Posted in civic engagement, Events, LANs, Reproductive Justice, Take Action on November 2, 2012 | 1 Comment »
RJ Loteria Board
Last Tuesday, Oct. 23, our incredible activists at MI LOLA hosted a truly memorable event: Reproductive Justice Bingo/Loteria with Gloria Steinem.
For those of you who have never played Mexican Loteria, here is a picture of a typical loteria set. We decided to take this traditional game, and spruce it up by changing up old cards and adding new ones like (as pictured here): Vote on Nov. 6; Same sex marriage; a Vagina; a Condom, Birth Control Pills. (more…)
Posted in Healthy Pregnancies, Politics, Reproductive Justice on November 1, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Jóvenes poderosas!
Hace unas semanas, el Instituto Nacional de Latinas para la Salud Reproductiva (NLIRH por sus siglas en inglés) tuvo la gran oportunidad de acompañar a un grupo de madres jóvenes de Nueva York a Washington, DC. En Washington, estas jóvenes hablaron con congresistas y nuestros colegas sobre sus experiencias como madres jóvenes y la situación de las madres jovenes en sus vidas y comunidades. Hablaron de cual es el problema en realidad cuando se trata de las madres jóvenes (es decir, la falta de acceso a recursos como cuidado de salud incluyendo anticonceptivos y al cuidado de niños asequible) y como el presupuesto nacional afecta a estas familias.
El presupuesto nacional es importante para las madres y familias jóvenes porque en este se dedican los fondos para programas imporantes para la salud de esta comunidad – programas como el Título X, el cual provee cuidado de salud reproductiva, y programas como el Fondo de Desarrollo y Cuidado de Niños, el cual provee cuidado para los niños de algunas mujeres de bajos ingresos. Pero por las divisiones corrientes en el Congreso, es posible que, en vez de decidir con cuidado donde se puede recortar el presupuesto para poder bajar la deuda del país, se hagan recortes devastadores a través del presupuesto entero, recortando y a veces eliminando programas esenciales para las latinas. Este método de recortes es el secuestro fiscal (“sequestration” o “sequester” en inglés).
Este plan de recortes se diseñó para obligar al Congreso a tomar decisiones difíciles; nunca se tuvo el propósito de que estos recortes entraran en vigor. Pero ahora, por falta de acción del Congreso, es posible que esta sea nuestra realidad. Recortar los gastos de esta manera simplemente no tiene sentido.
En vez de recortar programas que afectarían a las familias jóvenes y a las Latinas de bajos ingresos, el Congreso debe recortar el déficit mediante el cierre de vacíos legales de impuestos corporativos y la suspensión de subsidios a las compañías petroleras grandes en un momento en que estas jamás han sido tan rentables. Podemos ahorrar dinero si les recortamos los subsidios a los millonarios y modificamos el código de impuestos de manera que sea más sencillo y más justo para las familias Latinas.
Por ahora, estamos esperando el próximo paso, listas para tomar acción. No podemos dejar que simplemente recorten los programas esenciales para las latinas sabiendo que hay mejores maneras de que el país pague la deuda nacional.
Posted in Reproductive Justice on October 19, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
This summer, NLIRH hosted our Southern Regional LOLA Training in Charlotte, North Carolina. Latinas from 8 states in the region including, Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, Georgia, Kentucky and Virginia met to network, strategize and organize with other new and experienced Latina activists around reproductive justice.
In this blog post, I highlight the work of three Poderosas from Virginia who met each other for the first time at our LOLA training, left our training inspired and motivated to take on the challenge of creating a Latina Advocacy Network (LAN) in the DC-MD-VA area.
The new “DMV LOLA” has moved full force with several Soy Poderosa and My Voice Matters events. Two Sundays ago they teamed up with Voto Latino and hosted a successful Voter Registration Drive in a Latino neighborhood in Arlington, Virginia. 
