South Queens Women’s rally highlights disparities
By Tangerine Clarke
The South Queens Women’s
March, founded to celebrate the
resilience of women, girls and
gender-fluid people in the community
despite struggles, joined
600 plus events across the country
to make its resistance loud
and clear, during its first reproductive
justice rally and speak
out at Brookville Park, 147th
Avenue, Queens.
Aminta Kilawan-Narine,
founder and director of South
Queens Women’s March told the
Oct. 2, gathering.
“We exist to connect women,
girls and gender-fluid people
with the tools they need
to thrive. This includes safe,
affordable and legal access to
abortion. There has never been
a more critical time for people
to show up in support of
our health care, our rights, and
our freedoms. That’s why we are
holding this rally,” said Kilawan-
Narine
“Last week, the House of Representatives
took a step towards
securing our reproductive freedom
by passing the Women’s
Health Protection Act. But we
know the harsh truth. There is
a difficult road ahead to pass the
bill in the Senate and to protect
our right to have an abortion,”
she added.
“We are reckoning with a
Supreme Court that leans conservative
Caribbean L 22 ife, OCTOBER 22-28, 2021
and have many antiabortion
extremists sitting in
the U.S. Congress. We must raise
our voices to defend and protect
our rights under Roe v. Wade.
And this rally isn’t just about
access to abortion. We know
that systemic racism permeates
access to reproductive care in
general, and disproportionately
affects the Black community.
Black people in this country are
40 percent more likely to die of
breast cancer than white people.
They’re 243 percent more
likely to die from pregnancy or
childbirth related causes than
white people. Why? Because the
system is racist,” said Kilawan-
Narine.
Kilawan-Narine, a New York
based attorney, said the rally
featured messages from South
Queens Women’s March leadership,
South Queens Women’s
March members reproductive
rights advocates, local activists
and organizer Debora Chaitlall.
District Leader Richard David
said, “There is a Christian religious
extreme element to not
just women’s rights and abortion
Attendees holding placards at the Oct. 2, South Queens Women’s March rally in Brookville
Park. South Queens Women’s Rally
access but the laws that
govern this country. It is fundamental
that we understand
the movement that the far-right
Christian extremists have taken.
It wasn’t just storming the Capitol,
it wasn’t just trying to limit
people’s rights across the board,
and it’s not just all people, it’s
people that look like you and
me. It is so fundamental for us
to call it out.”
Tannuja Rozario, founding
board member of South Queens
Women’s March and reproductive
rights activist said, “It is so
important for our community
to come together during this
time. Just this year alone, 90
abortion restrictions have been
enacted and states continue to
ask the Supreme Court to overrule
landmark decisions in Roe
v. Wade and Planned Parenthood
v. Casey. The communities
that are most impacted by these
restrictions are our own communities
— women of color,
immigrants, the LGBTQ community,
and working-class people.”
“Restrictions on abortion and
barriers to birth control are not
new, but those who want to control
our bodies are becoming
more creative in their mission.
Organizations like the South
Queens Women’s March are so
important in the fight to protect
reproductive freedom. They
are doing the work to increase
awareness of and access to reproductive
health care,” said Jenna
Bimbi, executive director of NY
Birth Control Access Project.
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