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An Open Letter to Men committed to Social Justice in the Bay Area

by Rishi Awatramani and Chris Crass
Calling on Men in the Bay Area to Stand Up for Reproductive Justice.
An Open Letter to Men committed to Social Justice in the Bay Area

On January 22nd, the right-wing anti-choice movement will be coming to San Francisco to shout their anti-human rights, anti-woman message in the streets. At this time when women's rights to abortion are being challenged by the Bush administration and questioned in the Democratic party, it is crucial that we as men join the sisters organizing in opposition to this right-wing march and say: REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE FOR ALL!

The right wing seeks to claim moral authority on the issue of reproductive health by insisting that women seeking abortions, abortion providers, and all people supporting reproductive freedom have little regard for human life. They have flexed their moral authority to organize millions of people against the right of women to have control over their bodies.

However, the right-wing claims to be ‘pro-life’ while launching wars against the Iraqi people, the Palestinian People, the Colombian people, the Haitian people, and poor and black and brown people all over the world. They call people who stand up for reproductive freedom killers, but they send our loved-ones to death row or to Guantanamo. They say every life counts, but spend more on bombs and prisons than they do on healthcare and schools.

They use wedge issues to divide our communities and our country, and use anti-abortion, anti-queer, anti-immigrant campaigns to foster hatred between people. The right-wing agenda benefits the rich on the backs of poor women of color and their communities in the U.S. and around the world.

On January 22nd, we call on all men in the Bay Area to join us in support of our sisters and raise our voices together. We call on Queer and heterosexual men, men of color and white men, working-class and middle-class men, and men of all classes, races, and sexual and gender orientations to unite behind a vision for reproductive justice. We must show the right-wing anti-choice movement that they are not welcome here in San Francisco, one of the most pro-choice cities in the nation. The country and the world must hear that the social justice movement loves and respects the lives of women and all people. As sons, brothers, lovers, fathers, friends, and comrades of those whose bodies and basic human rights are under attack by these forces, it is our responsibility to stand up and say we won’t allow this assault to continue.

It is crucial that we support the leadership and pivotal role of women and gender-oppressed people in our broad social justice movement. We’ll fight against the forces that try to deny reproductive justice to those who have been and must be at the center of all fights for social justice. As men, let us make January 22nd an opportunity to unite behind a broad and deep vision for women's liberation, queer liberation, immigrant rights, and a just society for all. Let us commit to reaching out to other men in our life and building widespread support in our families and communities for social justice. Let us build a broad community of men committed to feminism.

We believe all people should be able to determine the futures of their communities, their lives, and their bodies. Fighting for reproductive justice is a fight for life.

For more information about the Jan. 22nd march, please
visit: http://jan22action.riseup.net/ and http://indybay.org/womyn/


