SisterSong and Their Mission

While I was looking around and brainstorming for a topic to do my final project on, I was looking a lot into recent issues regarding abortion and women’s reproductive rights and I came across an article that was talking about an organization called Sistersong.  This caught my attention, mostly because it mentioned some essays written by a few different women’s rights activists that we had discussed this quarter in class. The Sistersong organization was formed in 1997 and it’s purpose to help “amplify and strengthen the collective voices of Indigenous women and women of color to ensure reproductive justice through securing human rights” (SisterSong Mission Statement). The organization has opened up its doors to and cause to five main ethnic groups: African American, Arab American/Middle Eastern, Asian/Pacific Islander, Latina, and Native American/Indigenous. The reason I chose this topic is because I hear so much criticism towards women of color for having so many children and creating way bigger families than they are able to care for, but what is our society doing to help and/or educate these women? I was interested to seeing what these women had to say about the issues and any solutions that they may provide to help combat this issue. The members of SisterSong are using their time to provide education, policy work, advocacy and services to help women of color all over the nation be aware of their options as well as utilize the options that are available for them as free American women who have a right to choose what they do with their bodies.  Below is the mission statement of the SisterSong organization provided by their website.

Mission Statement

The mission of the SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective is to amplify and strengthen the collective voices of Indigenous women and women of color to ensure reproductive justice through securing human rights. SisterSong is comprised of 80 local, regional and national grassroots organizations in the United States representing five primary ethnic populations/indigenous nations in the United States: Native American/Indigenous, Black/African American, Latina/Puerto Rican, Arab American/Middle Eastern, and Asian/Pacific Islander, as well as white allies and men. The Collective was formed in 1997 to fulfill a need for a national movement by women of color to organize our voices to represent ourselves and our communities. SisterSong educates women of color on Reproductive and Sexual Health and Rights, and works towards the access of health services, information and resources that are culturally and linguistically appropriate through the integration of the disciplines of community organizing, Self-Help and human rights education.