In the wake of the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Americans everywhere are strategizing and mobilizing to protest and challenge the abolishment of the right to abortion care. These actions are necessary and important, though it is often forgotten that even when Roe was in place, abortion care for many women still was not adequate.

This talk will examine the realities of reproductive health care for women before the end of Roe, where we are now, in the post-Roe era, and what strategies we need to employ going forward in anticipation of the erosion of even more rights.

About the speaker:
Yamani Yansá Hernandez has been working at the vanguard of the sexual and reproduc­tive health, rights, and justice movements for the last decade. From 2011-2015, she was the Executive Director of the Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health (ICAH), a reproductive justice organization focusing on adolescent sexual health, rights, and identities. Most re­cently, Ms. Hernandez was the first Black Executive Director of the National Network of Abortion Funds (NNAF), overseeing the membership, technical assistance, and advocacy for over 80 grassroots organizations that fund abortion and build the cultural and politi­cal power to ensure that the legal right to abortion remains a reality. Under her leader­ship, the staff increased from 12 to 60; the budget grew from $2 million to $20 million; and the organization cultivated an approach to their work based on an ethos of justice and care. Ms. Hernandez holds a B.S. from Cornell University and an M. Arch. from the University of Washington, and is currently writing a memoir.

Cosponsorship provided by the CEW+ Frances and Sydney Lewis Visiting Leaders Fund.