ABSTRACT
Transnational feminist women of color movements, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean, have focused work in gender equity on human rights and active health citizenship towards achieving reproductive health and rights, addressing gender-based violence and supporting rights of sexual minorities. The first section of the chapter draws from experience coordinating a transnational Spanish-language translation/cultural adaptation of the feminist women’s health book Our Bodies, Ourselves (Shapiro, 2005, 2013), using Freire’s critical/participatory pedagogy to explore culturally meaningful frameworks linking personal and social change. The gendered health and human rights perspectives on “ciudadania”/citizenship and activist methods of inquiry supports psychology undergraduates and other majors in making connections between personal lived experiences as members of marginalized/targeted US communities, impacts on personal/family/community health, and their educational and professional journeys as offering potential pathways for enhancing access to resources and thereby contributing to personal healing and social change. The second section offers an example of student learning that is based in a human rights-centered pedagogical model. Students interested in intersections of gender, race, and immigration status as they impact educational success and wellness explore how the human rights/resource rights education guiding the capstone course in gender, culture, and health serves as the catalyst for transformative education, shifting frameworks from struggle and self-blame to resistance and resilience. Through a photo/videovoice project and brief interviews with University of Massachusetts Boston students modeled on health promotion outreach conducted annually during National Public Health Week, students in the capstone share educational materials regarding UMASS Boston Student Educational Success through Wellness as grounded in human rights and World Health Organization definitions of health not just as an absence of illness but as the right to access resources supporting wellness. The chapter reveals how a right-to-access-resources pedagogical framework can empower students about their healthcare and wellness outcomes.
