Loretta Ross facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Loretta Ross
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Ross in 2017
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Loretta June Ross
August 16, 1953 Temple, Texas, U.S.
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| Education | Howard University Agnes Scott College (BA) Emory University |
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Loretta J. Ross (born August 16, 1953) is an American academic, feminist, and activist who advocates for reproductive justice, especially among women of color. As an activist, Ross has written on reproductive justice activism and the history of African American women.
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Early life and education
Ross was born in Temple, Texas on August 16, 1953, the sixth of eight children in a blended family. Her father, who immigrated from Jamaica, was an Army weapons specialist and drill sergeant. He retired from the military in 1963, worked for the Post Office, and held odd jobs to support his family. Ross' mother worked as a domestic worker and owned a music store, but was a stay-at-home mother while Ross was growing up. For her primary education, Ross attended integrated schools: Army schools through second grade, then public schools. She was double-promoted in elementary grades and was an honors student in high school. Ross' grades were high and she received honors during her school years. She was driven to excel in school so that she could have a good job and not have to do housework like her mother.
In 1969, Ross gave birth to her son, Howard. As a result, she lost her scholarship from Radcliffe College of Harvard University.
In 1970, Ross attended Howard University for her tertiary education after being denied admission to Radcliffe. During her undergraduate career at Howard, she became actively involved in black nationalist politics, civil rights movements (i.e. black women feminism ideologies and racial issues), and tenant organizing. Ross joined a Marxist–Leninist discussion group called the D.C. Study Group, and the South Africa Support Project.
In 2007, Ross completed her bachelor's degree at Agnes Scott College. Under the direction of professor Elizabeth Hackett, Ross wrote Just Choices: Women of Color, Reproductive Health and Human Rights, her capstone Women's Studies independent study project at Agnes Scott. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Women's Studies at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.
In 2018, she was hired by Arizona State University to teach a 400-level course on Reproductive Justice, a topic on which she has co-authored three books.
In 2019 she joined the faculty of Smith College as Visiting associate professor of the Study of Women & Gender.
Feminism and activism
Ross has stated that she believes the feminist movement has predominately been led by white women. These women have primarily put their focus on issues such as equal pay, voting rights, and more. However, this does not include issues that disproportionately affect minorities and women of color. Ross emphasizes social issues such as pervasive poverty and the mass incarceration of reproductive-aged people. She is passionate that these examples of racism be highlighted and targeted just as much as the other issues at hand. She also feels as though the fact that these issues aren't addressed is an example of racism in this country itself and demonstrates how deeply embedded it is into our country and its beliefs. These bouts of racism, she believes, are shown in both very obvious and apparent ways while others reveal themselves as microaggressions.
In 1977, Ross and a group of black and minority activists coined the term "women of color" at the National Women's Conference as a unifying term to address political and social issues. Through this, Ross was able to ensure that all minority women were included in the conversation without insensitivity. For a very long time, the term "colored" was used, and that word's association with racism in America was extremely unsettling and dehumanizing. Adding the phrase "women of color" into the rhetoric allowed for minorities, especially black women, to be respectfully discussed in the manner of reproductive justice without sparking any discomfort. The coining of this term expresses Ross's inclusive stance.
In August 1980, Ross organized the First National Conference on Third World Women and Violence in Washington, DC. This was the first conference that brought together women from different racial backgrounds, unifying the participants towards achieving the goal of cultivating a new, holistic network for people of color, both women and men, to advocate for anti-violence activism. There were concerns that not much work would be done because of the mixing of numerous different backgrounds, but because of the work done by Ross and others, the event proved to be a great success that allowed for different experiences to be heard and understood by others from various perspectives.
In 1985, the National Organization for Women (NOW) hired Ross to be the director of the Women of Color Programs to both improve participation by women of color in NOW, create coalitions with organizations focused on issues affecting women of color, and to respond to criticism by women of color who felt mainstream feminist organizations were ignoring issues of race and class. By hiring Ross, a strong voice in the reproductive justice community, they hoped to show their support of issues that are unique to women of color. This partnership allowed for the feminist movement to cross barriers that had not been acknowledged in the mainstream.
As Program Director (1989–90) for the National Black Women's Health Project (now known as the Black Women's Health Imperative), she coordinated the first national conference of African American women for reproductive rights. From 1980 to 1988, she was a member of the D.C. Commission on Women. From 1991 to 1995, Ross was National Program Research Director for the Center for Democratic Renewal (formerly the National Anti-Klan Network). Ross managed the research and program departments and was the director of specific projects. In addition to her activism in CDR, she produced their quarterly newsletter, The Monitor, as well as monthly intelligence reports on far right activities,The Activist Update. In 1996 she created the National Center for Human Rights Education, a training and resource center for grassroots activists aimed at applying a human rights analysis to injustices in the U.S. Active internationally, Ross is a founding member of the International Council of African Women and of the Network of East-West Women. She has been a regular participant in International Women and Health Meetings and helped organize the delegation of 1100 African American women to the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo in 1984. She attended United Nations Women's Conferences in Copenhagen, Nairobi, and Beijing.
In 1997, with Luz Rodriguez and 14 others, Ross co-founded SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective which aims to build an effective network between individuals in advocating improvements within institutional policies that impact the reproductive lives of marginalized communities. Ross served as the National Coordinator for the SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective from 2005 until 2012.
