OPINION | Surge Reproductive Justice Celebrates 4 Years of Transformative Reproductive-Justice Storytelling

by Megan Burbank

Josefina Mora-Cheung is making space for joy.

As Surge Reproductive Justice's Our Words Build Power organizer, Mora-Cheung and her colleagues are cultivating activism through community and enjoyment with Just Speak, a quarterly BIPOC-centered reproductive-justice storytelling series that pairs activism with performance. "We think that's super important, because our communities oftentimes don't get to center joy and having fun and eating good food and just having that connection time," she said.

The series' latest edition, Just Speak After Dark, which focused on sex-positive storytelling, was hosted by Goddess Briq House and featured a lineup of performers at Pioneer Square's Gallery Erato.

Events like Just Speak After Dark highlight sex-positive conversations and performance, says Mora-Cheung, but they also serve as an entry point into Surge's related activism, rooted in the values of reproductive justice, the human rights framework founded by Black activists that contextualizes abortion as just one right among many when it comes to bodily autonomy, reproductive freedom, and racial justice.

"It is really important for us to have a place where we can engage people to learn about our campaigns, learn about our work, and see if they want to plug into the work that we're doing around health care, access around Medicaid reimbursement for doulas, around decriminalizing sex work, and ending the Black perinatal health crisis," said Mora-Cheung.

It's not unusual to see storytelling integrated into activism: Abortion stories in particular have been critical to the rhetoric of the mainstream reproductive-rights movement for years. But often, speakers are only invited to share stories that make a political point or that are employed in an effort to change minds.

What sets Just Speak apart is that it's made with community in mind — and speakers are paid for their time. The stories are as unique and expansive as the folks telling them. "There's a lot of people who want to be able to do art and storytelling as a more consistent thing, but they don't have the resources to," said Mora-Cheung. Getting a stipend makes it easier. So does sharing in a space that's safe and encourages community.

And Just Speak is structured with significant community input. If community members want to see a certain subject covered, they can let Surge know. Last year, for example, the organization broke format in response to the proliferation of bans on gender-affirming care nationwide, and held an edition of Just Speak focused on the gender binary, centering trans and genderqueer people, who are often left out of broader conversations about reproductive justice. "We thought it was super important to have that conversation around the gender binary last year," said Mora-Cheung. "We really do want to explore with community: What are other topics that they want to talk about and reflect about?"

Over the years, Just Speak has tackled parenting in the movement, abortion, and other themes, Mora-Cheung says, through written pieces but also movement, drag, and burlesque. One artist, Doula Lo, even contributed a live painting. Performers often come back after their first experience with the series, and it's always free to attend. You can bring cash if you want to tip a bartender or performer, says Mora-Cheung, "but we never charge" — and there's always delicious food (and usually a DJ).

The goal of Just Speak After Dark was "to really highlight and center the narrative around BIPOC sex workers, who don't really have spaces to share around their experiences, the way that their communities perceive them, and especially for folks who are LGBTQ, it can be really difficult to share those narratives," said Mora-Cheung. "So the 'After Dark' theme was really requested to have a space so that people who were sex workers or are in the world or even folks who just want to share about their sexuality have a safe space to do that, especially as Black folks and People of Color specifically."

Surge holds Just Speak throughout the year: Just Speak After Dark typically takes place in February or March, and the next edition will take place in September — rotating theme TBD. For anyone interested in being a storyteller at one of the events, says Mora-Cheung, Surge typically posts calls for storytellers on social media ahead of time. Folks can also attend just to watch the performances and meet new people in a BIPOC-only space. The community aspect is important, says Mora-Cheung, because "it can be really hard to find a space that is led by an organization that's willing to have a fun time and can center communities."

The joy is also intentional. It's what makes Just Speak "a space that combines the political with a really fun and creative outlet," says Mora-Cheung — one that builds community and brings people into the movement for reproductive justice, all while making sure they have a good time, in a space that feels safe and welcoming. Four years in, says Mora-Cheung, "We want to continue doing it as long as community will have us."

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Featured Image: Ariyah Jan Albert performs at Just Speak After Dark. (Photo courtesy of Surge Reproductive Justice.)