Imagine…

a world where pregnant people can make confident, informed decisions about their birth plan; where a transgender person feels safe and respected seeking medical care; where families live in self-determined communities, free from surveillance and criminalization.

At Healthy & Free Tennessee, we believe reproductive justice is this reality that all Tennesseans deserve.

We tackle the overlapping issues of racism, the criminal legal system, and reproductive justice by working to improve and expand access to sexual and reproductive resources and support. We support our community by challenging discriminatory policies that target marginalized communities and push for policies that actually support families . This includes fighting the growing trend of criminalizing pregnancy outcomes and the increased surveillance, regulation, and punishment of financially struggling parents and parents of color by both state and societal institutions.

Our Approach:

We help to build strong relationships across different movements so that activists can collaborate across multiple sectors related to our cause. Every year, we track legislation related to the tenets of reproductive justice to keep our supporters informed through our Policy Watchlist, even hosting an advocacy day with legislators to make sure community member voices are heard. We educate policymakers, organizations, and the public through workshops and trainings. Plus, our Youth Leadership program works to develop and encourage the next generation of leaders to keep fighting for reproductive justice.

To put it plainly, we make sure all Tennesseans have access to the support systems needed to determine their reproductive futures, while also fighting against laws that punish people for choosing what’s right for their lives.

Origin Story

Founded in 2012, Healthy Free Tennessee (HFTN) got its start as the first statewide coalition focused on sexual health, reproductive rights, and justice in Tennessee. Starting with only 11 partner organizations, we’ve since become an independent organization expanding our work to include over 48 statewide, 13 national, and 270 individual partners, encouraging vital advocacy work and leading coalition building across the region.

  • We grow the movement for reproductive justice across race, class, and gender by bringing new people into the movement, developing skills and capacities, and building connections across organizations and sectors. We push back against and dismantle existing systems of oppression, while utilizing creativity and innovation to
    build new systems that meet the needs of the communities in Tennessee.

  • We envision a joy-filled, abundant,
    interdependent world in which all
    people can thrive and be free from
    oppression.

    We envision a world where everyone
    has the space and autonomy to make
    decisions for themselves and their
    families within their communities.

    We seek to bring about a world that
    values connection, safety, rest, and
    pleasure, and that harmonizes with
    Mother Earth.

  • Policy & Advocacy: Each year we compile the state’s most comprehensive reproductive justice policy watchlist. We use our proactive and defensive legislative advocacy work to bolster grassroots organizing and to inform and activate our supporters.

    Leadership Development: We are committed to building the next bench of reproductive justice leaders through our youth leadership council and programming and trainings that support young people.

    Education & Analysis: We educate our communities, policymakers, and other social justice organizations through free trainings, workshops, and convenings.

    Cross Movement Building & Alignment: We work at the intersections of reproductive justice, racial justice, and abolition to create opportunities for organizers and advocates to collaborate and build relationships across movements, pushing back on siloes.

About our logo

Healthy and Free Tennessee chose the Ocoee, or passion flower, as our logo because:

  1. Ocoee is one of Tennessee’s state wildflowers. We wanted to pick a symbol that represents what’s at the heart of our place-based work: Tennessee and the thriving communities across the state.

  2.  We wanted to transition to a symbol that better reflects our mission statement and vision for Tennessee–commitment to harmony with our natural environment.

  3. To us, the Ocoee flower symbolizes our journey toward decolonial feminism, which is the framework that forges material feminist solidarities through an examination of the relationship between gender and colonialism. Originally used by Tennessee’s native people for medicine, it was later renamed “passion flower” by missionaries. While Tennessee is often linked with white Christian nationalism, it’s also a place of resistance, rich culture, and deep-rooted fights for liberation—it’s our home.

Staff

  • Briana Perry is the Interim Executive Director at Healthy and Free Tennessee and was formerly the Co-Executive Director for five years. She graduated from Vanderbilt University with her B.A. in Sociology and Women’s and Gender Studies in 2013. While a student, Briana developed a passion for Black feminism and community organizing, with a focus on reproductive freedom. For two years, Briana taught English, science, and social studies in her hometown, Memphis. While teaching, she got involved in local organizing efforts around reproductive health, sexual assault awareness, and racial justice. Briana went on to attend Peabody College at Vanderbilt University and completed her Master of Education in Learning, Diversity, and Urban Studies in 2016. After returning to Nashville, she continued organizing around gender equity and racial justice issues and worked closely with the Nashville Feminist Collective and the Margaret Cuninggim Women’s Center at Vanderbilt. Formerly, Briana served on the advisory committee with the National Bailout Collective, the organization that supports the Black Mama's Bailout and was a coordinating committee member with the Official Black Lives Matter Memphis Chapter. Briana is a trained birth doula, conflict resolution mediator, transformative justice facilitator, and Circle keeper. Her interests include decolonial feminism, transformative justice, and reproductive justice and she has written extensively about the intersection of these frameworks and issues. In her free time, Briana enjoys doing escape room games, traveling, writing, and playing with her dog, Zora.

