Welcome

Are you ACCESS' LA Organizer??? 

Are you passionate about reproductive justice and abortion access? Are you from the LA area? Experience with community organizing? Organize with ACCESS! We're looking for an Organizer to support our organizing and advocacy work in Los Angeles. More details after the image.

[image description: yellow and green background with black and white text that reads: Organize with ACCES! ACCESS is looking for an Organizer to support our work in Los Angeles! Ideal candidates have a commitment to unapologetically advocate for abortion access and embodying reproductive justice values; enthusiasm for research and social change; experience in community organizing and outreach; and are rooted in LA or surrounding areas. This is a remote position based in LA from now through December 2020. Pay includes a monthly stipend of $1,100. Interested candidates should submit a 1-2 page resume and letter of interest to rachel@accesswhj.org. Subject line must include "LA Organizer". Full position description and skills listed on our website: accesswhj.org. Applications close 3/18/2020.]

Organizer - Los Angeles Position Description

Goal: The role of the Organizer will support ACCESS’ organizing and advocacy work in Los Angeles. 

Main Duties: 

• Build relationships with local partners, including reproductive justice, health, and rights organizations, as well as other local agencies;
• Build relationships with city council members and county officials;
• Identify prospective champions for increasing abortion access within LA county;
• Participate in communications and updates with national partners;
• Assist in the development of local policy/budget proposals;
• Coordinate and attend meetings with stakeholders, as needed;
• Prepare budget recommendations to increase access to reproductive health care;
• Assist with social media, including drafting content;
• Undertake other tasks, as required, which are consistent with responsibilities of the position.

Skills Needed:

• 2 years relevant experience, including grassroots camaigns and/or community organizing, preferably with a reproductive justice and racial justice focus;
• Commitment to unapologetically advocate for abortion access and embodying reproductive justice values;
• Familiarity with and comfort with sexual and reproductive health issues, particularly abortion;
• Ability to inspire grassroots activism for the purpose of building active, visible local support for reproductive justice, sexual health, reproductive rights, and gender justice;
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to create positive long-term working relationships; demonstrates tact, dependability, diplomacy and flexibility; 
• Strong writing, research, and verbal skills to communicate effectively with diverse audiences through a variety of means from in-person to phone conversations (e.g. comfortable with public speaking, writing of informational materials, e-communications, social media, 1-1s); audiences may include members and volunteers, policymakers and administrative offices, and community-based and grassroots organizations;
• Ability to work in a fast-paced, flexible, and sometimes unpredictable environment;
• Ability to maintain privacy with regard to handling confidential information;
• Ability to take initiative, work independently, and prioritize work;

Nice to Have:

• Rooted in Los Angeles or surrounding areas;
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and/or Salesforce;
• Spanish language proficiency (oral and written), preferred.
• Experience navigating insurance systems and/or public benefits system, either personally or as an advocate 

Work Hours: This is a remote position based in LA and requires 12-15 hours/week. 

Pay & Benefits: This position includes a monthly stipend of $1100. This position is not eligible to participate in ACCESS’ benefit plan and does not accrue sick or vacation days nor is it eligible for holiday pay. Starting immediately, this position lasts through December 2020.

How to Apply: Submit 1-2 page resume, cover letter, and 3 references to rachel@accesswhj.org. Subject line must include "LA Organizer - [LAST NAME]". This position is open until filled. Application materials will be accepted on a rolling basis until March 18th, 2020. We regret that we will only be able to contact those applicants selected for an interview. 

 

Applications for our Bay Area training have closed.

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Start the year off with abortion access! Apply now for our Reproductive Justice in Action training in the Bay Area, and sign-up to join our state-wide network of volunteers and support people navigating barriers to sexual and reproductive health care in California. Applications close at noon on January 6th, 2020. 

[image description: dark blue and turquoise backdrop with yellow and blue dots, yellow to pink squiggles, and yellow and pink brushstrokes; text reads: overnight housing, rides, emotional support, childcare, drop off gas money, translation. Support people accessing sexual and reproductive health care Reproductive Justice in Action. Apply to become an Intern or Practical Support Volunteer! Applications open now for the Bay Area. Applications close 1/6/2020]

 

Reproductive Justice in Action in LA --- Applications are now closed.

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Have you been waiting for applications to open? Want to put your reproductive justice values into action and help people navigate the everyday barriers they face when accessing abortion and other reproductive health care in California? Apply for our next Reproductive Justice in Action training in LA to become a Practical Support Volunteer and reproductive justice advocate. We can't wait for you to join our network of volunteers providing logistical support in California! 

[image description: orange backdrop, radiant sunset at bottom of image, word bubble that reads: Reproductive Justice in Action: Los Angeles. Text: Training Date: Saturday, October 5th, 2019. Application closes: September 9th, 2019. Support abortion care in CA by providing practical support to folks seeking abortion! This includes: giving rides, translations, providing overnight housing, childcare, dropping off gas $$. Visit accesswhj.org/volunteer for more info]

 

It's Bowl-A-Thon Season!!! - Please save the dates

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ACCESS is undergoing efforts to partake in our annual Bowl-A-thon. Get ready to lace up your bowling shoes and fund abortion! Sign up as an individual or a team.

