For my first trip to Miami as National Field Organizer, it was truly an amazing experience to see MI-LOLA (Miami International Latinas Organizing for Leadership and Advocacy) in action.
On October 18, 2009 the women of MI-LOLA in Miami, FL hosted an event that introduced Immigration as a Matter of Reproductive Justice. They collaborated with worker’s rights organization Unite for Dignity, who is part of the Reproductive Justice Alliance in Miami. Together they hosted a great educational and interactive event in which the members of MI-LOLA facilitated a reproductive justice 101 workshop and NLIRH facilitated a workshop on the connections between reproductive justice and immigration rights.
Conversations were rich, meaningful, and memorable. People were engaged by each others stories and through those interactions emerged a consciousness of what immigration has to do with reproductive justice. The women not only made the connections but also validated those connections by continuing the conversation during a follow up event on November 2, 2009, specifically dedicated to immigration and reproductive justice.
MI-LOLA along with its partner organizations in the Reproductive Justice Alliance demonstrates the tenacity it takes to continue to organize and educate people on the importance of the inclusion of Latina immigrants in the reproductive justice movement.
By Stephanie Alvarado, National Field Organizer
