In this issue:
- Meet our Shero of the Month: Antoinette Jones
- Organizing Spotlight: PWN-Alabama Voices
- Let’s Talk Trans Rights, Safety and Justice
- Join the PWN Block Party Webinar
- Using Social Media for Effective Advocacy
Meet our Shero of the Month: Antoinette Jones
Our July 2019 Shero of the Month is Antoinette Jones of Atlanta, Georgia. Jill Heaviside, If/When/How Law & Policy Fellow at Sisterlove, Inc., said, “Antoinette is a force! She is a fierce advocate for both policy reform and intergenerational leadership within HIV advocacy spaces. It’s been incredible to watch Antoinette find and grow into her voice. I am so proud to work with and learn from her and can’t wait to see all the incredible things she’ll accomplish.”
Antoinette has been front and center in advocating against the abortion bans sweeping the nation, particularly in Georgia. When she had technical difficulties joining the Facebook Live with Evany Turk, PWN-USA Membership Engagement Coordinator, she wanted to let Georgians know that “the 6-week abortion ban does not go into effect until 2020! People who are pregnant are still able to have and access abortions until then! The 6-week abortion ban disproportionately affects people of color for many reasons.”
| Read more about Antoinette here! |
Organizing Spotlight: PWN Alabama Voices
They are advocating against the bill recently signed into law in Alabama that would criminalize doctors for performing abortions [the penalties are not in effect because Roe v. Wade is still the law of the land]. PWN Alabama Voices understands that the full abortion ban is an attack on the bodily autonomy of women and all people who can get pregnant. We asked them to tell us about their advocacy efforts in this interview with Lisa Johnson-Lett and Katie Willingham.
Q. There has been a lot of mobilization around SNAP benefits. Can you speak a little about the advocacy that has been happening?
A. HB3 was introduced this past legislative session. It would have mandated drug testing for SNAP recipients. By supporting Alabama Arise, we were able to contribute to and distribute their newsletter that explained the harm these bills would impose on families who need this form of government assistance. Currently none of these harmful policies were passed but they are likely to come up again next legislative session.
| Read the full interview here! |
Webinars You Won’t Want to Miss!
PWN Summer Block Party Webinar
Sat., August 10 at 12pm EST/11 am/CST/10 am MST/9 am PST
It isn’t too late to join the PWN Block Party webinar series, building community organizing skills block by block. If you missed the first three webinars, fret not. We got you. They were recorded so you can catch up on what has already been discussed. You don’t want to miss out on this exciting and informative webinar series.
| Register here! |
| Watch the recordings here! |
Advancing Trans Rights, Safety, and Justice
Thurs., August 29 at 3pm EST/ 2pm CST/ 1pm MST/ 12 pm PST
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In this webinar, we will explore what trans-centered reproductive justice could and should look like, centering the experiences, needs, and power of people of trans experience. Transgender, gender non-conforming, and non-binary (TGNC) people face discrimination in all aspects of life, from housing to health care, from public accommodation to policing, from employment to education. Such pervasive discriminatory practice and policies create a heightened vulnerability to violence and makes the ability to form family in a safe and sustainable community especially challenging. Our expert panelists will discuss important bodily autonomy and family formation issues that disproportionately impact the trans community, like coerced sterilizations, discriminatory adoption practices, and more.
| Register here! |
PWN Resources for Advocates:
Using Social Media for Effective Advocacy
Positive Women’s Network – USA and the United States People Living with HIV Caucus hosted this fun and informative webinar on effective social media advocacy. In the webinar, Tiommi Luckett, PWN-USA Communications Assistant/BLOC Project Coordinator, addressed:
- How social media can support your advocacy?
- How to manage your online presence?
- Gain skills to resolve conflicts online?
- How to assess your virtual communication style?
Watch the recording here!
Don’t Forget: Show Some Love to
#WaheedahTheLegend Today!
Today is Waheedah Shabazz-El’s last day as our organizing director, and PWN will never be the same! If you haven’t seen it, check out our tribute to #WaheedahTheLegend here, and share your best (and most hilarious) memories with Waheedah on social media using the hashtag #WaheedahTheLegend.
She has touched the lives of so many of us, inspired us to do more, mentored us to be better advocates–and has made us roll on the floor laughing more than once. Let’s make her last day on the job extra special!