LA: https://bit.ly/2TJ9UtJ

Bay: https://bit.ly/2F7vGiR

 

2019 Practical Support Volunteer & Intern Training Dates - Check back for applications for our next training! 

 

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ACCESS is excited to announce our 2019 Reproductive Justice in Action Training Schedule! Join our Practical Support Network and help people in California navigate barriers to reproductive health or become an intern in our office and provide peer support to people seeking reproductive justice! 

Thank you so much for your interest in volunteering with ACCESS! Please sign-up for our e-newsletter at accesswhj.org/get-updates to find out when applications will open for our next training!

ACCESS is committed to centering, developing, and supporting the leadership of volunteers who represent the communities who call us - in particular, BIPOC, transfolx and gender non-conforming/non-binary folx, people who have lived experience with abortion, and women who have faced intersecting barriers accessing reproductive health services.

 

Reproductive Justice in Action Training -- Bay Area  *Applications CLOSED*

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Applications for our Winter 2018 training in the Bay Area are now closed. Check back soon for our 2019 Reproductive Justice in Action Training Calendar!

It's our last training for 2018! We're looking for Practical Support Volunteers, Healthline Interns, and Movement Building Interns! Let's work together to increase access to abortion care in the Bay Area and throughout California. <3

 

Reproductive Justice in Action Training -- Los Angeles  *Applications CLOSED*

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Our application period for our Fall 2018 training in Los Angeles is now closed. 

 

Bay Area Training -- Applications CLOSED! 

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Our application period for our Summer 2018 training in the Bay Area is now closed. Thank you to everyone who applied! You will be receiving an email shortly to schedule a phone interview.

If you're in the LA-area, look for applications for our Fall 2018 RJ Training to open mid-August.

Join us as an on-call volunteer and support people accessing abortion care!

 

Bowl-a-Thon 2018 is in full effect, y'all!

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You probably already know that the 2017 Bowl-a-Thon and Diaper Drive was a HUGE success! We raised over $215,000 for abortion access in California. Can you believe that?! Look at that number again - $215,000. Take a moment and revel in the power of grassroots fundraising! 

This year, our goal is $130,000 and we know that YOU can help us reach it! As people try to take away our human rights and reproductive freedoms, we will not debate our right to bodily autonomy. We're continuing to work towards a world in which everyone has access to the abortion care they need. Join us and abortion funds throughout the country as we fund abortion and build power! 

(Not sure how it's done? We've you covered! Check out this AH-MAZING how-to video! And this one!)

 

Redding Training! ***Rescheduled***

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We are so happy to announce our first-ever Redding training! We know that callers in this area face many barriers to accessing reproductive health care so we're expanding our network. ACCESS is looking for dedicated volunteers in the area who can provide logistical support so everyone has true bodily autonomy.

 

2018 Healthline & Practical Support Volunteer Training Dates

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ACCESS is excited to announce our 2018 Reproductive Justice in Action Program Training Schedule! Join our Practical Support Network and help people in California navigate barriers to reproductive health or become an intern on our Healthline and provide peer support to people seeking reproductive justice! 

ACCESS is committed to centering, developing, and supporting the leadership of volunteers who represent the communities who call us - in particular, people of color, transfolx and gender non-conforming/non-binary folx, people who have lived experience with abortion, and women who have faced intersecting barriers accessing reproductive health services.

 

Check out what's coming up at ACCESS! 

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2017 Healthline & Practical Support Volunteer Training Dates

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ACCESS is committed to developing the leadership of volunteers who represent the communities who call us - in particular, people of color, transfolx and gender non-conforming/non-binary folx, people who have lived experience with abortion, and women who have faced intersecting barriers accessing reproductive health services.

Our training schedule has now been completed for 2017. Check back soon for our 2018 training schedule and locations! Stay up-to-date on the latest training news here: accesswhj.org/get-updates. 

Previous Trainings in 2017:

January 28th: Bay Area

April 15th: Oakland

May 6th: Los Angeles

July 22nd: Sacramento

 

Executive Transition - Samara Azam-Yu

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After ten years at ACCESS and 5 years as the Executive Director, Samara Azam-Yu has completed her transition out of ACCESS. "I'm proud to have built upon the legacy of the incredible people that came before me at ACCESS and know that ACCESS will continue to be in great hands."   Read more of her farewell message here.

 

National Health Law Project & ACCESS release California Abortion Coverage FAQ 

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Is abortion legal in California?   Can I get Medi-Cal coverage for abortion care?  Will my private insurance cover abortion?  

ACCESS has partnered with the amazing advocates at the National Health Law Project to release an FAQ with unbiased, accurate information about abortion rights and insurance coverage in California.  View the whole report here. 

