Done Waiting for Better: How Allysa is Taking Action Today

📣 Storytelling has and will always be a critical part of organizing; we can’t build community without it! Reproductive Freedom for All is building a team of storytellers—volunteers just like you—to amplify the message at the core of our work: that freedom is for everybody— and we want you with us.

As I was doing my normal morning routine recently (i.e. roll over, stop the alarm, scroll, wish I had extra time to sleep), I scrolled past an article on NPR titled, “A Supreme Court ruling could bring historic drop in Black representation in Congress.”

What wasn’t explained in the title quickly became clear from a short overview of the article. The Voting Rights Act has been slowly degraded bit by bit since 2013, but the moves that have been taken since Trump’s return to office has sent the erosion into hyperspeed. The newest addition, a Supreme Court ruling attacking section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, could make it impossible for Black voters in the state of Louisiana (and by default, the country) to be represented by their state representatives.

The idea of someone else, something else being responsible for anything that happens in this country and for us not to have a say…it’s harrowing. Yet, it seems closer to our reality than we’d like to believe.

After reading this, I reflected back to where our movement was just over six months ago. We were riding on the high that was our inaugural Activist Summit, where digital and grassroots organizers gathered to share stories, discuss strategy, and commune in the united goal of mobilizing to fight for reproductive freedom.

We got to meet with like-minded leaders on the Hill (and their trusty interns) to lay out our questions and feelings, lament about what was and wasn’t being done, and our hopes and fears for the future. In a sobering, but beautiful memorial, we met the families of those who have passed away due to strict abortion bans in their state. Hearing their stories made the goal all the more clear—we have to take action now.

We cannot wait for better, or for someone else to get to work and fight for change. Not while there are anti-abortion extremists actively working to take away our right to make decisions about our lives, our bodies, and our futures.

Reading and seeing the news can be traumatic right now. It can make you feel like nothing can be done because the world is going in a direction you hate. Social media and the news can be so discouraging.

But at the same time, there are so many gains we’re making across the states.

People are coming together and speaking out at rallies, getting involved in tabling events, and spreading the news on social media.

It might be hard to see where you fit in between all of it, but there are many ways to make it more personal to you. You can join in-person and virtual events, work in apps like Impactive, or participate in text and call campaigns. You can even host your own events at your school or a Rights Night in your living room. It doesn’t have to be a big, grand gesture; the smallest things help.

If you want to find easy ways to take action, take a look at the Repro Download (which has quick actions that usually take less than 5 minutes to complete).

Join me in the fight for reproductive freedom today!