In solidarity,
Rishi Awatramani, Just Cause Oakland
Chris Crass, Catalyst Project
Jim Ace, Untraining White Liberal Racism
Jahahara Amen-RA Alkebulan-Ma'at, Foundations for Our Nu Alkebulan/Afrikan Millennium (FONAMI)
Max Bell Alper, Organizer, AFSCME Local 3299*
Zach Blue, AK Press
Adam Boroian, Writer
J.C. Callender, The Ruckus Society
Clayton Childress, Graduate Student
Richard Clark, SF Bike Messenger
Max Cohen - FTM, Organizer, Jewish Voice for Peace
Raphael Cohen, Y-Step (Youth Step Towards Addressing Racism)
Jeff Conant, Hesperian Foundation
Josh Connor, Childcare Collective and Heads Up Collective
Juan Cuba, Health Educator, La Clinica de la Raza
Chris Daly, SF Board of Supervisors, District 6
Todd Davies, university lecturer
Gopal Dayaneni, Design Action Collective and Father
Daniel Debolt, San Jose Students for Justice Member and Father
Drew Dellinger, Poets for Global Justice
Chris Dixon, Anarchist Organizer and Educator
Mark Eisner, Director, Red Poppy
Mordecai Cohen Ettinger, Men Overcoming Violence and Jews for a Free Palestine
Jesse Feldman, SF Tikkun Community
Michael Gast, Y-Step
Jeff Giaquinto, Heads Up Collective and Teacher SF Unified School District
Adam Gold, Executive Director, Just Cause Oakland
Nato Green, Labor Organizer, Young Workers United
Alan Greig, MOVE (Men Overcoming Violence)
Jim Haber, Director, War Resisters League West
Casey Harrell, Greenpeace*
Forrest Hill, National Green Party Coordinating Committee
Greg A-K Hom, Childcare Collective and Global Intifada
Charles Houston, Cultural Worker
Todd Jailer, Editor, Hisperian Foundation, Peoples Health Movement
Carwil James, Anarchist Writer, Designer and Organizer, Oakland
Taj James, Executive Director, Movement Strategy Center
Greg Jan, Alameda Green Party, County Council Member*
Tahan K. Jones, Alameda Green Party, County Council*
Jason Justice, JusticeDesign.com, Graphic Designer for Social Change
Doug Kandt, Organizer, AFSCME Local 3299*
Ramsey Kanaan, AK Press
Khurshid Khoja, Alameda Green Party
Paul Kivel, Violence Prevention and Social Justice Educator
Ariel Kivel Luckey, Poet, Dancer and Brother, Y-Step
Terry A. Kupers, Psychiatrist and Professor, The Wright Institute
Marcus Kryshka, Parent
Jeff Larson, Educator and Father
Alexander L. Lee, TGI Justice Project, Attorney and Transgender Community Activist
Kerry Levenberg, SF High School Teacher
Mark Lopez, Co-Chair, MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicana/o de Aztlan) de UCSC
Ryan Luckey, Music Producer, Rhythm Attic Productions
Stefan Lynch, Nurse
Nile K. Malloy, Activism and Social Change Program, New College of California
Eric Mar, President, SF Board of Education*
Claude Marks, Freedom Archives
Richard Marquez, Mission Anti-Displacement Coalition
Ross Mirkarimi, SF Board of Supervisors, District 5
Pete Morse, SF Needle Exchange
Suresh Naidu, UC Berkeley
Dan Newman, High School Teacher and member of Against Patriarchy men's group
Luke Newton, Bay Area SUSTAIN (Stop U.S. Tax Aid to Israel Now)
Mateo Nube, Leadership Institute Coordinator, Urban Habitat*
Steve Ongerth, IWW, Deckhand and Web Administrator
Nick Pagoulatos, Housing Activist
Jose Palafox, Dept. of Ethnic Studies, Visiting Professor at Mills College
Andrew Peck, Educator
Sean Potts, Youth Organizer, Episcopal Church
Patrick Reinsborough, Smartmeme Strategy and Training Project
Eric Roman, Jews for a Free Palestine
Sean Sabo, Legal Services for Prisoners with Children*
Mark Sanchez, San Francisco Board of Education Commissioner, Teacher
Michael-David Sasson, Oakland Green Party*
Satya, Global Justice Activist
Erik Schnabel, SHARE Foundation, Queer and Solidarity Activist
Barry M. Shapiro, Former Chair, National Organization of Men Against Sexism
Judah Schept, Huckleberry Youth Programs
John Sellars, Executive Director, The Ruckus Society and Father
Christopher Shein, Permaculture Gardener and Teacher
Zak Sinclair, Movement Generation
David Solnit, Social Justice Activist
Josh Sonnenfeld, Student Organizer at UC Santa Cruz
Dan Spalding, Adult Education Teacher
Marc Swan, Heads Up Collective
David Taylor, Radical Designs
James Tracy, Author of The Civil Disobedience Handbook
Pedro Paul Viegas de Sa, San Jose Students for Justice, Student Organizer
Mark Vermeulen, National Lawyers Guild, SF Bay Area Chapter*
John Viola, Activist Attorney
Sasha Vodnik, Legal Services for Prisoners With Children
Josh Warren-White, Catalyst Project and AK Press
Robert Webb, Human Propelled Solutions Cooperative
Adam Welch, Labor and Community College Student Organizer, San Jose
Brian Wickenheiser, Food Not Bombs and Childcare Collective
Steve Williams, Executive Director, POWER (People Organized to Win Employment Rights)
Mateo Wlliford, Greenpeace*
Evan White, Human Rights Activist
Roger White, DataCenter, Criminal Justice Researcher
Greg Youmans, Student and Teach at UC Santa Cruz

* For Identification Purposes Only
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