By: Sofia Gomez Alonso
As an international student from Bogotá, Colombia, there are many things that I still have to learn about the United States. Working with Lift Louisiana has given me the opportunity to better understand the landscape of reproductive justice in Louisiana and the way in which policy making can bring about social change. I am currently working on translating documents into Spanish so that they can reach all communities across the state. I have also had the chance to attend weekly staff meetings where I have met the team. I am very excited and honored to be working with a team of motivated women. Even though I started working recently, it has been a great opportunity for learning. Something that has interested me in particular is learning about the constitutional amendment in Louisiana and the ways in which it could end up restricting women’s right to have an abortion as well as reduce the number of abortion clinics in the state. This has made me reflect upon the precarious state of reproductive justice in my own country and has motivated me to educate myself about the way in which policy can be used to advocate for abortion as a fundamental right.
I am looking forward to learning more about the ways in which Lift Louisiana engages with social media as well as assisting the racial equity committee meetings. I will continue to work in improving my translation skills and furthering my knowledge on the state of reproductive health and justice in Louisiana.
