END STIGMA. ELEVATE VOICES
Not once in my life did I think that I would launch a global campaign. Stories of activists aren’t linear, so I’ll provide some background on my own. Since I was as young as six-years-old I would tag along with my sister to her gender studies classes. I consistently found myself wrapped up in wanting to help her with projects and was fascinated by feminist history. When I was nine-years-old, she performed in The Vagina Monologues. Sure, it was hard for my nine-year-old self to fully understand the concept, but I felt so inspired by the performance that I wanted to do the same one day.
I took part in theater throughout middle school and absolutely fell in love with sharing stories onstage. I thought that it would always remain a hobby until I was chosen to take classes with Disney stars and was sent off to Los Angeles in 2019. When one of the world's top agencies reached out to me, I knew that this could amount to more than just a hobby. After years of participating in anti-gun violence projects, advocating for climate justice policies, LGBTQ+ inclusivity, HIV/AIDS research and interning at a reproductive health organization; I realized that I could merge both passions into one.
After founding a youth program, I read feminist literature often. The more pieces that I read, the more I saw how dated they were and the amount of inclusivity that they lacked. I challenged myself by thinking of ways to mitigate these issues. I soon realized that I could write a book compiling stories from all different identities surrounding reproductive health. The We Won’t Be Silenced book/screenplay is collecting stories on sex-education, periods, pleasure, abortion, reproductive advocacy, black maternal healthcare, teen pregnancy, LGBTQ+ experiences, birth control, HIV & STIS, body image, domestic violence and sexual assault. If you’d like to submit an anonymous story or simply learn more, click here!
Since starting the campaign, we’ve totaled in over 3,000+ menstrual products for homeless and domestic violence shelters. If you’d like to donate, click here! I didn’t expect this much growth in such a short period of time, having started around December of 2019. The most shocking thing for me was the amount of youth engagement in this project. With over 400+ supporters, nearly 30 wanted to help in some way. Weekly, I see reposts of our page, #share1tag1 stories, and submissions for the book. I’m in awe of our youth leaders and the great deals of change that we’re sparking. We won’t stop until there is more progress in the reproductive health movement. We won’t be silenced.
