Abortion Diary Entry 168: Oriaku Njoku

"My ancestors are always with me." In this episode, Oriaku Njoku talks about her path to becoming a reproductive justice leader, abortion advocate, and abortion funder in the Southeast. She shares her experience of doing this work as a Black Queer Femme in the South, and the importance of doing the work of abortion funding in and for community. She also discusses why she always brings fun, love, and joy into the workplace every day, and what it means to create a cultural shift around abortion in the South. This episode was made in collaboration with the Abortion Care Network (ACN) and was recorded at their 2019 annual conference. ACN is a national association for independent community-based, abortion clinics and their allies. Abortion funds like Access Reproductive Care - Southeast, where Oriaku Njoku is the Co-Founder and Co-Director, supports people in accessing abortion care through funding, practical support, and advocacy. Oriaku Njoku (she/they), is a first-generation, Black, Igbo, Nigerian-American, queer, fat, Southern femme living and loving in Atlanta, Georgia. As a Co-Founder and Co-Director of Access Reproductive Care - Southeast, she works at the intersection of abortion access and reproductive justice. She and her team at ARC-Southeast supports Southerners in navigating pathways to accessing safe, affordable, and compassionate abortion care through funding, logistics, and advocacy. Oriaku is deeply committed to finding joy and pleasure in everything she does and believes radical love is a core value that can be embodied and operationalized in movement spaces. She truly believes that we can and will create a cultural shift around how we address abortion in the South and invites you to join her in making reproductive justice a reality in our lifetimes.