OUR WIN – Letter from Executive Director Deon Haywood
Dear friends and allies,
There are few times in our work when are truly brought to the point of being speechless. For all of us at Women With A Vision, today is one of those days. Today, we celebrate with the women and men who courageously stood up to combat the criminalization of their lives – and won. Today, we celebrate a victory for all people who have told their truths that justice might be done. WWAV has always just been a catalyst for women affected by this.
So many times, people tried to tell us not to do it. They didn’t believe that poor, uneducated women could win a victory on this scale. They didn’t think that our women were important enough, or that they had the ability to change their own lives. Let this be an example of people standing together through grassroots organizing to change their lives. We didn’t back down even when we lacked the funding to do this. We did not back down when person after person said that they were unsure about standing by us. We knew what we were doing was right. We did not waver. We did not compromise what needed to happen. We just stayed the course and fought the fight.
At a time in this country right now when we feel like justice is not on the side of the people, the people most affected spoke their truths – not some abstract ‘speak truth to power,’ but their truths from their hearts – and that is what made the difference.
This was not a legal fight or a legislative fight. This was a fight for women’s lives and wellbeing. This was a fight, simply put, about everything. This was about the freedom of people to make choices for themselves. This was about public health. This was about sex worker rights. This was about human rights. This was and is about everything. Which is why we cannot pick apart injustice. We can’t decide that something is wrong for one group and right for another. We can’t decide we don’t like this law for women, but it’s okay for gay people or trans people.
Especially in the South, most people feel like we come in last. But this is where the Civil Rights Movement started. And today it continues in the South.
We have seen too often that the way problems are solved in Louisiana is through incarceration. But over-incarceration is not going to solve things. It’s not going to make our communities safer. It’s not going to make our communities better. The issue here is poverty. Over-incarceration is not going to solve that.
For once, women and men won. And we believe that this is not just a win for us. This is a win for every group that has ever been criminalized. Our win today proves that when we stand with folks who have been wrongly charged, we can make a difference.
With this win, the women of NO Justice can begin to heal. With this win, we can begin to renew and rebuild our lives.
And the struggle continues,
The women we stand with, Deon Haywood, the staff of WWAV, and our Board of Directors
March 28 – Heading to Court!
As many of you know, last June we had a huge legislative victory in our work to challenge Louisiana’s Crime Against Nature statute, which mandated fifteen year sex offender registration for women who would have otherwise been charged with simple prostitution. While no new women can be sentenced under the law, our legislative victory was not retroactive. But that is going to change March 28th!
WWAV has partnered with the Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), Andrea J. Ritchie, Esq., and the Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, Law Clinic to file a lawsuit that would remove crimes against nature by solicitation from Louisiana’s registry law and remove all persons from the registry registered as a result.
On March 28th, the parties to the lawsuit will argue that plaintiffs, eight individuals convicted of Crime Against Nature by Solicitation, along with everyone else, must be removed from the state’s registry of sex offenders. Plaintiffs in Doe v. Jindal were placed on the registry as a result of allegations that they solicited oral or anal sex for a fee. We will argue they have been required to register as sex offenders simply because they were prosecuted under a provision of Louisiana’s 205-year-old Crime Against Nature statute, rather than its Prostitution statute. Plaintiffs argue that their harsher treatment is unconstitutional.
We hope that you will consider joining us in court next week for the argument to demonstrate to the court and everyone attending that the community is opposed to law. Details below:
What: Argument in court for the rights of Plaintiffs who remain on the sex-offender registry for old Crime Against Nature by Solicitation convictions.
Where: US District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana
500 Poydras Street, Courtroom 551
New Orleans, Louisiana 70130
When: March 28th at 10:00 a.m. CST
We look forward to seeing you then!
March 21 – National Day of Action for Syringe Exchange Programs
March 21st is the National Day of Action for Syringe Exchange Programs, and advocacy work is needed now more than ever!
No more federal dollars for syringe exchange: that was the message from Congress less than 3 months ago.
The funding ban is back, and the timing couldn’t be worse — with tight state budgets, and signs that many painkiller users are injecting or switching to heroin, our syringe exchange programs need more support than ever.
WWAV stands with our allies across the country who made their voices heard at local meetings with US Senators, media events to highlight issues, and a National Call-in Day to bring our opposition to Congress’ doorstep and let them know that we’re committed to syringe exchange and won’t back down!
What: National Day of Action on Syringe Exchange
When: March 21, 2012
Where: EVERYWHERE!
March 10 – New Orleans Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
On March 10th, WWAV joined with over 500 people for a the Red Umbrella HIV/AIDS Awareness Second-Line March. The purpose of the march was to raise awareness about the alarming and rising rate of HIV infections in the New Orleans’ African American community.
The Second-Line March, which was co-organized by HIV NOLA and the local chapter of The Links, Inc., began its route at Hunter’s Field at the corner of North Claiborne and St. Bernard avenues and ended with an informational rally at Congo Square led by Dr. Corey Hebert and radio personality Kelder Summers.
Along the march route, we handed out free condoms and literature on HIV/AIDS along the route. The procession was led by the Stooges Brass Band, the Original Lady Buck Jumpers and the Dumaine Street Gang.
