Hello,
We hope this reaches everyone safe and doing as well as possible under the circumstances. While most news around California prison issues is rightly focused on the Covid-19 outbreak, one piece of positive news is the continued movement of AB 3052 – Compensation for Survivors of Forced or Involuntary Sterilization Act – through the California Assembly. This bill would establish the Forced or Involuntary Sterilization Compensation Program for the purpose of providing victim compensation to survivors of state-sponsored sterilization conducted pursuant to eugenics laws that existed in California between 1909 and 1979 and to survivors of coerced sterilizations of people in prisons. Sterilization has long been used in the US as a genocidal tactic against third world women, their families and communities.
In 2016 we created an educational project focused on connecting forced sterilizations in California’s prisons to historical uses of the practice in Black, Native American, and Puerto Rican communities. The foal of this project was to provide historical context for forced sterilization, illuminate the voices of those directly affected by forced sterilization, and generate community discussion and activism around women’s liberation and reproductive justice.
Given the recent good news, we wanted to re-share our CURRICULUM and RESOURCES and encourage folks to stay tuned for ways they can continue to support the passage of AB 3052.
-Nathaniel
