On May 26 sixteen reproductive justice activists will set off on bicycles from New Orleans on a five week, 1800 mile journey through the heart of the South and up the Eastern seaboard to New York City. The Wanderlust reproductive justice bicycle caravan will stop in communities along the way to meet with the activists who work to promote reproductive justice and ensure that their communities have the resources and information to make healthy decisions about their reproductive and sexual health.Wanderlust: Exploring The Politics of Sexuality in America

Last year at this time, organizer extraordinaire Nora Dye and her trusty bike Rhonda were in the midst of a solo journey from New Jersey to California, dedicated to listening to and learning about the ways that people were working to promote reproductive justice and positive sexuality across the country.

This year, with the support of the Pro-Choice Public Education Project, Nora will be joined by fifteen women for a new and exciting experiment in activism. Activists for reproductive freedom have long recognized that policy change is not enough - that activists must work not just to protect and expand reproductive rights but also to ensure that those rights are accessible to all women. Yet for those of us privileged enough to have access to educational, social, and financial resources, it is often easy to overlook just how pervasive and overwhelming institutional and social barriers can be.

The participants on Wanderlust come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences, but all of us share a commitment to social change and a recognition that in order to create change, we must first understand how the social structures that we sometimes take for granted are complicit in preventing women from exercising reproductive autonomy. The reproductive justice framework acknowledges that race, class, geography, ability, economics, education, sexuality, and other identities profoundly impact our experiences, and we hope that the bike ride will spark conversation and lead to new ideas about how the reproductive justice framework can be used to build a more inclusive and effective movement.

Having the time, energy, and freedom to embark on a five week bicycle trip is a privilege and an honor, and the participants in Wanderlust seek to use this opportunity to explore a different kind of activism - one that is less focused on action and more focused on listening and learning about how grassroots activists from around the country are meeting their own particular challenges and maximizing opportunities in creative, compassionate ways.

In solidarity with local activists and rooted in the power of sharing knowledge and stories to create change, the riders are organizing 10 gatherings in cities along the route where they will be joined by activists, advocates, and health care providers for conversations about sexual health and building a sustainable and inclusive movement for reproductive justice. During the tour, we aim to share knowledge and learn about the amazing work happening in cities across the country in order to forge connections and explore the ways that communities are working for reproductive justice.

Traveling by bicycle promises to be an adventure - we'll spend 40 days on the road in the southern sun, traveling more than 50 miles a day - stopping to change tires, explore any hidden swimming holes, and sleeping under the stars or bunking with fellow activists in their communities.

On May 15, the Pro-Choice Public Education Project is hosting a fundraiser to wish Nora and the other New York based riders well as they head down to New Orleans to begin this amazing trek, and you're invited! "A Night of Mint Juleps and Southern Burlesque" at the Stonewall Inn in New York City will feature both mint juleps and burlesque, as well as door prizes like yoga sessions and things that go buzz in the night courtesy of Good Vibrations! Stop by to meet the riders, network with others working for reproductive justice and celebrate our growing movement!

Won't be able to join us in New York City on May 15? You can still support the riders and their journey by making a donation or providing meeting or lodging space in any of the cities we'll be passing through. And, we want to meet you! We're looking for health care providers, sex educators, supportive clergy, reproductive justice advocates, policy changers, radical activists, doulas, midwives, culture jammers, and anyone who is working to empower women to control their bodies and their lives to contribute to our discussions about reproductive justice and building the movement.

Check back here on May 24 for the official launch post of Wanderlust 2008 from New Orleans, Louisiana! You can track our progress right here on RH Reality Check where each rider will be highlighting the work and stories of the activists and organizations we connect with along the way. In the meantime, head over to Wanderlust with Rhonda to meet the riders, look for your city on the route map, and read about Nora's experiences during her ride last summer. Thanks for your support - and we'd love to see you on May 15 at the Stonewall Inn. Talk to you next from the road!