After an extensive local and national search, Avow is thrilled to announce Raven Freeborn as the organization’s incoming executive director. Raven is a visionary reproductive justice leader whose work is a true embodiment of Avow’s vision of working towards a world where every person is trusted, thriving, and free to pursue the life they want.
Raven E. Freeborn is a seasoned full spectrum doula, facilitator, and licensed clinical social worker, policy strategist and executive director for Avow. Raven’s work is driven by a steadfast dedication to community-led change particularly for LGBTQ and BIPOC communities. They are deeply committed to addressing health disparities within historically marginalized populations.
As we mark the 51st anniversary of Roe, it’s not lost on us the landscape we’re in. Roe was the floor, never the ceiling. We’re at a critical moment in the fight for abortion access and bodily autonomy. Our communities face compounding abortion and healthcare bans, surveillance, and criminalization. What we’re fighting for is so much more than any court can offer. Against all odds, Texas abortion advocates are ensuring our communities can navigate the web of obstacles to access dignified care. It is this persistence and commitment to our communities that will restore access in the state, and Raven’s leadership is an indispensable component in getting us there.
“Texans are experiencing a reality where the right to dignified care is politicized, and in the case of pregnancy and abortion – criminalized, to deter personal autonomy. As a Black and queer native Texan, raised in the Houston metroplex, I witnessed care as a communal act that met political resistance and shaped cultural norms. Texans deserve far more than the restrictions, bounty laws, and surveillance that accompanies the criminalization of abortion healthcare. I am honored to return home and join instep with Avow to galvanize radical care that resists the political systems weaponizing our rights and freedom against us. Abortion is healthcare. Abortion is freedom. Through political education, advocacy, and organization we at Avow stand in resolute commitment to abortion justice until freedom.” –Raven Freeborn, Executive Director of Avow
“With Raven at the helm of the organization, Avow is well positioned to take its bold, unapologetic abortion advocacy and culture change work to its next chapter.” –Avow Board
“The Avow team is thrilled to have found such a visionary and values-aligned person to lead Avow as we work against the most extreme abortion bans in the country and face further criminalization and stigmatization of people who need abortions. Raven centers intersectionality, creativity and care in their approach to abortion advocacy and we can’t wait to see where they take us from here.” – Emily Martin, Deputy Director and former Interim Executive Director of Avow