Contributed by Eshanda Fennell, Pro-Choice Public Education Project
Why I Fight For Another World
I’m not a writer, like my ancestors I have a nostalgic belief in the oral tradition. While oral histories have always had a way of moving my spirit and providing a deeper level of understanding for my work, passion and commitment to social change, I know I cannot afford to romanticize or ignore the power of the written word. One lesson I have learned from those who have come before me is how the written word provides voice for many and opportunity for others to peek into a window of another’s view. This process of putting my thoughts into written words, has ...

Contributed by Maria Nakae, Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice
Reproductive Justice: A Vision of Another World
A new movement is gaining momentum and changing the way that we view our world, think about our lives and take action for change. It is a movement that is working toward a vision where all people have the economic, social, and political power and resources to make healthy decisions about our bodies, sexuality, and reproduction for ourselves, our families, and our communities in all areas of our lives.
What is so unique about the Reproductive Justice Movement that makes it so powerful and vibrant? It addresses our selves comprehensively, rather than singling out parts of our bodies and our ...

A big thanks to the fabulous Aimee Thorne-Thomsen, of the Pro-Choice Public Education Project, for coordinating Feministing’s second Voices of… campaign. Aimee is bringing together voices from the US Social Forum this week–so be on the look out for some great posts!

Poetry found a.m. wai on April 22, 2006. “Worthy� was her first inspired poem. A year later, her voice continues speaking truth on race, identity, love, and relationships.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the last post in this month’s Voices of… series. We ran out of space last week (which is a great thing!) so we held this post over till today. Next month you can look forward to Voices of the U.S. Social Forum. Thanks again to Priscilla and the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum for organizing this!
Friday Night Dinner
For so long
I kept trying to get
invited to your
Friday night dinner
I would
peep through
the window

Lisa Fu is the Western Organizing Director at NAPAWF. She is based in Los Angeles, CA.
Even though I read and hear about different racist, sexist and ignorant attacks that women of color face every day, every once in a while I’m caught off guard in a way that I can’t anticipate. Like this email our office got not too long ago:

Dear NAPAWF,
My name is _(omitted)_, I am a designer. I am looking for an experienced seamstress and have tried to find one for a long time. Someone suggested that I contacted your organisation [sic] since a lot of asian women sew there [sic] own clothing and there are some really good seamstresses.
Maybe you can tell me ...

Fuifuilupe Niumeitolu is a member of the NAPAWF San Francisco branch. She is the producer and co-host of a Tongan radio program titled “Education is Powerful� broadcasted on Radio Tonga, San Francisco. She is also a PhD student and part of a grassroots movement working to implement Pacific Islander Studies at the University of California, Berkeley.
I’m the oldest daughter in a Tongan American family. Tonga, an archipelago located in the Pacific Ocean, neighbors the islands of Samoa, Fiji and Hawai’i. My new home here in the Bay Area currently hosts the largest Tongan community in the U.S. Although the 2000 census reports that we Tongans and other Pacific Islanders are some of the hardest working Americans ...

Kiran Ahuja is the Executive Director of NAPAWF and has been involved with the organization since 1999 as a national board member and co-founder of the Washington, D.C. chapter. She has practiced as a civil rights lawyer with the U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division where she worked on desegregation, bilingual, race and national origin discrimination issues in education-related civil rights cases.
As a young leader and woman of color in the women’s and reproductive rights movements, I find myself in meetings with seasoned and more experienced leaders. They often emphasize how many years they have been “in the movement.� As a rite of passage or precursor to an important statement or opinion, time served has ...