48 Facts About Loretta Ross

Loretta J Ross was born on August 16,1953 and is an American academic, feminist, and activist who advocates for reproductive justice, especially among women of color.

Loretta Ross was born in Temple, Texas on August 16,1953, the sixth of eight children in a blended family.

Loretta Ross's father, who immigrated from Jamaica, was an Army weapons specialist and drill sergeant.

Loretta Ross retired from the military in 1963, worked for the Post Office, and held odd jobs to support his family.

Loretta Ross' mother worked as a domestic worker and owned a music store, but was a stay-at-home mother while Loretta Ross was growing up.

Loretta Ross was double-promoted in elementary grades and was an honors student in high school.

Loretta Ross' grades were high and she received honors during her school years.

Loretta Ross was driven to excel in school so that she could have a good job and not have to do housework like her mother.

Loretta Ross lost her scholarship from Radcliffe College of Harvard University when she decided to keep her son instead of placing for adoption.

In 1970, Loretta Ross attended Howard University for her tertiary education after being denied admission to Radcliffe after officials found out about her child.

In 1976, at age 23, Loretta Ross experienced sterilization abuse when she was rendered sterile with the Dalkon Shield, an intrauterine device that was marketed despite being found to be defective.

Loretta Ross received the Dalkon Shield at Howard University from a health clinic free of charge.

Loretta Ross's life changed after waking up from the coma - the doctors had performed a total hysterectomy.

Loretta Ross says that her doctor visited her after she had her operation and wrongly assumed that she would be happy to no longer need the usage of birth controls or deal with menstruation.

Loretta Ross became convinced that her sterilization was a form of population control due to the birth control being given for free at a historically black college, and became extremely vocal around issues regarding reproductive rights.

Loretta Ross has referred to this murder as a political assassination.

In 2007, Loretta Ross completed her bachelor's degree at Agnes Scott College.

Under the direction of professor Elizabeth Hackett, Loretta Ross wrote Just Choices: Women of Color, Reproductive Health and Human Rights, her capstone Women's Studies independent study project at Agnes Scott.

Loretta Ross is currently pursuing her PhD in Women's Studies at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia.

Loretta Ross has stated that she believes the feminist movement has predominately been led by white women.

Loretta Ross emphasizes social issues such as pervasive poverty and the mass incarceration of reproductive-aged people.

Loretta Ross is passionate that these examples of racism be highlighted and targeted just as much as the other issues at hand.

Loretta Ross feels as though the fact that these issues aren't addressed is an example of racism in this country itself and demonstrates how deeply embedded it is into our country and its beliefs.

In 1985, the National Organization for Women hired Loretta Ross to be the director of the Women of Color Programs to both improve participation by women of color in NOW, create coalitions with organizations focused on issues affecting women of color, and to respond to criticism by women of color who felt mainstream feminist organizations were ignoring issues of race and class.

Loretta Ross organized women of color delegations for the pro-choice marches NOW sponsored in 1986 and 1989, and organized the first national conference on Women of Color and Reproductive Rights in 1987.

Loretta Ross organized delegations for black women in pro-choice marches that were sponsored by NOW in 1986 and 1989.

From 1991 to 1995, Loretta Ross was National Program Research Director for the Center for Democratic Renewal, where she directed projects on right-wing organizations in South Africa, Klan and neo-Nazi involvement in anti-abortion violence, and human rights education in the US CDR is a non-profit clearinghouse that provides information on hate groups which include the Ku Klux Klan and neo-Nazi movement.

Loretta Ross managed the research and program departments and was the director of specific projects.

In 1996 she created the National Center for Human Rights Education, a training and resource center for grassroots activists aimed at applying a human rights analysis to injustices in the US Active internationally, Loretta Ross is a founding member of the International Council of African Women and of the Network of East-West Women.

Loretta Ross has been a regular participant in International Women and Health Meetings and helped organize the delegation of 1100 African American women to the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo in 1984.

Loretta Ross attended United Nations Women's Conferences in Copenhagen, Nairobi, and Beijing.

In 1997, with Luz Rodriguez and 14 others, Loretta Ross co-founded SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective which aims to build an effective network between individuals in advocating improvements within institutional policies that impact the reproductive lives of marginalized communities.

Loretta Ross served as the National Coordinator for the SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective from 2005 until 2012.

Loretta Ross was one of the African American women who first coined the term "reproductive justice," with the aim to frame the pursuit of reproductive justice using the social justice framework.

Loretta Ross acted as National Co-director for women of color of Washington, DC's March for Women's Lives on April 25,2004.

Loretta Ross was the Founder and executive director of Atlanta, Georgia's National Center for Human Rights Education, the USA Partner of the Peoples' Decade of Human Rights Education from 1996 to 2004.

Loretta Ross has testified on women's health and civil rights issues in many important settings including the UN, US Congress, and the FDA.

Loretta Ross has made appearances on the talk shows: The Donahue Show, The Charlie Rose Show, and Good Morning America.

Loretta Ross has published books on reproductive justice, as well as many articles on black women and abortion.

In 2004, Loretta Ross co-authored Undivided Rights: Women of Color Organizing for Reproductive Justice, a book that uncovers the unrevealed history of the activism of women of color in organizing for reproductive justice.

Currently, Loretta Ross is working on her soon-to-be published book entitled Black Abortion that will focus on reproductive rights issues.

In 2014, Loretta Ross published an article on sterilization, tying it back to her own experience that had forced her own sterilization.

Loretta Ross is currently serving as both a visiting professor in the department of the Study of Women and Gender and as a consultant at Smith College, where she is drawing from her personal archives to expand the Sophia Smith Collection.

Alongside Rickie Solinger, Loretta Ross co-authored Reproductive Justice: An Introduction, which details the field of reproductive justice, particularly in regards to experiences involving women of color and through a human rights analytical lens.

Recently Loretta Ross has spoken out against "call-out culture" and has written and released a book entitled Calling In: How to Start Making Change with Those You'd Rather Cancel.

Loretta Ross reveals that when she started in 1970, she found herself criticizing white women who did not understand black women.

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Loretta Ross has provided online classes on her website, including "White Supremacy in the Age of Trump" and "Calling in the Calling Out Culture".

Loretta Ross was featured in the book "The Persuaders: At the Front Lines of the Fight for Hearts, Minds and Democracy" by Anand Giridharadas.