Their next event is a Happy Hour Meet & Greet where they want to invite all interested folks to meet and network with one another, and become members of the DMV LOLA. Furthermore, they want to continue to motivate folks to show our power as a community to vote, as well as encourage those who cannot vote to speak to their friends, family members, and community to vote on November 6th.
So if you’re in the DC-MD-VA area, join them at their:
Happy Hour Meet and Greet!
Tues. Oct. 23rd, 6-9pm
Vapiano, 1800 M St NW (between N 18th St & N Connecticut Ave), Washington, DC 20036
Lastly, our folks are gearing up to do outreach with the ANSWER Coalition for the Maryland DREAM Act! We want to shout out these poderosa activists for stepping up in our communities and creating a space for other poderosas to take action and most importantly making sure OUR VOICE MATTERS.
If you’re outside of the DC-MD-VA area, Take the pledge: Make your voice heard this election!
Visit our website to find Latina activists in your area, or contact karina@latinainstitute.org to create your own Latina Advocacy Network.
Posted in Families, Healthy Pregnancies, Immigration, Motherhood, Reproductive Justice on September 24, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
We’ve been following the case of Juana Villegas since the beginning. Just over a week after she gave birth, shackled, while in in jail due to her immigration status, we covered it here on Nuestra Vida, Nuestra Voz as an all-too-real example of the ways that immigration enforcement tactics hurt immigrant women and families. Shortly afterward, the New York Times covered Juana’s story, and it became a prominent if all-too-common reminder of the importance of considering gender in immigration advocacy.
I am incredibly happy to hear that last week, a judge in Nashville awarded Juana $1.1 milion to cover her attorney’s fees and other expenses during the three-year ordeal of lawsuits and appeals. Most importantly, the judge also certified a U-visa – a visa category that is available to undocumented victims of crime who may fear reporting them for fear of deportation. While this certainly does not represent justice – in a just world, this would never have happened in the first place – it is certainly positive that a court has recognized that Juana’s rights have been violated.
Of course, this is just one of many cases, most of which never make it to the media’s attention. With immigration enforcement programs such as Secure Communities taking hold across the U.S. and states taking immigration enforcement into their own hands, there is still much work to do.
Posted in Health Care, Reproductive Justice on August 27, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Today, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a new challenge aimed at developing mobile application technology to connect women of color to information and resources for preventing and treating certain cancers. The challenge, or competition, called “Reducing Cancer Among Women of Color App Challenge”, encourages entrepreneurs, software developers, and others to develop this new technology, which will then be utilized to connect women of color to information and services to help them prevent and fight cancer.
According to the HHS Press Release, “More than 300,000 new cases of breast, cervical, uterine, and ovarian cancer are diagnosed each year.” Additionally, “while the incidence and prevalence of these cancers are widespread, disparities in prevention, early treatment, quality of care, and outcomes result in a higher prevalence and mortality rates among minority and underserved women.”
At the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health (NLIRH), we know this to be true of Latinas and cervical cancer. While mortality from cervical cancer is not as high compared to breast and other cancers (approximately 4-5,000 women die annually of cervical cancer compared to approximately 40,500 women from breast cancer), we know that Latinas make up a disproportionate share of women who are diagnosed with and die of cervical cancer. The reasons for this are many and complex (lack of health care insurance, lack of culturally and linguistically appropriate services, lack of immigration status) and point to larger injustices in who has access to preventive and other health care services.
The mobile applications will provide information “directly to women at a high risk of breast, cervical, uterine and ovarian cancers or women who already have been diagnosed with these cancers.” According to HHS, the winning app will:
The announcement was celebrated by the Congressional Tri-Caucus as it builds upon several months of advocacy by the Tri-Caucus to urge the Obama Administration to implement aspects of the Health Equity and Accountability Act (HEAA), a bill NLIRH supports which builds upon the foundation of the Affordable Care Act to eliminate disparities in health care access and health outcomes for communities of color and other intersecting communities. The Congressional Tri-Caucus- which consists of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Congressional Black Caucus, and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus- introduced HEAA in the House of Representatives last fall, and was introduced in the Senate by Senator Akaka (D-HI) in April 2012.
