The theme for this year's submissions "Justice in Oklahoma" brought in this video titled Idle No More by Paulette Blanchard, Filo Gómez, and Jeff Palmer, who won first place.

Take Root 2013 was a massive success! This year's conference was full of lively conversation, deep thought, and fun among friends. Thank you to our donors, speakers, and participants who made the weekend excellent!

Why do we talk about poverty and race when we discuss abortion? Incarceration? Oil pipelines and toxic waste dumps?

The answer is simple: each of those issues, and many more, are the focus of the reproductive justice movement. Abortion services and other forms of reproductive health care are not isolated from social factors and histories that influence the access and discussion surrounding them. SisterSong, a reproductive justice collective made by women of color, first coined the term:

“The reproductive justice framework – the right to have children, not have children, and to parent the children we have in safe and healthy environments — is based on the human right to make personal decisions about one’s life, and the obligation of government and society to ensure that the conditions are suitable for implementing one’s decisions is important for women of color.

It represents a shift for women advocating for control of their bodies, from a narrower focus on legal access and individual choice (the focus of mainstream organizations) to a broader analysis of racial, economic, cultural, and structural constraints on our power.”

A reproductive justice framework helps us see the connections between poverty and food access in rural and urban environments, histories of coercive sterilization of women of color, the disparity in impacts of criminalization of drugs and its effects on families, gender self-determination and gender violence, and access to contraception, transition services, sexual health and consent information.

Take Root seeks to embody a reproductive justice perspective as we come together to discuss these issues, educate each other, and foster solutions and connections, with a specific focus on the South, Midwest, and other red states. 

For more information or to donate visit http://take-root.org/.

The Center for Social Justice is thrilled and honored to be working with members of our community to create the Clyde C. Snow Social Justice Award.

Dr. Snow’s work has impacted international courts, academia, forensic anthropologists, human rights organizations and activists, and families, friends, and communities of victims.  It is time for us to recognize his exceptional work in the field of human rights and social justice. Click here to read more.

We would greatly appreciate your financial assistance to help raise US$150,000 to create a permanent endowment.  On May 18, 2012, we recognized the extraordinary work of Dr. Clyde Snow at the inaugural presentation of the Clyde C. Snow Social Justice Award.  In following years, the Center for Social Justice will use the Clyde C. Snow Social Justice Award to honor other individuals and organizations whose work contributes to the re-humanization of victims of human rights abuses.

Your tax-deductible contribution should be made payable to the Clyde Snow Award Fund of the University of Oklahoma Foundation. Click here to donate now.  If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us at the Center for Social Justice!

Congratulations to all of our 2013 graduates!

The 2012-2013 school year was full of awesome events, passionate activism, and students doing big things. The Center for Social Justice hosted workshops like Bringing Social Justice to the Workplace, film screenings like Freedom Riders and Rainbow Town with our Activists-in-Residence, and the 2013 Take Root: Red State Perspectives on Reproductive Justice Conference. It's been a great year full of big things. 

Want to get involved or more information? Email: center.for.social.justice@ou.edu.

May 20th, 2013 an EF 5 tornado tore through our neighbor towns of Newcastle and Moore, Oklahoma. The destruction in the wake of this storm has left many families homeless, without power or water, and in great need. The University of Oklahoma family has rallied to support our friends and family. If you would like to help, here are some ways to get involved:

If you have been left homeless by the tornado and need emergency shelter at the University, please call 405-325-2511. We will do everything we can to help to our available capacity. Due to limited facilities on OU's campus, housing space is reserved only for displaced families, FEMA, Federal and Red Cross affiliates.

TO VOLUNTEER TO SUPPORT OU EFFORTS, PLEASE GO TO THE FOLLOWING LINK to register your name and email. You will then receive a confirmation email that includes a link to sign up for work shifts that fit your schedule. NOTE: all volunteer efforts available through think link are currently located on the Norman campus. 

To DONATE to assist OU families impacted: Help OUr Neighbor Fund

For the most up to date information about what the University of Oklahoma community is doing to support those impacted by the recent storms please visit the OU Leadership and Volunteerism website to see what else can be done to help.