The Afiya Center is a left-leaning pro-abortion non-profit that operates in Dallas, Texas. Afiya Center seeks to lessen restrictions on abortion in Texas through advocacy and lawsuits. The Afiya Center supports minors’ access to abortion without parental involvement; immediate depopulation of all Dallas jails, prisons, and detention facilities; and teaches about the “Reproductive Justice framework,” an ideological viewpoint that holds abortion as central to Black female empowerment. ¹

Billboard Debates

In 2011, the Afiya Center opposed the placement of a billboard in New York City that said, “the most dangerous place for an African American is in the womb.” Marsha Jones, Executive Director of the Afiya Center described the billboards as “going back 30, 40 years.” ² The Afiya Center also placed billboards in the Dallas, Texas area that read “black women take care of their families by taking care of themselves. Abortion is self-care.” ³

In 2019, the Afiya Center was critical of a similar billboard placed by the National Black Pro-Life Coalition. The pro-life group placed billboards that read “Abortion is not health care. It hurts women and murders their babies.” ⁴ The placement of the billboards by the Afiya Center and the National Black Pro-Life Coalition were billed the “billboard battle about abortion” by media outlets. ⁵

Activities

The Afiya Center operates an HIV prevention center in Dallas, Texas, targeted towards African Americans. ⁶

In 2019, the Afiya Center held an “Abortion Teach-In” to educate black women about the “Reproductive Justice framework.” ⁷

The Afiya Center is part of the “In Defense of Black Lives Dallas Coalition.” The coalition supports a reduction in funding to the Dallas Police Department, “immediate depopulation” of all Dallas County jails, prisons, and other detention facilities to “get people out of cages,” and new investment in the larger Dallas community. ⁸

In 2018, the Afiya Center, alongside 24 other organizations, opposed President Trump’s “zero-tolerance” policy regarding detainees at the U.S. southern border. ⁹

The Afiya Center is part of the North Texas Medicare For All Committee. Alongside the Democratic Socialists of America North Texas, the committee supports a government-run healthcare system. ¹⁰

Litigation

In 2018, the “Lawyering Project,” a spinoff project of Stephanie Toti, former senior counsel at the Center for Reproductive Rights, sued Texas over established abortion regulations in the state.  Under the “Lawyering Project” initiative, Whole Woman’s Health Alliance, the Afiya Center, the Fund Texas Choice, North Texas Equal Access Fund, West Fund, and the Lilith Fund were named as plaintiffs in the lawsuit. ¹¹

The lawsuit challenged restrictions on medication abortion, telemedicine abortion, abortion-counseling, minor access to abortion, and abortion providers in the state of Texas. ¹²

In 2020, the Afiya Center, alongside the Lilith Center, and the Texas Equal Access Fund, sued Mark Lee Dickson and East Texas Right to Life for defamation. When the town of Waskom, Texas declared itself a “sanctuary city from abortion,” Marsha Jones, became concerned about the future existence of groups like the Afiya Center. Jones said, “to be labeled as a ‘criminal entity’ presents a clear and present danger to the life of this organization.” ¹³

In 2020, when Governor Greg Abbott (R-TX) ordered a ban on abortion services during the COVID-19 pandemic, Afiya Center executive director Marsha Jones said “banning abortions, even temporarily, poses a high risk to some vulnerable communities.” ¹⁴

Funding

The Afiya Center is funded by Groundswell Fund,¹⁵ a “bowlathon” to raise money for the Afiya Center called “The Means of (RE) Production” (sponsored by the Austin Democratic Socialists of America),¹⁶ and the National Network of Abortion Funds. The Afiya Center is part of the abortion network, alongside 27 member organizations, that assists in the funding of abortion procedures for participants in 20 states. ¹⁷

People

Marsha Jones, a left-progressive activist from Dallas, co-founded and leads the Afiya Center. ¹⁸ In 2019, ESSENCE magazine listed Jones among its “Top Woke 100” list for her pro-abortion activism. ¹⁹

