THE “FREEQUENCY” OF REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE
This definition widens the landBy Ashley Makue scape against which women access their rights to have children, not have children and parent the chilMwende “FreeQuency” Katwiwa is dren that they have. It provides that 26 years old – perhaps too young to Reproductive Justice is not only inthink about motherhood, but alto- accessible where women can’t gether old enough to understand make decisions about their bodies, that to mother is maybe to mourn a but similarly, where women do not child. have equal economic participation, equal social inclusion and where Katwiwa is Kenyan and an immichildren by black mothers are under grant in the United States where black children are murdered by po- constant threat. lice and confused vigilantes and Katwiwa says that while the speonce-rejected “lone wolfs”. As a cifics of what supports are needed champion for Reproductive Justice, and what obstacles to reproductive Katwiwa wonders what this means oppression necessarily shift across in the context of #blacklivesmatter. geographies and culture, the conWhat is the right to or not to repro- text for Reproductive Justice reduce, in an environment that is un- mains across borders. safe for you and for your child? “I think it is important to note that it was named in 1994 but built upon Reproductive justice and the global the understanding that marginalized and oppressed women all over backdrop of anti-blackness the world have long fought for ReAccording to Loretta Ross of the Sisproductive Justice. I think the peoter Song Women of Color Reproducple who named it were intentional tive Health Collective, Reproductive in locating themselves as generaJustice is the complete physical, tionally displaced Africans whose mental, spiritual, political, social, domestic oppression in many ways and economic well-being of women mirrors the way the United States and girls, based on the full achievetreats so called ‘third world’ counment and protection of women’s tries, and not the accepted citizenry human rights. of the US”. 24