Ross was one of the African American women who first coined the term "reproductive justice," with the aim to frame the pursuit of reproductive justice using the social justice framework.
Ross acted as National Co-director for women of color of Washington, D.C.'s March for Women's Lives on April 25, 2004. She was the Founder and executive director of Atlanta, Georgia's National Center for Human Rights Education (NCHRE), the USA Partner of the Peoples' Decade of Human Rights Education from 1996 to 2004. NCHRE is a training center for activists and is based in Atlanta, Georgia. This organization prioritizes the education of grassroots organizations on topics such as human rights and legislation. Through this, the NCHRE aims to highlight the knowledge and resources that are available so they can be used and applied effectively. The organization's goal is to educate Americans about injustices that are often overlooked, promotes accountability, and addresses abuses of power and disenfranchisement. The NCHRE gives voices to those who may not have otherwise be heard, which is a goal of Ross' work.
Ross has testified on women's health and civil rights issues in many important settings including the UN, U.S. Congress, and the FDA. She has also made appearances on the talk shows: The Donahue Show, The Charlie Rose Show, and Good Morning America.
In 2022, Ross was named a MacArthur Fellow for her work as an advocate of Reproductive Justice and Human Rights in "shaping a visionary paradigm linking social justice, human rights, and reproductive justice."
Writing and teaching
Ross has published books on reproductive justice, as well as many articles on black women. In 2004, Ross co-authored Undivided Rights: Women of Color Organizing for Reproductive Justice, a book that uncovers the unrevealed history of the activism of women of color in organizing for reproductive justice. Ross contributed her insights in a chapter entitled "The Color of Choice" in Color of Violence: The INCITE! Anthology, which was published in 2016.
Ross served as a visiting associate professor in the Women's Studies department at Hampshire College for the 2017-2018 academic year, teaching a course called "White Supremacy in the Age of Trump." She also recently served as a Visiting Clinical Professor at Arizona State University in the School of Social Transformation teaching a 400-level course on Reproductive Justice. Ross is currently serving as both a visiting professor in the department of the Study of Women and Gender and as a consultant at Smith College, where she is drawing from her personal archives to expand the Sophia Smith Collection.
Alongside Rickie Solinger, Ross co-authored Reproductive Justice: An Introduction, which details the field of reproductive justice, particularly in regards to experiences involving women of color and through a human rights analytical lens. Her most recent book, Radical Reproductive Justice was published by Feminist Press in 2017 and co-edited by Lynn Roberts, Erika Derkas, Whitney Peoples, and Pamela Bridgewater-Toure, discusses over two decades of works of SisterSong.
Recently Ross has spoken out against "call-out culture" and is working on a new book entitled Calling In the Calling Out Culture. The book is due to be published in 2022 by Simon & Schuster. In addition to her book, she has also published an article about finding cancel culture toxic. This article is titled I'm a Black Feminist. I Think Call-Out Culture Is Toxic. In her article, she touches on her own experiences with call-outs. She reveals that when she started in 1970, she found herself criticizing white women who did not understand black women. She points out the mistakes she made in expecting them to simply comprehend the experiences of women of color. Ross points out that call-outs can invoke fear of being targeted which tends to make people avoid conversations that could have been educational.
Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Ross has provided online classes on her website, including "White Supremacy in the Age of Trump" and "Calling in the Calling Out Culture".
Media appearances
Ross has appeared on the following North American television series and networks: NPR, CNN, BET, "Lead Story," Good Morning America, The Phil Donahue Show, Democracy Now!, "The Laura Flanders Show," and "The Charlie Rose Show", Oprah Winfrey Radio, The New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times.
Ross was featured in the book "The Persuaders: At the Front Lines of the Fight for Hearts, Minds and Democracy" by Anand Giridharadas.
Awards and honors
Honorary degrees
- Doctorate of Civil Law from Arcadia University (2003)
- Doctorate from Smith College (2013)
Selected awards
Source:
- Black Women's Health Imperative, Community Health Activist Award (2008)
- Delta Sigma Theta, Pinnacle Leadership Award (2008)
- International Black Women's Congress, Oni Award (2010)
- Women Helping Women, Revolutionary Award (2011)
- Foundation for Black Women's Wellness Legacy Award (2015)
- National Women's Health Network Barbara Seaman Award for Activism in Women's Health (2015)
- Robert Coles "Call of Service" Award, Phillips Brooks House Association at Harvard University (2022)
- MacArthur Foundation Fellow (2022)
- National Women's Hall of Fame inductee (2024)
Works (selected)
- Reproductive Justice: An Introduction (2017) Oakland, Calif.: University of California Press (with Rickie Solinger) ISBN: 9780520288188
- Radical Reproductive Justice: Foundation, Theory, Practice, Critique (2017) New York: Feminist Press at the City University of New York. ISBN: 9781558614376
- "The Color of Choice: White Supremacy and Reproductive Justice" in Color of Violence: The INCITE! Anthology (2016) Durham: Duke University Press. ISBN: 9780822363057
- Undivided Rights: Women of Color Organizing for Reproductive Justice, 2004.
- Just Choices: Women of Color, Reproductive Health and Human Rights (2001) Decatur, Ga.: Agnes Scott College.
See also
