loretta ross

Loretta Ross is the National Coordinator of the SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Health Collective, a network founded in 1997 of 80 women of color and allied organizations that work on reproductive justice issues. In 2004, Loretta was National Co-Director of the April 25, 2004 March for Women's Lives in Washington D.C., the largest protest march in U.S. history with more than one million participants. From 1996-2004, she was the Founder and Executive Director of the National Center for Human Rights Education (NCHRE) in Atlanta, Georgia. She is an expert on human rights, women's issues, diversity issues, hate groups and right-wing organizations. Ms. Ross is presently writing a book on reproductive rights entitled Black Abortion. In 2003, Loretta received an honorary Doctorate of Civil Law degree from Arcadia University.

Loretta was one of the first African American women to direct the first rape crisis center in the United States in the 1970s. From 1985 to 1989, she served as the Director of Women of Color Programs for the National Organization for Women, organizing the first national conference on Women of Color and Reproductive Rights in 1987. Prior to developing NCHRE in 1996, she served as the national program research director for the Atlanta-based Center for Democratic Renewal (CDR) (formerly the National Anti-Klan Network) from 1990 to 1995 and program director of the National Black Women's Health Project from 1989-1990. She is a political commentator for Pacifica News Service, and has appeared as a political commentator on Good Morning America, The Donahue Show, The Charlie Rose Show, CNN, and BET.

Loretta's recent publications include:

• "The Color of Choice" in Color of Violence: The Incite Anthology (South End Press)
• "African American Women and Abortion After Roe," in Abortion Wars: A Half Century of Struggle: 1950-2000 (Beacon Press) edited by Rickie Solinger
• "Bringing Human Rights Home: Human Rights Education for the 21st Century," in Social Education, 62(6), National Council for the Social Studies
• Undivided Rights: Women of Color Organizing for Reproductive Justice (South End Press), co-authored with Jael Silliman, Marlene Fried, and Elena Gutierrez, published in 2004.

For more speakers on abortion and reproductive justice, see: Amy Richards, Gloria Feldt, Wyndi Anderson,Katha Pollitt, Gloria Steinem, Jennifer Baumgardner, Third Wave Foundation

For more speakers on women's health and sexuality, see: Loretta Ross, Hanne Blank, Jennifer Block, Gloria Feldt, Dr. Patti Feuereisen, Marcia Ann Gillespie, Judith Helfand, Shere Hite, Lisa Jervis, Paula Kamen, Shelby Knox, Aimee Liu, Catherine MacKinnon, Peggy Orenstein, Nancy Redd, or Faye Wattleton.

For more speakers on race, see: Loretta Ross, Veronica Chambers, Farai Chideya,Staceyann Chin, Marcia Ann Gillespie, Jehmu Greene, Irshad Manji, Catherine McKinley, Peggy Orenstein, Nancy Redd, Lisa Tiger, or Jewel Woods.

For more speakers on sexual assault, see: Angela Rose, Helen Benedict, Jennifer Baumgardner