SisterSong

SisterSong
Name	SisterSong
Formation	1997
Founders	National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum; National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice; Black Women's Health Imperative; Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice; Native American Women's Health Education Resource Center
Type	Nonprofit coalition
Purpose	Reproductive justice advocacy
Headquarters	Atlanta, Georgia
Region served	United States

SisterSong SisterSong is a US-based coalition founded to advance reproductive justice through community organizing, policy advocacy, and movement building. The coalition unites activists, advocates, and organizations from diverse backgrounds to address reproductive health, rights, and justice for women of color, Indigenous communities, and marginalized populations. SisterSong has participated in national campaigns, legal advocacy, and grassroots strategies alongside allied organizations and movements.

History

SisterSong emerged in 1997 during convenings that included leaders from the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, Black Women's Health Imperative, Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice, Native American Women's Health Education Resource Center, and the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum. Early influences included discussions among activists connected to the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development and networks shaped by organizers linked to the Women of Color Policy Network, Ms. magazine contributors, and advocates who previously worked with the Ford Foundation and the Open Society Foundations. In the 2000s SisterSong intersected with campaigns led by the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, National Organizing Committee, and state-level groups such as the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights and Women With a Vision. The coalition engaged with litigation and policy moments involving the Affordable Care Act, the Hyde Amendment, and state-level actions by organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union and the Center for Reproductive Rights. In subsequent decades SisterSong collaborated with activists from the Black Lives Matter network, participants in the March for Women's Lives, organizers from the Poor People's Campaign, and networks tied to the American Public Health Association.

Mission and Principles

SisterSong’s declared mission centers on reproductive justice grounded in the framework articulated by leaders such as Loretta Ross, SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective founders, and allied thinkers from the Reproductive Justice Collective. The principles emphasize the intersections identified by scholars and activists associated with Kimberlé Crenshaw's work on intersectionality, policy analyses from the Guttmacher Institute, and community-based models promoted by the SisterMentors and Forward Together networks. The coalition’s values align with campaigning strategies used by ACLU Women's Rights Project, public health approaches from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and global human rights norms discussed at the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.

Programs and Initiatives

SisterSong’s programs have included community organizing, leadership development, and advocacy training often coordinated with groups like the National Domestic Workers Alliance, Health Care for America Now, and the Campaign for Community Change. Initiatives focus on anti-coercion work linked to cases considered by the United States Commission on Civil Rights and maternal health campaigns informed by research from the Maternal Mortality Review Committees and March of Dimes. Public education efforts have intersected with cultural campaigns involving collaborators such as the Ms. Foundation for Women, Rockwood Leadership Institute, and media partners from the Brené Brown network. Health access campaigns engaged with state Medicaid expansions influenced by litigation from the Southern Poverty Law Center and policy advocacy by the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association.

Organizational Structure and Leadership

The coalition operates with a leadership council model composed of representatives from member organizations including the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, Black Women's Health Imperative, and community groups from regions served by the Southeast Asia Resource Action Center and the Indigenous Women Rising network. Executive leadership has included directors who previously worked with the Ford Foundation, the Open Society Foundations, and national campaigns mounted by the Democratic National Committee and advocacy arms of the American Civil Liberties Union. Governance structures reflect nonprofit practices common to organizations registered under state laws in Georgia (U.S. state), with boards that have interacted with funders such as the Packard Foundation and policy partners like the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Advocacy and Policy Impact

SisterSong has contributed to policy debates on reproductive health access, linking efforts to national moments such as litigation by the Center for Reproductive Rights, legislative battles over the Hyde Amendment, and regulatory discussions around the Affordable Care Act. The coalition has submitted testimony and participated in campaigns coordinated with the National Partnership for Women & Families, the National Council of Jewish Women, and the American Medical Association on maternal health disparities. In electoral cycles SisterSong has mobilized with coalitions that included the Working Families Party and grassroots coalitions like By the People, and has influenced local ordinances and state policies in jurisdictions such as Georgia (U.S. state), Texas, and Louisiana.

Partnerships and Affiliations

SisterSong’s network includes member organizations and partners ranging from the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, Black Women's Health Imperative, Asian Communities for Reproductive Justice, to grassroots groups such as the Women With a Vision and Forward Together. The coalition has allied with national NGOs including the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, the Center for Reproductive Rights, and civil rights groups like the American Civil Liberties Union and Southern Poverty Law Center. International linkages have involved participation in forums alongside the United Nations Population Fund and advocacy exchanges with organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch. SisterSong has also worked with philanthropic partners such as the Ford Foundation, Open Society Foundations, and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation to support its programs.

Category:Reproductive rights organizations Category:Non-profit organizations based in the United States