In my humble opinion…

On April 25, an estimated 1.1 million women and men gathered in Washington, DC on the national mall for the March to Save Women’s Lives. March organizers estimate that the march drew as many women as the historic 1995 Million Man March, where organizers claimed there were an estimated 2 million participants.

Regardless of the count accuracy, one salient point is true: The struggle for women’s reproduction and abortion rights has secured its prominent place in the American and global public policy discourse with new energy, leaders, and activists: Black people, other women of color, and self-professed Christian Believers.

For the first time in the history of the reproduction rights movement people of color, specifically, prominent Black leaders and organizations have entered the movement on the side of pro-abortion activists. When first grappling with the issues surrounding the abortion movement, my dear friend and well-respected political operative stated, “As a woman, my life and women’s lives are much broader than abortion and reproductive health is bigger than abortion.”

Is the fight for women’s reproductive rights and health a shift in the agenda of women’s rights activists…abortion rights supporters…or both?

Is the fight for women’s reproduction rights equivalent to the fight for freedom led by organizations like the Southern Christian Leadership Council (SCLC) and National Association for the Advancement of Color People (NAACP)?

Are the moral values taught on Sunday mornings by Black protestant preachers outdated now that Black elite organizations and leaders have aligned themselves with the abortion rights movement…reproduction rights movement?

Loretta Ross, executive director of the National Center for Human Rights Education and the first African American woman to co-direct a national protest for choice stated prior to the march, “Women of color support the right to choose and women's right to not be enslaved by the unborn. I would have participated…even if the event organizers hadn't reached out to include women of color in leadership roles. But I'm pleased that while we are marching for the right to choose, other issues will also be present, like how hard it is for poor women, who are mostly women of color, to raise children without any real social services."

Last February, the NAACP National Board of Directors passed a resolution that stated, "A woman denied the right to control her own body is denied equal protection of the law, a right the NAACP has fought for and defended for nearly 100 years." Prior to the march, NAACP Chairman Julian Bond stated, "I am proud to lead an NAACP delegation to this important event. The NAACP has long been determined to ensure that women of color face no obstacles in accessing every kind of health care; the right to reproductive choice and control of her own body is one of the most important."

The Apostle Paul wrote, “Everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible, but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.” Paul goes on to write, “do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the Church of God—even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.”

The Black Women’s Health Imperative, a march co-sponsor and the only national organization devoted solely to the health of America’s Black women and girls states, “The time is now for Black women to make an unmistakable show of public support for our reproductive rights, health and self-determination.”

In place of a statement directly from President Bush, The White House issued a statement that read, "The president believes we should work to build a culture of life in America and regardless of where one stands on the issue of abortion, we can all work together to reduce the number of abortions through promotion of abstinence-education programs, support for parental-notification laws and continued support for banning partial-birth abortion.”

I wonder if this generation has determined the lessons on freedom taught from the pulpits of the 1960’s has gone through a revolutionary change as elite Black leaders and organizations choose to side with a movement concentrated on replacing our President, regardless of whether the movement is aligned with issues that challenge their Biblical lessons and moral beliefs.

Is the desire to remove President Bush from office worth broadening the issues of the abortion rights movement to include the equal access to health services and prevention information for Black women and other women of color?

Should Blacks and people of color chance allowing another generation of people from a different group of the American melting pot, the dominant culture in America, to change Christian Believers allegiance, Biblical interpretations, or the definition of the fight for freedom and equality in America and around the world or does it behoove Blacks, women of color, and self-professed Christian Believers to get involved in the fight for freedom on their own terms?

Part One of a Three Part Series

barrett-osahar berry is a preacher, political pundit, and poet currently living in Boston. He is president & CEO of The Light Group Ministries International, TheWarriorSaints.org and associate minister at Greater Love Tabernacle Church in Boston. He has served as president of the Emerging Leadership Institute and has chaired Black Youth Vote and the National Black Student Government Association. He co-created and served as the first editor of BlackPressUSA.com. He has studied political science, Africana studies, and theology at Morris Brown College and Harvard University. You can reach him at www.TheWarriorSaints.orgor berry@thewarriorsaints.org.