WWAV Executive Director, Deon Haywood, addressed the crowd, speaking to the particular impact of HIV/AIDS on women, and rallying those assembled to fight for reproductive justice as a vital part of comprehensive HIV prevention.
Raising Our Voices with PWN in the South
March 8, 2012 by WWAV
Filed under Empowerment, Featured
WWAV was honored to be a part of the Positive Women’s Network’s Raising Our Voices: An Advocacy Summit for HIV+ Women in the South.
PWN’s summit brought together over 60 HIV+ women leaders and allies from the Southern states for a 2 day meeting designed to build leadership and advocacy capacity among women living with HIV in the Southern U.S. The Summit was an inspiring gathering of advocates discussing health care reform, HIV criminalization and using data for social justice.
WWAV Executive Director, Deon Haywood, shared lessons learned from our policy work to combat Louisiana’s Crime Against Nature by Solicitation statute on a powerful plenary of advocates working at the intersection of Health, Rights, and Policy.
Taking Our Advocacy Model Statewide with LWAA!
Here’s full report from this exciting meeting:
On February 29, representatives from the Louisiana Women’s Advocacy Alliance (LWAA) conducted a meeting at Esther House, the Baton Rouge transitional housing facility for women. Women With A Vision’s (WWAV) executive director Deon Haywood, outreach worker Zina Mitchell and intern from Tulane University Rebecca Gibson met with the women to discuss the purpose of LWAA and to invite them each to join the Alliance as active members and contributors working towards changing Louisiana policies hindering the health and human rights of women across the state.
Nine women were present at the meeting, 8 of whom have a charge of soliciting a Crime Against Nature (SCAN); one women disclosed her charge is over 2 decades old. Primary discussion focused on personal experiences with state law enforcement, current living situations, anecdotes detailing time spent in jail and much emphasis on the frustrations involved with registering and paying for the mandatory pieces involved in informing neighbors of the SCAN charge.
Ms. Haywood talked in depth about the recent elimination of the mandatory sex offender registration requirements for individuals convicted of SCAN; WWAV played a large part in advocating for this change. The women attending the meeting expressed their excitement but adamantly voiced the need to have the law apply retroactively to those currently on the registry. This thought was identified as the next step and focus going forward for LWAA. The women at Esther House voiced interest in helping to write letters to state representatives, informing them of the current status of the law and the great impact it has on their livelihood and ability to make a better life for themselves and their families. The ninth attendee at the meeting, a young female engineering technician, voiced her interest in helping conceptualize and create the letters.
The meeting adjourned with much enthusiasm and excitement in light of working towards reaching state representatives and local officials to make the newly changed law retroactive. Pictures were taken of the meeting’s attendees and Ms. Gibson will continue to take on the role of corresponding with the women and keeping them up-to-date with LWAA meetings and activities.
WWAV on ‘What Really Fuels the HIV/AIDS Epidemic in Black America?’
WWAV is proud to be featured for our gender analysis in a 2012 TheBody.com slideshow on the structural drivers that are REALLY fueling the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Black America.
For the past 15 years, we have been bombarded with images and media attention that have blamed the “down-low brotha” — the closeted gay man who sleeps with both men and women — for the HIV epidemic in black America. Meanwhile, numerous studies have debunked those claims. Yes, there are closeted gay black men, but the reality is that so much more is at play when it comes to why African Americans account for only 14 percent of the U.S. population but make up almost half of all newly diagnosed HIV cases each year.
Take a look at what HIV advocates from across the country say is really worsening the epidemic in the African-American community:
WWAV Featured on “In The Life” for Our Work on HIV Criminalization
The United States has more laws criminalizing HIV exposure and transmission than any other country in the world. Stigma and fear often motivate criminal prosecutions, and the results can be devastating.
In our continued work to fight HIV criminalization, WWAV is proud to be partnering with national allies to address the particular effects of stigma on women. Click on the video link below to learn more:
February 18 – 2nd Annual Gotta Pee? Come by WWAV! Fundraiser
Micro-Enterprise, WWAV Style: Creating Beauty, Ending Poverty
January 13, 2012 by WWAV
Filed under Empowerment, Featured
Women With A Vision and Good Work Network are partnering to create pathways to economic opportunity for marginalized women in the New Orleans area. Target groups will include HIV positive women, previously incarcerated women, female victims of domestic violence, and LGBT individuals. Individual and group craft projects and goods, including jewelry and preserves, will be produced using recycled and repurposed items. These items will be created and marketed locally in a traditional microfinance model wherein those artisans/participants are the direct recipients of the income generated.
New Orleans retains one of the highest poverty rates (23.4%) in the state of Louisiana, which ranks the second worst in the nation on poverty indices. Marginalized women in the target groups typically face severe financial challenges, few economic opportunities, and no safety net. Best efforts to live on a budget and save are undermined by financial emergencies that break budgets and, in some cases force people to be at the mercy of ruthless predatory lenders. Through investment in programs that foster life skills, self-efficacy, and financial knowledge and understanding, we hope to reduce these vulnerabilities.
This project provides a unique opportunity for women of color, and other target populations in New Orleans, whom have been affected by or previously engaged in the street economy. It aims to further individual skills and personal ability/self-efficacy to generate income independently while also creating a community of peer social and economic support. Furthermore, this will enable those persons to make empowered choices about their health, communities, and personal/economic livelihoods.
