Events

RSVP NOW for part 4 of our 5-part Breaking Silos in Reproductive Justice Teach-In Series on Tuesday, July 15 at 12:30 PM, “Breaking Borders: Interconnections between Immigrant Justice, Family Policing Abolition, & Reproductive Justice.” This series is hosted by Elephant Circle, If/When/How, Movement for Family Power, and CRRJ.

The state’s targeting of, and violence against, immigrant communities is a daily reality, as is the resistance against it. As the fascist state continues to use family separation as a weapon, it is critical that we have a collective understanding of the inherent connections between family policing abolition, reproductive justice, and immigrant justice.

In this session, we will discuss how the immigration system is inherently a reproductive justice issue. Grounded in that understanding, we will explore community-led models of resistance that provide immediate protection against ICE surveillance, detention, and deportation, while advancing the long-term goal of border abolition.

Join our panelists to discuss our demands for a world that centers the bodily autonomy and liberation of all people: 

• Abraham Paulos, Black Alliance for Justice Immigration:BAJI
• Noran Elzarka, If/When/How 
• Silky Shah, Detention Watch 
• Zaena Zamora, Frontera Fund 

This is the second in our five-part Breaking Silos in Reproductive Justice: Continuing the Conversation Teach-in Series–convened by the Center on Reproductive Rights and Justice at UC Berkeley Law, Elephant Circle, If/When/How, and Movement for Family Power.

This teach-in will explore the demonization, criminalization, and separation of birthing people and their babies as a core feature of the Drug War–which employed our healthcare system as a key tool of surveillance and punishment, especially for Black mamas. Join us to discuss family policing as a maternal health crisis and how you can help end the criminalization of mamas who use drugs with our panelists:  

Chanel Porchia-Albert, Ancient Song, Dinah Ortiz, National Survivors Union, Karen Thompson, Pregnancy Justice, Kimá Joy Taylor, Doing Right by Birth, Miriam Mack, Movement for Family Power

In Nov 2024, Center on Reproductive Rights & Justice at UC Berkeley Law, If/When/How, & Movement for Family Power convened the Breaking Silos in Reproductive Justice: Building Solidarity to End Family Policing symposium to interrogate the family policing system as a reproductive injustice.

Now, we are continuing the work with a virtual teach-in series in collaboration with our movement partner, Elephant Circle to deepen our understanding of the interconnected struggles within reproductive justice movements and family policing abolition in practice. We will focus on issues like pregnancy criminalization, the drug war, the deportation machine, trans liberation, and welfare rights.

Join us for the 1st virtual offering Abolishing the Family Policing System: A Reproductive Justice Imperative. While Reproductive Justice has always demanded a world where all people have a right to have children and parent those children in safe communities, the mainstream reproductive rights movement has historically failed to prioritize resisting family policing. To challenge these systems and win, we must advance the full vision of reproductive justice that demands an end to family policing.

Please join Professor Kaur to discuss the modern realities of lawyering against gendered violence with a panel of lawyers on the frontlines.

District Attorneys Sherry Boston and Laura Conover will discuss how prosecutors play a vital role in safeguarding reproductive healthcare access through their discretionary powers and policy decisions. The DAs will highlight their unique position to shape prosecutorial priorities, protect the rights of medical providers and patients, and ensure their offices remain focused on public safety and building community trust.

You are invited to Breaking Silos in Reproductive Justice: Building Solidarity to End Family Policing, a symposium hosted by the Center on Reproductive Rights and Justice (CRRJ) at UC Berkeley Law, If/When/How: Lawyers for Reproductive Justice, and Movement for Family Power, and the Gender Journal.

WHEN: 9am – 5pm / Friday, November 15th (with a book sale and signing by Dorothy Roberts to follow from 5-6pm) 

FOOD: Breakfast will be available starting at 8am. Lunch will be available from 11:45 – 1pm. 

Please join us, Breaking Silos in Reproductive Justice: Building Solidarity to End Family Policing, a full day of panel discussions and critical conversations interrogating the family policing system–or the so-called “child welfare” system–as a site of reproductive punishment and control, particularly for Black, Latine, and Indigenous families, and other marginalized communities. We are thrilled to share that our keynote speaker will be Dorothy Roberts, thought leader, author, and professor–and our closing speaker will be Amanda Wallace, movement leader and founder of Operation Stop CPS. 

The post-Roe landscape has amplified the connection between attacks on reproductive autonomy and family integrity. More so than ever, people are being forced to remain pregnant and subsequently punished by the family police for raising children without the necessary support or resources. Through practices like test-and-report and mandated reporting, the family policing system also deters birthing people from seeking the reproductive health care they need. 

We are calling on advocates to unite in advancing a shared vision for reproductive justice that includes an end to family policing. 

Please join students, faculty and staff from the School of Law, the School of Social Welfare and the Joint Medical Program for a collaborative workshop focusing on how we can work across disciplines to address inequities in family policing. The unique discussion based seminar will be held on 10/31 from 9-12pm at the JMP Suite in the Golden Bear Center (1995 University Ave).

Please join the Zoom link here to join this panel discussion!