A word from our Executive Director on the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and the action we must take
Yesterday was a dark day in this country's history. The Supreme Court just told women in this country that they are essentially second-class citizens, who don't have the right to control their own bodies. In the past, the court has made rulings that have perpetuated the subjugation of certain groups of people by the states. But this is the first time that the Court has actively taken away a constitutional right that it had previously given. And, as is typical in this country, it will have an especially devastating impact on women of color. Unfortunately, it won't stop with Roe. Marriage equality, access to contraception, interracial marriage, and every other right that is derived from the basic fundamental right to privacy is on the chopping block under this Court. The fight must now move from the courts to the political arena - and not a single one of us can afford to sit this fight out, as many have in the past. It started in 2014 when we failed to turn out for the Midterm Elections. We gave control of the Senate to Mitch McConnell and the Republican Party, who promptly stole a Supreme Court seat from Democrats. It continued into 2016 when our side didn't show up to vote and the country elected Donald Trump, who in turn put in three new Supreme Court Justices, all with the same regressive ideology and all of whom just voted to overturn Roe. Our side needs to turn out like never before in this upcoming Midterm.
WCRJ's sister 501c4 organization, the Center for Racial and Gender Equity (CRGE) and our affiliated Racial Justice PAC are working in Congressional races in Illinois and Wisconsin, to make sure we send people to Congress who will fight to secure full reproductive justice for all, including the right to abortion, access to maternal health care, and the investments needed to care and provide for our children.
I have two important requests to make of you. First, please consider making a donation to our sister 501c4, the Center for Racial and Gender Equity, or to Racial Justice PAC so we have the resources needed to make sure we win at the ballot box in November. Between Illinois and Wisconsin, we will be working on six competitive House races and one Senate race that will determine who controls Congress. If we mobilize progressive-minded voters in both states, and support Wisconsin voters in overcoming active voter suppression attempts, we can help ensure that more power doesn’t fall into anti-democratic hands. Second, please sign up to volunteer to help us knock doors, make phone calls, and send text messages to voters in Illinois and Wisconsin, urging them to vote in November. We need to make multiple contacts with every voter, and work as hard as the situation demands - like our rights depend on it. The decision today was not just an attack on women's reproductive rights, it was an attack on all of the rights that we hold dear. Now is not the time to sit on the sidelines. Yours in Struggle,
DeAngelo Bester Executive Director