400 + 1 and the Reproductive Revolution

"400+1 is a reproductive revolution federation. This means that our praxis is rooted in the idea that all forms of oppression have a negative impact on reproductive life and that all components of life are relevant to reproductive autonomy." - Njera Keith, Co-founder of 400+1


Dear Resister,

Last month, the United States Supreme Court officially reversed Roe v. Wade, declaring that the constitutional right to abortion, upheld for nearly a half-century, no longer exists. In a short span of time, we have both witnessed the repercussions of this decision already taking a toll on birthing peoples, and have also heard a familiar resounding cry: "My Body, My Choice!" echo across the nation.

While this decision may be shocking or upsetting, we invite you to listen to, learn from, and directly support Resist grantees who are on the ground taking action for bodily autonomy, dignity, as well as equitable access to resources and health outcomes for all of our communities.

For this edition of our Amplify Series, you will hear from grantee 400+1, who launched The State Has No Authority Here campaign as part of their reproductive revolutionary praxis after the reversal of Roe v. Wade last month. The objective of the campaign is to teach community members how to resource their own reproductive autonomy and to establish small-scale, autonomous micro clinics in states with pre and post-Roe abortion bans on the books. 

Read more about how 400+1 is moving away from the reproductive justice framework in theory and practice and learn how to tap into their radical and necessary work below!
[ID: Photo of Njera Keith sitting on a chair wearing a teal beret, gold vest, white long sleeve blouse and pants, and teal shoes].

Meet Njera Keith (she/her),
Co-founder 400+1
Njera Keith is a Black revolutionary from Austin, Texas. She leverages strong analysis, tarot and astrology, writing, hip-hop, and her capacity to dream to fulfill her responsibility to Black revolutionary struggle. She is the author of Sovereign Song: Words from the Revolution, Transcending Survival: The Second Iteration of 400+1’s Manifesto, and Making the Case for Reproductive Revolution. 

About 400 + 1
400+1 is a cooperative federation that houses a Black vanguard, five Black social clubs, a Black intentional living community, a constellation of worker-owned cooperatives, and a reparations corps.

400+1 is a home for Black revolutionaries working to build a world that allows each
of us to transcend mere survival. We believe that building a Black vanguard, destabilizing relationships between the Black masses and the systems that oppress them, and creating life-affirming alternatives to those systems is the key to a cohesive movement for Black liberation. We are committed to implementing these strategies and witnessing our movement thrive. 

The federation is small but mighty and, since its inception, has: 

  • administered a community school and garden
  • launched Praxis: A Phrontistery for Black Revolutionaries; a seven-year program in which Black folx learn theory, strategy, tactics, and skills that support revolutionary efforts
  • redistributed reparations to over 200 Black families and individuals 
  • offered revolutionary schooling alternatives to children displaced during the pandemic
  • staged a small-scale destabilization of a capitalist grocery store to demand equitable distribution of food 
  • organized an autonomous, no-cop zone in response to the murder of a young, Black man in Austin, Texas
  • launched The State Has No Authority Here, a campaign for reproductive revolution in response to the Supreme Court’s recent decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
[ID: Three members of 400+1 . Two hold up white signs with black text that read: "La clinica del puebla estaba aqui." Another member stands with their back facing us and with a fist raised.]
This work has absolutely transformed me. To be a principled revolutionary, one must practice honesty, integrity, accountability, and emotional intelligence. To be a successful revolutionary, one must feed their imagination and manifest their dreams! This work has had a much larger impact on me, so far, than I’ve had on the world; and that’s part of the paradigm shift that we should all be prepared to experience. Revolution is really about transcending the worst parts of humanity, the worst parts of ourselves, and truly believing that each of us can be better, rendering the world around us better, in turn. I know that sounds so cheesy and cliche and, obviously, revolution is a material process that addresses material inequities. But, I do think that the external transformation we seek starts with a changed individual, who belongs to a changing collective, who is organizing for a changing community, that is fighting for a changing society, that is influencing a universal change around the world. The change that I’m describing is one in which a person becomes intolerant of oppression’s demand that they forfeit their self-determination, that they ignore their basic needs, and that they sacrifice their fellow humans in the interest of fascism, economic deprivation, and individualism, respectively. 