 

The 2017 Abortion Access Bowl-A-Thon

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The 2017 Abortion ACCESS Bowl-a-Thon & Diaper Drive was a huge success!  This year, we raised over $215,000 for abortion access in California.  We will continue to dream big as work our way towards a more just and equitable world, in which everyone has access to the abortion care they need.  Thank you so much to our powerful network of bowlers, donors and supporters!

 

Check out the video!

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One of 2016's bright spots.  Check out the video about the billboard campaign we led this year. 

 

Check out our Reproductive Justice Billboards!

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Get more info at www.rjtogether.org. These billboards serve as a reminder that Oakland’s residents and organizers of color are what made this town great. It’s important that activists, who work every day to affirm the rights of all Oakland residents, see themselves and their work reflected around the city.

The affirmations on these billboards are reflective of the experiences of everyday Oaklanders like young parents, trans women, and incarcerated people. Access to abortion, the fight for Black lives, and the liberation of transgender people deserve space in our public squares.

#WeRJtogether

 

Petition Party Picnic!

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Help us gather signatures in Oakland in support of the EACH Woman Act (to restore federal funding for abortion coverage) and All Above All.  Have some food, gather signatures for a bit, then have a drink to celebrate.  Bring a friend.  

 

ALL ACCESS Oakland Event!

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SCOTUS Theater Live!

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Get your tickets: www.scotustheater.com

 

ACCESS in "37 Soldiers of Social Change"

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San Francisco Magazine featured ACCESS Directors in the "37 Soldiers of Social Change" in December's "Women in Power" issue.  Samara is quoted saying "Activists today are attracted to an intersectional framework, we're not just about abortion or housing or immigration anymore, we're interested in every issue and how they overlap."

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MSNBC.com's Irin Carmon covers California's quiet reproductive rights revolution and the collaborative work that helped pass AB 154 to expand access to early abortion services in California: "The state is bucking a nationwide trend as a wave of new restrictions is forcing abortion providers across the country to shut their doors." The article interviews Executive Director Samara Azam-Yu and board member Nourbese Flint.

 

Doula support is now available through the ACCESS Healthline

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Starting January 22, 2014, people can call the ACCESS Healthline to request a full-spectrum doula to provide support for medication abortion or to have a support person for an abortion procedure in a clinic.  Doula's are fully trained and certified by the Bay Area Doula Project.  Many ACCESS callers travel long distances alone with partners or family members staying behind to care for their children.  We are very excited that the ACCESS/BADP partnership will give our callers the opportunity to have a support person with them.

 

ACCESS Board Chair Guadalupe Rodriguez on 94.1FM KPFA's Living Room

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In light of today's news about the congressional vote on the Affordable Care Act, Board Chair Guadalupe Rodriguez joins Dr. Ellen Schaffer and KPFA's Kris Welch to talk about the landscape around reproductive health policies in California around the nation.  Lupe talks about the Women's Health Protection Act that was introduced in congress on Wednesday, November 13, 2013 and other notable legislation. Click here to listen.

 

ACCESS on 97.1FM KALW's Your Call with Rose Aguilar

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Executive Director Samara Azam-Yu talks about the need for later abortion access and the role that barriers to abortion care play in delaying timely access to care in light of the documentary film After Tiller. Your Call's host Rose Aguilar also talks with the filmmaker of After Tiller, Lana Wilson, and Julie Burkhart, the founder and executive director of the South Wind Women’s Center in Wichita, Kansas (which opened in April of this year in the same building Dr. George Tiller’s clinic had been in when he was shot in 2009).  Click here to listen.

AB 154 becomes law - ACCESS in the Washington Post

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Executive Director Samara Azam-Yu is quoted in the Washington Post article, "California expands early abortion access, defying national trend." She conveys her excitement about the landmark victory with Governor Jerry Brown signing AB 154 into law (enabling nurse practioners, advance practice clinicians, and physicians assistants to perform early abortion procedures).  With 473 bills nation-wide to restrict access to abortion care and 68 enacted, AB 154 represents a major victory in expanding abortion access.  

Celebrating 20 years of ACCESS and over 22,500 callers!

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On September 29th, 2013 ACCESS Women's Health Justice celebrated at the 20th Anniversary and Justice Awards event in Downtown Oakland.  The 2013 Justice Award Recipients are: Renee Bracey Sherman for Practical support and overnight housing; Alissa Perrucci and the Women's Options Center for Excellence in Counseling for Abortion Care; Elena Guteirrez and the Center on Reproductive Rights and Justice at Berkeley Law for Excellence in Research; and Mardi Kildebeck and the Mary Wohlford Foundation as a model funder for reproductive health, rights, and justice.

Executive Director of ACCESS Delivers petition signatures to Governor

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On September 19, 2013, Executive Director Samara Azam-Yu delivered over 17,000 signatures to Governor Brown's office on behalf of the Women's Health Alliance, urging the him to sign into law AB 154.  By signing this, Governor Brown would position California as the first state in years to expand abortion access, bucking the trend of restrictions nationwide.