The Cicada Collective is an autonomous community-centered group of individual organizers. Working through a reproductive justice framework, we aim to address the barriers and lack of resources regarding reproductive health in red states by providing a channel of access to the resources necessary for reproductive autonomy. We aim to focus on building accessibility for the communities most often restricted from these resources, with the understanding that people’s varied experiences with reproductive oppression and resistance shape the type of support they need. These communities include but are not limited to: working class people of color, people with both visible and invisible disabilities, undocumented, incarcerated, or criminalized people, sex workers, gender and sexual minorities (queer, trans, and gender non-conforming people), legal minors, and those individuals at the intersections of some or many of these marginalized identities. We strive to draw from our sense of place to act in solidarity with those in our area, hoping to strengthen these pathways of resistance.
What We Do:
The Cicada Collective aims to provide access to reproductive resources and address the immediate needs of our communities by facilitating knowledge shares, collaborating with other organizations, and providing practical abortion support (transportation, lodging, and doula services). We aim to work with other organizers in resource sparse regions on building paths to accessible reproductive and bodily autonomy by encouraging a culture shift towards centering the experiences of queer and trans people of color in intersectional movement work.
Why “Cicada Collective?”
Cicadas are a part of our experience living in Texas. They begin their life journey as an egg that is deposited in a groove in a tree limb, feeding on the trees fluids. When the egg hatches and the cicada is ready, it falls to the ground where it finds roots to feed on. Once rooted, it will stay underground from 2 to 17 years. We view ourselves and our communities as cicadas, rooted in the land we inhabit, and growing together to form healthy, strong connections. Cicadas are also known to sing loudly, embodying the voices of those resisting on a daily basis, growing stronger in numbers each season.