    Contact: briana@healthyandfreetn.org

  • Nina is an organizer, educator, and policy nerd. Originally from outside of Philadelphia, PA, Nina has called Tennessee home for five years. During her time at Healthy and Free Tennessee, she has worked to pass multiple reproductive justice focused bills, introduced the state’s first reproductive justice focused legislative watchlist, and led our revamped statewide repro coalition and youth leadership council. Nina has worked in policy at local, state, federal, and international levels. She got her formal organizing start at Planned Parenthood of Southern New England where she was a Generation Action intern and member of the Youth Leadership Advisory Council. Nina earned her J.D. from Drexel University School of Law in 2019. In law school, she served as a legal intern for the AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania and the National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered Women and volunteered with Project Safe, a harm reduction collective focused on the needs of street-based sex workers and substance users in Philadelphia. In 2016, Nina earned her B.A. in Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and Government from Wesleyan University.

    Contact: nina@healthyandfreetn.org

Steering Committee

  • Elise grew up in Shreveport, LA, where she completed a B.S. in Biology at Centenary College in 2014. After 2 years of working within the healthcare system and witnessing the impact of systemic inequality on people’s bodies and lives, Elise moved to Nashville in 2016 to pursue her M.Ed. in Community Development & Action at Vanderbilt University. Her experience navigating abortion access in Louisiana and passion for health equity prompted her to focus on community-based work in reproductive health. During this time, Elise collaborated with Planned Parenthood in Nashville and the Tennessee Stories Project on research and advocacy work related to reducing abortion stigma, comprehensive sex education, and access to reproductive health care. Elise continues to build upon this through her role on Healthy and Free Tennessee’s Steering Committee, and is committed to developing and supporting policies and practices that advance reproductive freedom in Tennessee.

  • Judith, originally from Fond-des-Blanc, Haiti, moved to the U.S. with her family in 2004. She holds a B.A. in History from Williams College and a Master of Divinity from Vanderbilt Divinity School. Fluent in Haitian Creole and conversational in French, Judith has a strong background in advocacy, having worked at the Healing Trust Foundation and the Jean Crowe Advocacy Center. Her journey with TIRRC began as a Policy Intern in 2014, before officially joining as a Policy Officer in 2018. In her role, Judith keeps a close eye on legislative changes affecting immigrants and builds coalitions to support immigrant and refugee communities in Tennessee.

  • Gavin Crowell-Williamson (he/him) grew up in Chicago, IL, moving to Nashville to attend Vanderbilt University. Gavin has a BA in Psychology from Knox College and a M.Ed in Community Development and Action from Vanderbilt. During grad school, Gavin became involved with various types of justice work, ultimately working for Nashville’s Community Oversight Board (COB) after graduation. At the COB, Gavin directed the department’s research and policy focus, spearheading multiple reports including a Policy Advisory Report on Sexual Misconduct and Trauma-Informed Victim Services. He now works at Elevate Consulting, a full-service firm serving nonprofits, collaborative community groups, foundations, and municipalities aimed at driving equitable social change in Nashville and beyond.

  • Cory Roroya (she/her), a Nashville native, draws inspiration from the love and support of her community. Her journey into sexual health advocacy was driven by a personal need for knowledge and shaped by experiences with limited resources. While serving in the Peace Corps in Fiji, Cory embraced new forms of community and collaboration, deepening her commitment to social justice back home in Tennessee. Influenced by her mother Jessica, a trailblazing union leader, and her great-grandmother Beatrice, who nurtured her love for art, music, and feminism, Cory's passion for change runs deep. For over a decade, she has worked to reshape conversations around sexual health and promote awareness, connection, and liberation from shame and stigma. In her free time, Cory enjoys making memories with her family, backyard bonfires with close friends, and tending to her front-yard farm.

  • Lizzy has spent her career fighting for gender equity and lifting up working people in the South. As the Southeast Digital Organizer for the Working Families Party, she brings people together online and in-person to build community and support elections in the region. Before that, she led campaigns and community trainings with Tennessee Advocates for Planned Parenthood to protect reproductive rights. In 2019, Lizzy was named a Planned Parenthood Global Youth Ambassador, connecting local work to global movements for reproductive freedom. She holds degrees in Social Work, serves on the New Leaders Council board in Nashville, and is active in her union, Workers United Local 1115. Lizzy’s dedication to community comes from her experience as an immigrant and transnational adoptee.

  • Aftyn Behn, LMSW, is the Campaign Director for RuralOrganizing.org, a national group focused on building progressive power in rural communities. After Trump’s election in 2016, Aftyn returned to her home state of Tennessee to fight for increased abortion access and reproductive freedom. She has trained the next generation of leaders, helped elect pro-choice candidates at all levels, and organized hundreds of rallies, marches, and events across the state to challenge oppressive systems. Aftyn, who grew up in East Tennessee, earned her Master’s in Social Work with a focus on public policy from the University of Texas at Austin.

  • Born and raised in the South, Tia Freeman is on a mission to break the stigma surrounding reproductive health in marginalized communities. With a commitment to cultural competence, she empowers individuals through direct support, sharing her personal experiences, and creating open conversations about often-taboo topics. Tia began her journey in 2020 as a sex educator on Instagram under the name Slipp3ry When Wet, collaborating with groups like We Testify, All Above All, and Planned Parenthood. Recognized as Planned Parenthood's Educator of the Year in 2021, she went on to work as their Black Constituency Organizer and Digital Communications Lead. Now serving as Director of Training and Community Outreach for the Sexual Assault Center, Tia also educates Tennesseans on self-managed abortion and provides access to free family planning resources through Beyond Roe Collective. Her work centers on addressing the unique needs of marginalized people, fighting stigma, and promoting informed, culturally aware decision-making.