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What's UCRJ Working on Now?
Our volunteers' energy and interests drive the work UCRJ engages in throughout the year. This page briefly outlines our on-going projects.
Take a look below and reach out if you'd like to get involved in these projects or if you've got your own idea for a reproductive justice-focused event or project. We are always excited to find new partners!
The Turnaway Play
UCRJ is thrilled to be bringing The Turnaway Play to Champaign-Urbana in November 2025. The Turnaway Play looks at what really happens when women are denied access to abortion. Characters in the play are based on subjects and members of the research team from the groundbreaking Turnaway Study. The play uses the words and experiences of these real people to bust myths and reduce abortion stigma. Drama, humor, and audience participation make it an engaging and thought-provoking theatrical event. This program is sponsored in part by an Urbana Arts and Culture Grant.
Birth Justice
BIPOC for Better Birth aims to center the experiences of People of Color and build better birthing and parenting communities across Central Illinois. They host Black Breastfeeding Week events and birth & art focused events with the intention of creating space for birthing and parenting communities to come together, reflect, and have fun. BBB also aims to create opportunities for BIPOC folks to become birth workers, such as doulas, midwives, childbirth educators, and herbalists.
Free Contraceptives Distribution
UCRJ helps provide emergency contraceptives, condoms, and other safe sex supplies to the community. Local partners include Uniting Pride, Cunningham Township, RACES, Avicenna Community Health Center, and CUPHD. Find out more on our Free Morning After Pills page.
Student volunteers and internship opportunities
UCRJ offers volunteer and internship opportunities for students interested in reproductive justice and community organizing. Email inquiries to Julie Laut: julie@ucrj.org.
CU Birth Fund
The CU Birth Fund will provide direct financial grants towards doula and homebirth midwife services for expecting pregnant people of color in East Central Illinois. By supporting wrap-around guidance and support throughout the pregnancy and birthing process, the fund will improve care for pregnant and birthing people and help reduce BIPOC perinatal mortality in our community. With the help of seed funding from the UC Friends Meeting, we are in the development stage. Applications will open Fall 2025.
Baby Boxes
Thanks to a grant through the Home Visiting Consortium's Birth to Five program, we will be providing 250-300 boxes of newborn supplies to new families throughout Champaign County in 2025. This is fantastic news for our community! To make this program sustainable, we hope to build a coalition of partners dedicated to the vision. Contact julie@ucrj.org to get involved!
Collaboration With Community and Campus Partners
UCRJ's vision is to act as an umbrella organization, linking and supporting reproductive justice activists and organizations in our community. To that end, our work focuses on collaborative activism. Our steering committee includes representatives from Uniting Pride, BIPOC for Better Birth, Planned Parenthood, the University of Illinois, Eastern Illinois University, the Unitarian Universalist Church of Urbana-Champaign, and dedicated community activists.
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