We're Seizing the Moment in 2025!
At the Latina Institute, we see this moment as a critical opportunity to adapt, learn and grow our Reproductive Justice movement. Your generosity allows us to train and empower Poderosas with the tools to speak about reproductive freedoms in their communities. Help us reach our goal of raising 20 gifts in one week to train new Poderosas!
Donate below and learn what we have planned for the year ahead. The conversation between Senior Director of Growth, Yolanda Miranda, and Executive Director, Lupe M. Rodríguez, speaks to how we are advocating for equitable access to reproductive healthcare and more.
Q: What are you hearing from the community and the movement right now? What is on people’s minds, and how are you incorporating these findings into the Latina Institute’s future work?
A: We’ve heard from Latines and other communities of color that there was a disconnect between what political leaders were saying and doing and what our communities need to stay healthy and thrive.
Read more about our community is saying what we're doing to combat disinformation.
Misinformation and disinformation are rampant—which makes it harder for people to know where to turn and who to trust for accurate information. We’re hearing that people are afraid of this new administration’s laser focus on separating families and concerned about attacks on their autonomy. We also expect that anti-abortion and anti-immigration rhetoric and attacks will continue, making it harder for our communities to make our own decisions about our bodies and our lives.
At the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice, we will continue to build power in Latine communities so more people across the country are well-equipped with the tools they need to advocate for their health and well-being. We’re doubling down on our efforts to educate and reach more people around the country through organizing and training. We’re proud to be one of the only organizations talking with Latine people in Spanish and English directly about how policies affect them and to ensure that they know their rights and how to change systems for the better. It’s crucial that we’re on the front lines of helping people identify misinformation and combat it when they see it in their communities. And we’re going to hold lawmakers accountable for policies that harm us and put up as many roadblocks as possible against attacks on im/migrant communities and on access to reproductive healthcare.
While the next four years will be tough, we remain as committed as ever to working alongside our activists and partners in creating a country with true reproductive justice for all.
Q: Looking at the threats to abortion access under the proposed and suggested policies of the new administration, what are steps the Latina Institute is taking in 2025 to advocate for equitable access to reproductive healthcare and, specifically, abortion access?
A: Abortion access is likely to be further eroded because many of those newly elected and re-elected into office support policies that would devastate our communities, including restricting access to medication abortion care and instituting a nationwide abortion ban. And of course, the same politicians and judges banning access to abortion care are often the ones attacking im/migrant communities.
Read more about our work with vital partner organizations.
We will not stand by while extremists try to take away our freedoms. In addition to the work we do every day to build our activist base, advocate for Latines and im/migrants, shape policies, and shift the culture, we’re thrilled to work in coalition with incredible partners both nationally and in Texas, Florida, New York, and Virginia to protect and expand abortion access. We partner with two other women-of-color-led national Reproductive Justice organizations, National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF) and In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda (In Our Own Voice) on the Intersections of Our Lives collaborative that focused on civil rights, justice, and reproductive health and access issues for women of color. Together we released a 2025 Reproductive Justice Policy Agenda, a roadmap on the key legislation and priorities for advancing equity and justice that centers the distinct needs of our communities. We’re also working to build more reproductive justice power in Congress, including a Reproductive Justice Taskforce.
The Latina Institute is also part of a landmark Abortion Access Now coalition with other major national reproductive health, rights, and justice organizations to build and lead a broad, inclusive vision for abortion access and coverage. We’re working toward securing a federal right to abortion and ensuring access to abortion care everywhere in the country. We will demand and secure our freedom to control our own bodies and care for ourselves, our families, and our communities.
Q: How do you see storytelling playing an increasingly critical role in the work of the Latina Institute? Both on a national level and in the work of Poderosas in their communities.
A: Storytelling is a cornerstone of our work at the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Justice. We believe that sharing stories is a powerful way to highlight the voices of our activists, bring visibility to reproductive justice issues, and ultimately, drive change.
Read more about how our stories can effect change.
We are one of the only organizations elevating and centering the stories of Latines and im/migrants and how restrictions and systems of oppression affect people’s lives. We work with people in their communities to tell stories, as we know it can help to elicit important conversations and change hearts and minds. We see how stories can paint a picture that can be hard to say with numbers just how deep these issues are and how they’re connected to other issues. Those of us who care deeply about reproductive justice understand that abortion access is important for people who are concerned about their families and keeping a roof over their heads, and people’s stories show that.
We look forward to continuing to share these important stories in our communities, on social media, with lawmakers, and in the media.
Q: Moving into the new administration, how do you anticipate that the new presidency under Trump will impact the work of activists within the Latina Institute, and how do you plan to respond?
A: It is undeniable that who holds office and sits on the courts directly affects whether our communities can live with salud, dignidad y justicia. Across the country, Latines are struggling to access healthcare, make ends meet, and survive an immigration system that harms them at every turn.
Read more about the policies we'll advocate for.
We have every reason to believe that there will be more attacks on im/migrant families and our ability to get the healthcare we need. No matter what, we’ll be here to support our activists and give them the tools they need to protect themselves and advocate for themselves and their communities. We’re building power to activate people so that they can stay engaged, speak up for what they need, and be part of the resistance. And, so they can be ready to build what we need and want when we get through this.
We’ll continue to advocate for policies that support our whole lives, including better access to the full range of reproductive healthcare, healthcare provided by people our communities trust, insurance that covers our needs, a path to citizenship, and more opportunities to support families and allow individuals to thrive. And we’ll be here to hold lawmakers accountable for actions that harm our communities and make sure people are informed and can fight back on these efforts.
We know we will come out on the other side of this administration, so we can’t give up and we won’t lose hope for the future we want to build.
Q: When the Reproductive Justice movement faces setbacks, how can we find strength as a community and reframe these moments as learning opportunities?
A: It’s important to remember that there are more of us who support the issues we care about than there are people against them. We know that the majority of people in this country, including Latines, support access to abortion care and do not want extreme politicians to ban abortion and interfere with their personal health care decisions.
Read more about how we will defend and invest in Latine communities.
Extreme politicians who want to ban abortion care and interfere with our personal healthcare decisions are doing this against the will of the public.
As we defend and invest in Latine communities, we must stay united and work together toward the world we want. It gives us hope to see just how engaged people are on the issues they care about and that they want to learn and do more. We see more people than ever sign up to demand action from their elected officials; organize for abortion access in their communities, attend local events, rallies, and lobby days; as well as attend Instagram and Facebook Live chats and webinars to learn more about abortion and how they can get involved.
This is an important opportunity to not just get through the next four years of the Trump administration, but to emerge at the end of this stronger and more united and using what we’ve learned and built to fight for the change we need. Reproductive justice is also about joy and being in the moment, so we’re going to celebrate our wins and find ways to infuse joy into our work even in the midst of difficult situations. We can’t let anyone take that away from us.
The Latina Institute just celebrated our 30th anniversary, and while our work has evolved over the last three decades, our commitment to reproductive justice hasn’t. We’ll keep fighting for a world where everyone can get the sexual and reproductive healthcare they need to stay healthy and thrive. And we are honored to have your support as we continue the fight.