Help is NOT on the Way: How Reproductive Justice Demands Freedom from Surveillance

Dr. Kim Baker works full-time in public health as an Assistant Professor and the Assistant Dean of Practice at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston School of Public Health where she researches topics related to reproductive health & justice and public health practice. She manages Own Every Piece, a multi-partner systems-level intervention to increase access to contraception for women in Harris County. Here she is conducting research on implicit associations among reproductive health providers, the impact of colorism on care delivery, and participant storytelling. Dr. Baker has also developed multiple health interventions using participatory methods involving African-American male teens, faith institutions, and health providers. Dr. Baker serves on the board of the Jacob and Terese Hershey Foundation where she lends her expertise in reproductive health and equity-centered impact. She also is the co-owner of Full Circle Strategies, a consulting firm committed to organizational change for racial equity and The ReCollective, a non-profit committed to training emerging leaders in equity and community change work.   Dr. Baker received her BS in Biology from Hampton University in Hampton, VA in 2003, her MPH from the University of Nevada Las Vegas in 2006, and her Doctorate in Public Health from The University of Texas Health Science Center, School of Public Health in 2013.

Maya Pendleton was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. She currently lives in Washington, DC. Maya has been a part of the upEND movement since its inception. She currently works as researcher and writer for the upEND movement, focusing on how we abolish the family policing system, the harms of the current system to children, families and communities, and the world we will build post family policing.

Kay Matthews lives in Houston Texas and is the Founder of The Shades of Blue Project. Graduating with a 2 year Degree in Early Childhood Development from North Harris College located in Houston Texas, and furthered her education in the Mental Health field by becoming a Licensed Community Health Worker. She has also received numerous awards from both her community and her peers, and sits on the Board and is Partners with several National organizations. Along with writing her first Best Seller a Self-Help Journal: “Finding Your Way Out Of The Darkness. Kay is actively teaching and speaking to women of all ages to help them to better understand how important it is to advocate for themselves before during and after childbirth. Helping them to realize that they have the ability to have a successful birth outcome and assuring that they know of the resources available in which it pertains to maternal mental health. To Kay this is the most important aspect of the work she does within the community and it is the motivation that she uses to continue to educate communities worldwide.

Josie Pickens, Program Director, upEND Movement