ABOUT US

Body autonomy is the right for a person to govern what happens to their body without external influence or coercion.

Our work is about bodies. Literally. Structurally. Holistically.

The Center for Body Autonomy is a Black Femme-led organization formerly known as Project Blackbird. Our first campaign was activated by founder Candace Liger following her work as a cofounder of OKC Artists for Justice (Former Third Wave recipient) to advocate for the 13 women who stood trial against former police officer Daniel Holtzclaw. He is now serving 263 years behind bars for assaulting black sex workers and women who were vulnerable to the criminal justice system.

Our first mission organized on behalf of Tondalao Hall, a woman who has been now released from serving 15 years in Mabel Bassett Correctional Facility, OK for the crimes her partner committed against their 2 children. Our work created letter-writing campaigns, w healing justice events, and direct advocacy leading up to her November 2017 hearing date. She was finally released in November 2019.

We participated as a state partner with Essie Justice Group’s “Because She’s Powerful” campaign to examine the impact of mass incarceration on gender equity. Our praised contributions help concluded that “mass incarceration is (1) a direct cause of significant to extreme psychological distress and trauma, and (2) a serious obstacle to the financial health and economic agency of women with incarcerated loved ones. We were one of the highest states to report survey data for this groundbreaking research.

Project Blackbird worked with Tulsa County Courthouse for Warrant Relief Day - an effort to remove failure - to - warrants. Community members were advised to bring 5 nonperishable food items to have their warrants removed. Recognizing the financial burden of donating food during the Thanksgiving holiday, we organized a campaign to have individuals to purchase or donate low-cost packages of ramen noodles in exchange for clearing a warrant.

Moving forward as the Center for Body Autonomy, our goal is advocate for bodies, with a particular focus on black women and femmes, by infusing wellness, pleasure, and healing to move us toward liberation.