On September 15, 1821, five Central American nations – Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua – declared independence from Spanish colonial rule. Fast forward to 1988, when the date was chosen as the starting point of Hispanic Heritage Month to commemorate those anniversaries.

The Latinx community is the fastest-growing community in the United States. The social inequalities that they face –  including language barriers, low-income paying jobs, and undocumented status – contribute to the quality of health care that they receive. Within the Latinx community, “…91 percent of Latinas who are sexually active and do not want to become pregnant have used some form of contraception. Among all sexually active Catholic women, 89 percent currently use a contraceptive method. Latinas also represent 25 percent of all abortion patients in the U.S. (The Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice of Latinas: An Imperative for Latina Leadership).”

The Reproductive Health Access Project is proud to highlight trailblazers that are doing their part to combat oppression within the movement in our year-long reproductive justice campaign: “A Common Thread: Weaving Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice.” You will get to read more about people like Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas, whose leadership at the National Latina Institute of Reproductive Health allows her to organize and elevate the Latinx voice within the reproductive health movement from a grassroots level, and Gloria Malone, the Afro-Latina activist who strives to change the narrative around young parenthood.