The Power in Our Choice: In Conversation with Renee Bracey Sherman

THE POWER IN OUR CHOICE

IN CONVERSATION WITH RENEE BRACEY SHERMAN The Womxn’s Center for Success is proud to present to you the final installment of The Power in Our Choice series. This series sought to educate and further the dialogue on abortion at the University of CaliforniaIrvine.

As part of our larger Reproductive Justice Initiative, the Power in Our Choice series focused on abortion education on campus. Starting with a panel discussion of the on-campus abortion resources offered at UCI to this discussion with Renee Bracey Sherman, we are proud of the UCI community for embracing dialogue and educating on reproductive autonomy.

We hope that you enjoy our program and encourage active audience participation. We ask that you save all questions for the audience Q&A at the end of our program.

This program was made possible by the Confronting Extremism Grant through the Office of Inclusive Excellence.

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UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, IRVINE

PRINCIPLES OF COMMUNITY

UCI is a multicultural community of people from diverse backgrounds. Our activities, programs, classes, workshops, lectures, and everyday interactions are enriched by our acceptance of one another, and we strive to learn from each other in an atmosphere of positive engagement and mutual respect.

To learn more about UCI’s principles of community, scan the QR code below:

Thank you,

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PROGRAM AGENDA Time

Description

5:15pm-5:45pm

Check-in and light refreshments

5:45pm-6:10pm

Opening remarks from the Womxn’s Center for Success

6:10pm-7:00pm

Dialogue with Renee Bracey Sherman- moderated by Reproductive Justice Student Intern, Natalie Larios

7:00pm-7:15pm

Audience Q&A- moderated by Womxn’s Center for Success Program Coordinator, Alicen Bosley

7:00pm-7:30pm

Closing remarks

Should you need to leave the program early, we ask that you please sit near the back of the room to avoid minimal distraction to our speakers.

Thank you.

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ABOUT THE WOMXN'S CENTER FOR SUCCESS Mission Statement The Womxn’s Center for Success at UC Irvine advances gender equity by raising consciousness on social justice concepts, fostering personal growth, building community connections, encouraging identity development and increasing access to resources that support holistic wellness.

Why ‘Womxn’?

“Womxn” is one of a few lexical and social phenomena, including the adoption of “x” in naming gender nonconforming individuals, genderqueer folx, two spirit people, femmes, transgender folx, and non-binary people.

Womxn acknowledges that gender identity exists in a sphere and one word has room for multiple gender expressions without weighing one more important. It highlights that more than one gender expression can be impacted by patriarchy, misogyny, and sexism.

Community Commitments We support each other in the real world, on campus, and in the digital space.

We listen, learn, and grow. Our community is continuously evolving and so are we.

We create brave spaces that are intersectional, inclusive, and non-judgmental.

We empower and amplify the voices that go unseen, unheard, and underappreciated.

We unapologetically stand up against racism, homophobia, anti-blackness, transphobia, ableism, classim, and xenophobia.

We take care of ourselves and each other because joy, self-care, and community empowerment are acts of resilience.

Services & Programs One on one appointments, We Rise Ambassador Program, Feel Good Moments, Reproductive Justice at UCI, Sad Girls Club at UCI (Hybrid), Affiliate Program, Menstruation Equity at UCI, Weekly Newsletter (Virtual)

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About

RENEE BRACEY SHERMAN

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Renee Bracey Sherman (she/her) is a reproductive justice activist, abortion storyteller, and writer. She is the founder and executive director of We Testify, an organization dedicated to the leadership and representation of people who have abortions and share their stories at the intersection of race, class, and gender identity. She is also an executive producer of Ours to Tell, an award-winning documentary elevating the voices of people who’ve had abortions, co-host of The A Files: A Secret History of Abortion, a podcast from The Meteor, and the coauthor of the forthcoming book LIBERATING ABORTION: Our Legacy, Stories, and Vision for How We Save Us from Amistad/HarperCollins.

About

WE TESTIFY

We Testify is an organization dedicated to the leadership and representation of people who have abortions, increasing the spectrum of abortion storytellers in the public sphere, and shifting the way the media understands the context and complexity of accessing abortion care. We Testify invests in abortion storytellers to elevate their voices and expertise, particularly those of color, those from rural and conservative communities, those who are queer-identified, those with varying abilities and citizenship statuses, and those who needed support when navigating barriers while accessing abortion care.

We Testify unapologetically believes that people who have abortions are our future. We believe that everyone who has abortions deserves unconditional love and support. We believe that people who have abortions deserve to be in every space where decisions are being made. To borrow from the disability justice movement, there should be nothing about us without us.

We are the leaders we’ve been waiting for.

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FREEDOM OF SPEECH STATEMENT The Womxn’s Center for Success is a fervent supporter of freedom of speech. We ask that all audience members participate in this event with respect and the eagerness to learn.

Please note that, due to the subject matter presented tonight, additional safety measures have been taken to ensure a positive and safe environment for our speaker, staff, and audience members.

To read more on UCI’s policy of Freedom of Speech and Disruption of UCI Activities, please scan the QR code below.

Thank you,

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The Womxn’s Center for Success would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to our campus partners who have worked tirelessly to increase the dialogue surrounding reproductive justice here at UCI.

We deeply appreciate your partnership.

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