Kelly Davis, the executive director of New Voices for Reproductive Justice, sits for a portrait on Wednesday, Aug. 17, 2022, at The Art Room in the Strip District. Davis took over for the founder and former executive director La’Tasha D. Mayes in February 2022. (Photo by Stephanie Strasburg/PublicSource)
The new director of New Voices for Reproductive Justice dreams of Black women “wearing what they want to wear, living by doing what they want to do without worrying about any kind of violence or financial constriction.”
by Emily Sauchelli, PublicSource
Kelly Davis’ passion for advocacy stems from when she was a child and her mother, a nurse, lost a baby very late into her pregnancy.
“I realized that was not the natural order of things and I saw that tore my family apart, even to this day,” she said. “Despite the fact that it was over 30 years ago, it’s something that weighs heavily on my mother’s mind.”
She has made it her mission to educate herself and others on reproductive issues.
“I’ve dedicated my life to understanding why even when no risk factors are present and a person is in good health and has good medical care that you can still wind up losing your life in pregnancy and the life of your child. Based on the scientific research, the answers are clearly structural racism,” she said.
Davis is the executive director at New Voices for Reproductive Justice, a nonprofit organization that serves Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Cleveland. The aim of the organization is to prioritize the health and wellness of Black women and girls by fostering leadership development and advocating for reproductive justice and human rights.
Davis took over the position from co-founder La’Tasha D. Mayes in February. Mayes has thrown her hat in the political ring by running to be a state representative for Pittsburgh’s northeast and Wilkinsburg. The midterm elections are Nov. 8, and reproductive rights have been central issues.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Davis and New Voices have responded to the need for reproductive assistance by providing grants to aid abortion services and people who need to travel for services. The support has helped those in need pay rent or access mental health services.
Davis is six months into her position and shared what led her to this position, what she has accomplished thus far and what her goals are for the future of this organization.