What Next?

Although I was in full rage stroke mode yesterday, I will admit that part of me felt relieved. It was relieving to see people stand up and say something; to amplify when words escaped them.

And I kept circling back to a hope that as we center our own (valid) stories and trauma in our rage about the obsession this country has with regulating women's bodies, we think about how we need to fight and care on behalf of those with less privilege. (See below slide via the genius Amber Coleman-Mortley).

I say this because as relieved as I was to see people speak up yesterday, I did not see much centering on the stark racial disparities in play. Because let's be clear, yes, the potential for Roe to fall is fucked up for those with the capacity to get pregnant, and it is worse -- like multiplicatively a lot fucking worse -- for Black women compared to White women. If you need a visual, see below 2017 graph from Guttmacher Institute. And below that is a quote from a 2020 publication from Health Services Research and Managerial Epidemiology if you want to dig further into data.

So what next? Here are 3 doable actions.

MAKE A PLAN TO VOTE. State elections matter more than ever. And I think the teens are going to save us, but really, OMG everyone vote in the next election. Make sure you are registered. Ask a friend (or 10) to register. https://vote.gov/ (Some states allow for early registration if your teen will be 18 by the election.)

Join me and DONATE to National Network of Abortion Funds. This org removes financial and logistical barriers to abortion access and organizes at the intersections of racial, economic, and reproductive justice.

If you are a white person, listen to the Edit Your Life Show episode "Understanding Privilege + Centering Empathy" with the brilliant Amber Coleman-Mortley. No joke, she makes talking about race and privilege as easy and painless as talking about sandwiches.

KEEP FIGHTING. Literally, half of the planet depends on it.