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WHEREAS, New Voices Pittsburgh was founded on March 16, 2004 by La'Tasha D. Mayes, Bekezela Mguni, Lois "Toni" McClendon and Maria Nicole Smith after organizing women of color to attend the March for Women's Lives in Washington, DC;
WHEREAS, the mission of New Voices Pittsburgh is to build a social change movement dedicated to the health and well-being of Black women and girls through leadership development, human rights, reproductive justice and the core belief that we all have the human right to control our bodies, sexuality, gender, work, and reproduction;
WHEREAS, the reproductive justice movement is celebrating 20 years of organizing indigenous women and women of color to achieve full human rights; and,
WHEREAS, New Voices Pittsburgh has served more than 10,000 women of color through social change activism, civic engagement, and leadership development, has developed numerous groundbreaking programs, and has been a trailblazer advocating for sexual and reproductive health, LGBTQ rights, healthcare access, gender-based violence prevention, prison reform, and environmental justice; and,
WHEREAS, New Voices Pittsburgh has won monumental policy victories at the local, state, and national level, and continues to expand the reproductive justice movement in Pennsylvania and Ohio through New Voices Philadelphia and New Voices Cleveland; and,
WHEREAS, New Voices Pittsburgh is a leading partner in "In Our Own Voice: National Black Women's Reproductive Justice Agenda," a national organizational initiative launched in October 2014 designed to amplify and lift up the voices of Black women at national and regional levels in an ongoing fight to secure reproductive justice for all women and girls; and,
WHEREAS, New Voices Pittsburgh will commemorate a decade of leadership, organizing, and advocacy at the Living Our Legacy: 10th Anniversary Celebration! on December 4, 2014, 6-10p at the Andy Warhol Museum.
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NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby recognize and commend New Voices Pittsburgh for 10 trailblazing years of leading the fight for reproductive justice throughout our region; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby declare December 4, 2014 to be "New Voices Pittsburgh Day" in the City of Pittsburgh.