Today’s announcement is a step forward for Latinas, who suffer from cervical cancer at rates higher than all other ethnic and racial groups. The HHS announcement specifically mentions disparities in cervical cancer and the importance of providing information on prevention in linguistically and culturally appropriate ways. The announcement signals an acknowledgement of the role geographical challenges play in health disparities, the importance of securing privacy, and the importance of integrating community health workers and promotoras (who play a large role in connecting Latinas to health care information and services). And according to a recent Nielsen report, mobile technology is an increasingly important way Latinos access the internet, receive information, and connect to others.
We look forward to the implementation of the winning project and to connecting more Latinas to the information and services that will allow them to prevent cervical cancer. At the same time, NLIRH will also work to fight efforts to limit Latinas’ access to reproductive and sexual health services, in places like Texas and Florida. We will urge state lawmakers to fully implement the Affordable Care Act, which will increase access to screenings through its support of Community Health Centers, expansion of the Medicaid program, and by eliminating co-pays for screening services in private plans. And NLIRH will work to advance a standard of care that provides all Latinas, including LGBTQ Latinas, will all the possible options for preventing cervical cancer, including screenings, the HPV vaccine, and accurate sexual health information.
For more information about Latinas and cervical cancer, please visit the resources on our website which includes our 2012 Cervical Cancer Prevention Policy Priorities.
Posted in Health Care, Latina RJ week of action, Reproductive Justice on August 8, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
This week is about taking action and showing our PODER, and we are focusing in on our governors. As the Affordable Care Act (ACA) continues to be implemented, we must be diligent in our advocacy to make sure that its benefits get to as many people as possible. In the spirit of action, NLIRH is providing you with two very easy ways to take action. (more…)
Posted in Latina RJ week of action, Reproductive Justice on August 7, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
During this Week of Action, we’ll be profiling a few true poderosas: Latinas who show their power and inspire us in their actions.
My name is Margie Del Castillo and I will be a second year Master’s student this fall in the Women’s Studies program at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. I have lived in and around Washington D.C. my entire life and mostly in the state of Virginia. I completed my undergraduate work at The College of William and Mary and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Women’s Studies in 2005. I always knew that I enjoyed working with people in my community so after graduating, I started a career in social work, primarily working with Spanish speaking immigrants of color. Through my work with a local county government, I helped my clients secure aid from public assistance programs like SNAP, Medicaid and TANF. During this time, I spent lots of time with my clients, both in person and on the phone. I learned about the issues in the Latina/o community, and especially those affecting young women and mothers. By far, the most pervasive issues I heard about were lack of access to reproductive health care and issues relating to domestic violence. (more…)
Posted in Health Care, Reproductive Justice on July 11, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Join us for a “cafecito”-style conference call (informal discussion over coffee) to discuss how women, communities of color, and other underserved populations can move forward for health justice after our tremendous victory – the Supreme Court upheld almost every aspect of the health care law! We will have a panel of national and state health advocates help us understand the decision and think through communications, advocacy, and mobilization strategies to advance health justice for our communities.
Please bring your thoughts and questions about how we will move forward as implementation of the law continues, including the implications of the court’s ruling on the Medicaid expansion.
Please click on this link to RSVP and receive call-in information.
For more information, please contact Kimberly Inez McGuire, Policy Analyst with the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health at Kimberly@latinainstitute.org or Keely Monroe, Law Students for Reproductive Justice fellow with Raising Women’s Voices for the Health Care We Need at kmonroe@nwhn.org.
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Acompáñanos para un cafecito virtual para discutir como las mujeres, comunidades de color, y comunidades marginalizadas podemos seguir adelante para la justica en el cuidado de salud después de nuestra victoria tremenda- el Tribunal Supremo de Justicia confirmó la constitucionalidad de la mayoría de la ley de reforma de salud! Tendremos presentaciones de expertos que abogan para la salud al nivel nacional y estatal para ayudarnos a entender la decisión, como comunicar esta información a nuestras comunidades, y las estrategias de abogacía y movilización comunitaria para avanzar en la justicia de la salud de nuestras comunidades.
