrant communities and abortion care, especially as Latinos/xs are already struggling to access health care, make ends meet, and survive an immigration system that harms them at every turn. But we will never back down and never stop working toward a country with justice for all. Through Intersections of Our Lives, we will continue to advocate for policies and priorities that allow everyone to make decisions about their bodies and futures without fear or restrictions. ¡Aquí respiramos lucha!”
Regina Davis Moss, President and CEO of In Our Own Voice, stated, “The next four years are not going to be easy. A second Trump administration will mean attacks on reproductive health care, economic and environmental justice, education, voting rights, justice reform and much more. Effectively pushing back against this dangerous agenda will require a Reproductive Justice framework that centers the needs and experiences of women and gender-expansive people of color. In partnership with Latina Institute and NAPAWF, we are prepared to double down on our efforts to engage and mobilize our communities and advocate for policies that protect our bodily autonomy and ensure we can make healthy decisions about our lives.”
As a collaborative, Intersections calls on lawmakers, advocates, and allies to champion solutions that prioritize the health, safety, and prosperity of our communities while rejecting harmful policies. These solutions include ensuring accessible and affordable abortion care, closing the wage gap, and protecting voter rights—cornerstones of healthy bodies, thriving families and communities, and a vibrant democracy. Intersections uplifts the voices of those advancing immigrant rights, reproductive justice, and civil rights, and firmly denounces systems that seek to silence, marginalize, and harm women and gender-expansive individuals of color.
This week’s events serve as a reminder of the ongoing struggle for equity and justice. We must confront the challenges posed by leadership that threatens to undermine these ideals. Intersections of Our Lives stands united in the fight for transformative change and will persist in advancing justice for all.
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Intersections of Our Lives is a collaboration of In Our Own Voice: National Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda (In Our Own Voice), the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF), and the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice (Latina Institute), three women of color-led national Reproductive Justice organizations with both a federal and statewide presence. For more information about Intersections of Our Lives visit: IntersectionsofOurLives.org.
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