I think the most simple practice I’ve incorporated is one based on a principle I was taught by my parents; live your values. My dad always told me that you can measure a person’s values through their actions and my mom really embodied that lesson for me. My work as a revolutionary is an expression of my own values. I know that they are my values because I practice them. They are not simply a polemic that I leverage as an identity. They are the essence of my imprint and the sum of my contributions. This orientation has helped me to develop confidence in my own personhood, trust in my own integrity, and a compass that helps me discern the right political investments from the wrong ones. 
[ID: Members of 400 + 1 wear masks and hold up a large white banner with the 400 + 1 logo - an image of three faces wearing teal berets and the numbers 400 + 1 underneath in teal.]
In terms of reproductive revolution and The State Has No Authority Here, specifically, I’ve witnessed the power of mindfulness with respect to fear. When marginalized communities cease to be reactive to the fear with which the state attempts to control us, we can truly do anything. Ceasing to be reactive to fear doesn’t mean not having any fear or repressing one’s fear, but rather, feeling that fear, acknowledging that fear, and choosing one’s response to that fear. The response I choose will always be in alignment with my values. That response is not the kind the state is prepared for. I want to encourage folks to give up surrender and assimilation as a response to their fear. The threat of violence from the systems that oppress us isn’t going anywhere, so we should feel empowered to choose behaviors that liberate us. 

What narratives do you want to shift around the reproductive justice conversation and why?
I think it’s time that we move beyond the reproductive justice framework. The tradition of reproductive justice has been to practice intersectionality by making appeals to and demands of the state that account for the triple oppression that Black people face (race-based, class-based, and gender-based) and building collective power around life-affirming organizing that addresses the many isms that grow from those tendencies. Reproductive justice is beautiful and has been so necessary for further developing the reproductive movement, politically. But, it’s also true that the corrupt state that governs us is overdue for a reckoning and that we can not wait for that same state to develop its alternative. Reproductive revolution is a framework that calls on us to emphasize those who have remained in the margins, even within an RJ framework, and to liberate ourselves from the state’s authority through people power, tactical engagement, and self-sustenance. 

On a more micro level, I think we have to recognize the inherent anti-Blackness of the overemphasis on abortion and its legality in mainstream feminist movements for reproductive rights. Legality, as a framework, neglects the issue of access and, more generally, the law is something that has actually been used to reinforce systemic oppression. Legal sanctioning is not a solution to reproductive oppression and never has been. 

Finally, I think it’s important that we understand how pervasive reproductive oppression is. Reproductive oppression is the state’s perpetuation of pleasure deprivation against poor, Black communities. It is the way that capitalism extracts energy from our physical bodies to create a surplus resource that isn’t distributed equitably. It is the nuclear family as an oppressive institution that undergirds and reinforces harmful social hierarchies, cultivates repressive environments, and replicates the violent colonization and indoctrination that are enacted on a larger scale. Reproductive revolution requires us to systematically combat each of these manifestations of oppression and more. 
What kind of support does your collective need and what is the best way for folks to tap in and help?
[ID: Four members of 400+1 pose for a picture wearing white t shirts with the org's logo and white pants. Two members wear blue berets and gold vests. ]
  • 400+1’s co-founders and Ministers of Cohesion are currently fighting felony charges as a result of their work on The State Has No Authority Here. We’re asking folks to express their support by signing this petition. Also, help us achieve greater visibility for this issue through digital mobilization.

  • But most of all, we want folks to understand that our collective power is harnessed through organization! The best way to show up for Black revolutionaries is to join them; sometimes on the front lines and sometimes from behind the scenes. 400+1’s work is ecological and we want folks to plug in in ways that respect their own identities, capacities, and talents. 

  • First, and foremost, we encourage white people interested in supporting the work of Black revolutionaries to pay reparations. Folx can sign up for recurring payments through 400+1’s reparations corps, The Ally Ship, at www.theallyship.org.  

  • Different ways for Black folks and NBPOC to tap in:
1) have the capacity for full-time and sustained work in pursuit of reproductive revolution? Apply for the federation’s vanguard.

2) don’t have the capacity for full-time engagement, but want to be part of identity-specific communities that support the work of a Black, revolutionary vanguard? Join the federation's social clubs (scroll down to the social club section for more information). 

3) don’t have the capacity for any additional work, but want to both be sustained by and contribute culturally to an intentional living community? Apply for residence at 400+1’s L3

4) Non-Black people resisting colonization (NBPOC) who are interested in building formal solidarity with Black revolutionaries, educating their own communities, and further developing a solidarity economy should join C.R.E.A.M. (Capitalism Ruins Everything Around Me)
Learn More:


Check out this communique for a more detailed overview of The State Has No Authority Here.



In solidarity,

Kathy
Director of Communications and Storytelling

p.s. There’s a new world coming; Resist grantees are on the ground, ensuring that. Join us in making their vision a reality and become a movement sustainer today.


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