Women Act for Reproductive Justice
A Benefit for Women’s Foundation California
March 25, 2023
Saturday 7:00p - 9:30p
Last November, California voters overwhelmingly voted YES on Proposition 1 to enshrine the right to abortion and birth control into the state constitution. Women Act for Reproductive Justice celebrates this historic victory while acknowledging our work is not done. The passage of Prop 1 and the right to reproductive freedom does not ensure reproductive justice and access for all. Resources and options must be accessible to all who make reproductive health decisions, regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, or economic status.
Women Act is an in-person event to support reproductive justice organizations in California--especially those that address equity issues. It is organized in partnership with Women’s Foundation California (WFC). WFC, one of the first Women’s Foundations in the country, builds community-based power through investing in nonprofit organizations, training community leaders in policy advocacy, connecting key partners, and mobilizing significant financial resources. WFC’s reproductive justice grant partners will be the beneficiaries of funds raised.
Current reproductive justice grant partners include the following.
ACCESS Reproductive Justice combines direct services, community education, and policy advocacy to provide real reproductive options and practical support for people considering or seeking an abortion.
Black Women for Wellness is a Reproductive Justice community-based organization committed to the health and well-being of Black women and girls and works to achieve its mission through health education, advocacy, and empowerment.
California Latinas for Reproductive Justice is a statewide organization that builds Latinas’/xs’ power and cultivates leadership, especially among young women, to secure reproductive justice, including access to abortion medication in public universities.
The event is an evening of celebration, community, and commitment. It begins with a community reception for WFC grant partners. The reception is followed by a discussion with recognized reproductive justice champions. Panelists include:
Aisha Mays, MD, Founder and Medical Director, Dream Youth Clinic
Diana Greene Foster, PHD, UCSF researcher and author of the Turnaway Study
Margalynne Armstrong, Associate Professor of Law, Santa Clara University School of Law.
Surina Khan, CEO of Women’s Foundation California will facilitate the conversation.
Happening, a full-length film adaptation of Annie Ernaux’s novel of the same name, looking back on her experience when abortion was illegal in France in the 1960s concludes the evening.
To learn more about Women’s Foundation of California click here.
panel
dr. aisha mays, Md
Aisha Mays, MD, is a Family Physician who focuses on Adolescent Medicine. She is the Director of Adolescent and School Based Services at Roots Community Health Center and the founding medical director of the Dream Youth Clinic in Oakland, CA. Her work centers on optimizing adolescent contraceptive care, identifying the health care needs of commercially sexually exploited youth and promoting innovate ways to provide comprehensive medical services for adolescents. She is also Faculty at the UC Berkeley/ UCSF Joint Medical Program and a Clinical Researcher at UCSF Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health.
Dr. DIANA GREENE FOSTER, PhD
Diana Greene Foster, PhD, is a professor at the University of California, San Francisco. She led the US Turnaway Study, a longitudinal study of the health and well-being of women who seek abortion including both women who do and do not receive the abortion. She is leading a study of the health, legal and economic consequences of the end of Roe in the US and a Turnaway Study in Nepal. She is the author of over 120 scientific papers as well as the 2020 book, The Turnaway Study: Ten Years, a Thousand Women and the Consequences of Having – or Being Denied – an Abortion.
MARGALYNNE ARMSTRONG
Margalynne Armstrong is an Associate Professor at Santa Clara University Law School. She has published articles and book chapters in the areas of racial discrimination, fair housing, privilege studies, comparative law and constitutional law. Prior to joining the law faculty at Santa Clara, Prof. Armstrong practiced public employment law and served as a staff attorney with the Legal Aid Society of Alameda County. A graduate of the University of California, Berkeley Law School, she serves on the Board of Directors of NARAL Pro-Choice America Foundation.
SURINA KHAN, MODERATOR
Surina Khan is CEO of Women’s Foundation California, where she leads the Foundation’s work to advance gender, racial, and economic justice. For more than three decades, Surina has been a leader in the philanthropic and nonprofit sector working on an array of social justice issues including gender justice, LGBT rights, human rights, and democratic and civic participation. She has held positions at the Ford Foundation, OutRight Action International, and Political Research Associates. She currently serves on the boards of Funders for Reproductive Equity, Voices for Progress, CalNonprofits, and the American LGBTQ+ Museum. She is a recognized expert on the power of feminist philanthropy to advance gender justice.
Tickets
$125
SCHEDULE
5:30p | Community reception to celebrate WFC grant partners
7:00p | Panel discussion with leaders in reproductive health
7:40p | Screening of the award-winning film Happening