Reproductive rights have been hot-button issues for generations, and recent legal decisions have put these arguments back in the spotlight.

Black women activists have been leading the fight for reproductive justice for more than a century. They want everyone to be able to choose when and whether to have children. They want people, especially women, to be able to decide for themselves what happens to their bodies. And they want everyone to have safe, accessible medical care. But the United States has a long history of people in power, who have tended to be wealthy white men, believing they have the right to make decisions about women’s bodies, especially if those women are poor or not white.

Explore the history of reproductive justice in the United States, including forced and voluntary sterilization, consent to medical testing, access to contraceptives and other health care, and safe and legal abortion. And get to know the Black women activists who have worked so hard to make sure women in this country have the right to reproductive justice.