Por favor traigan sus pensamientos y preguntas acerca de cómo vamos a seguir adelante con la implementación de la ley, incluyendo las implicaciones de la decisión del Tribunal Suprema sobre la expansión de Medicaid.
Por favor, haga clic en este enlace para confirmar su participación y obtener el número de teléfono y el código.
Para más información, por favor mande un correo electrónico a Kimberly Inez McGuire con el Instituto Nacional de Latinas para la Salud Reproductiva a Kimberly@latinainstitute.org o a Keely Monroe con Levantando las Voces de las Mujeres a kmonroe@nwhn.org.
Posted in Health Care, Reproductive Justice on June 28, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
President Barack Obama signing the Affordable Care Act (health reform law) into law on March 23, 2010. The law was upheld by the Supreme Court this morning- a win for Latinas’ health.
As I am sure many of you have heard, today, the Supreme Court of the United State upheld the landmark health reform law, the Affordable Care Act.
This is a big win as millions of Latinas, their families, and their communities have already benefited from greater access to quality and affordable health care as a result of the reforms in the law. And millions more Latinos will benefit from the law as it is fully implemented through 2014.
Click here NLIRH’s press statement on the Supreme Court decision.
But the fun does not stop here: please join us for a number of conversations and events on this historic decision and how to move forward for #HealthJustice post-Supreme Court.
June 29, 2:00-3:30 PM ET on Twitter using #HealthJustice #SaludyJusticia
Please join National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF), the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health (NLIRH) and over a dozen national partners TOMORROW, June 29, in a post- Supreme Court Tweetchat entitled “Now what? How the Health Care Law Supreme Court Decision will Impact Women, People of Color, LGBTQ Folks, and other Underserved Groups.”
The Tweetchat will run from 2:00 – 3:30 PM ET, so makes sure to join us on Twitter.com. It is sure to be a lively and informative discussion in both English and Spanish with over seventeen co-sponsoring organizations! Follow the conversation with our hashtag #HealthJustice #SaludyJusticia - Click here for more information.
July 12 2:00-4:00 PM ET – “Cafecito”- Style Conference Call
Join Raising Women’s Voices for the Health Care We Need and the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health (NLIRH) for a “cafecito”-style conference call (informal discussion over coffee) to discuss how women, communities of color, and other underserved populations can move forward for health justice in the aftermath of the Supreme Court decision on the health reform law.
Date: July 12, 2012
Time: 2 -3 pm ET in English, and 3-4 pm ET in Spanish.
Please RSVP here to receive the call-in information.
We know that the work starts here. We need to work for greater health care access for immigrant communities, LGBTQ individuals, and other underserved groups. We need to include comprehensive reproductive health services in the gains under ACA. We need for strive for greater diversity and cultural and linguistic competency of the health care work force. That’s why NLIRH and other health equity advocates support legislation like the Health Equity and Accountability Act. So, let’s celebrate today and move forward for health justice.
And please stay posted for more analysis on the decision and how it will impact Latinas!
Posted in Immigration, Racism, Reproductive Justice on June 26, 2012 | Leave a Comment »
Today was a particularly special day for me in Washington, D.C. because I had the privilege to start my internship at the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health (NLIRH). As soon as I stepped into the office, I was welcomed by the smiling faces of Natalie, Kimberly, and Elizabeth. I felt the positive energy beaming from these individuals as soon as I arrived and noticed that, like me, they were eagerly awaiting the decision from the U.S. Supreme Court on Arizona’s SB1070 and/or the Affordable Care Act, which many anticipated would come down on that day. The decisions for both of these pieces of legislation would not only affect the lives of many people, but particularly the lives of immigrants and people of color. It is because of this and because of the values that NLIRH upholds that everyone at the office and elsewhere was extremely eager to find out the decision from the Supreme Court in order to continue supporting the Latino/a community in the best ways possible. (more…)