1. An Abortion Teach-In with The Afiya Center. (n.d.). Retrieved June 19, 2020, from https://www.bossbabes.org/events/2019/2/17/an-abortion-teach-in-the-afiya-center
2. Solis, S. (2011, February 24). Controversial Anti-Abortion Billboard Taken Down. Retrieved June 19, 2020, from https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/controversial-anti-abortion-billboard-taken-down/1912076/
3. Misenheimer, S., & Czarnecki, D. (2018, October 22). “Why is abortion self-care?” Retrieved June 19, 2020, from https://www.mcgilldaily.com/2018/10/why-is-abortion-self-care/
4. Whaley, N. (2019, March 26). Black women and the fight for abortion rights: How this brochure sparked the movement for reproductive freedom. Retrieved June 19, 2020, from https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/black-women-fight-abortion-rights-how-brochure-sparked-movement-reproductive-n983216
5. Owens, R. (2018, September 28). Dallas’ Dueling Abortion Billboards: What Happened Next? Retrieved June 19, 2020, from https://dfw.cbslocal.com/2018/09/28/dallas-dueling-abortion-billboards-what-happened-next/
6. Pickett, S. (2012, January 23). Female African American AIDS Numbers In Dallas Troubling. Retrieved June 19, 2020, from https://dfw.cbslocal.com/2012/01/23/female-african-american-aids-numbers-in-dallas-troubling/
7. An Abortion Teach-In with The Afiya Center. (n.d.). Retrieved June 19, 2020, from https://www.bossbabes.org/events/2019/2/17/an-abortion-teach-in-the-afiya-center
8. Tell Dallas City Council & County Leadership: “Defund the police, invest in community!” (n.d.). Retrieved June 19, 2020, from https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/tell-dallas-city-council-county-leadership-defund-the-police-invest-in-community 
9. Jacobson, J. (2018, August 03). Reproductive Justice Organizations Demand an End to Trump’s ‘Zero-Tolerance’ Policy. Retrieved June 19, 2020, from https://rewire.news/article/2018/07/09/reproductive-justice-demand-an-end-to-trumps-zero-tolerance-policy/
10. Admin. (2019, February 14). North Texas Medicare For All Committee Open Letter. Retrieved June 19, 2020, from https://dsantx.org/medicare4all-letter/
11. Greenlee, C. (2018, September 26). Litigate and Innovate in Abortion Law: That’s Stephanie Toti’s Mission. Retrieved June 19, 2020, from https://rewire.news/article/2018/09/26/litigate-and-innovate-in-abortion-law/
12. Wilson, T. (2018, June 14). Texas GOP’s Raft of Anti-Choice Laws Gets Sweeping Legal Challenge. Retrieved June 19, 2020, from https://rewire.news/article/2018/06/14/texas-gops-raft-anti-choice-laws-gets-sweeping-legal-challenge/
13. Young, S. (2020, June 15). Abortion Rights Groups Sue Man Behind ‘Sanctuary Cities’ for Defamation. Retrieved June 19, 2020, from https://www.dallasobserver.com/news/texas-sanctuary-cities-abortion-lawsuit-11919254
14. Justin, R. (2020, March 26). Abortion providers sue Texas over coronavirus-related order. Retrieved June 19, 2020, from https://www.texastribune.org/2020/03/25/texas-abortions-coronavirus-outbreak-lawsuit/
15. Groundswell Fund 2017 – Catalyst Fund Fall 2017 Docket. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://groundswellfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Catalyst-Fund-2017-Docket.pdf
16. Jannene, G. (2019, May 15). Austin Democratic Socialists of America. Retrieved June 19, 2020, from https://austindsa.org/frontpage/national-network-of-abortion-funds-bowlathon/
17. Announcing the Collective Power Fund: Redistributing Wealth for Abortion Access. (2019, August 15). Retrieved June 19, 2020, from https://abortionfunds.org/announcing-cpf/
18. “Our Team.” The Afiya Center. Accessed June 30, 2020. https://www.theafiyacenter.org/our-team.
19. Yesha Callahan & Britni Danielle & Kellee Terrell. (2019, October 28). The 2019 Woke 100. Retrieved June 19, 2020, from https://www.essence.com/news/2019-woke-100/