Dear John,

We have gained a powerful ancestor. This month, Bernice Johnson Reagon, a legendary civil rights activist known for interweaving music and resistance, passed on. In reflecting on her legacy, we can see all the ways she changed the world – changed us. It’s remarkable what one individual, clear about her power and her assignment, can achieve in a lifetime.  

Ms. Reagon's legacy is a reminder that while this movement is so much bigger than all of us, it can’t happen without each of us. When you look around, you’ll find that you’re surrounded by extraordinary women and leaders – a reminder that we are each, in fact, extraordinary. And we each have the opportunity to do extraordinary things.

Throughout Bernice’s life, she saw leaders become ancestors, and she saw activists enter the fight and take it to new levels. There’s a comfort in knowing that these struggles began long before we were born, and there’s power in knowing we have the chance to move the dial forward in this lifetime. Every day, people are stepping up across the country in the fights for reproductive justice, for human rights, for true freedom. It’s up to each of us to create the future we deserve. 

In solidarity,

Ms. Foundation in the News

Reproductive health and justice organizations are facing increasing barriers to accessing funding, at a critical time when there are increased legislative threats to our bodily autonomy. Birth Justice Program Officer Sona Smith spoke to Prism on the need to fund these organizations appropriately and to support grassroots leaders by adopting the recommendations from our Living with Pocket Change report. Read more here.

Three new members join Ms. Foundation Board

We're excited to share that Mary Kathryn Nagle, Kathy Ko Chin, and Dr. Renée T. White have joined our distinguished Board of Directors!

These additions bring significant expertise within philanthropy, Indigenous law, public health, academia, and the arts. As dedicated feminists, they add to Ms. Foundation’s diverse and dynamic board, committed to building women’s collective power in the U.S. to advance equity and justice for all. Learn more in our press release.

New on the blog: S.T.O.P Grantee Partner Spotlight

Grantee partner Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (S.T.O.P) works to highlight the discriminatory impact of surveillance on abortion seekers and providers, members of the LGBTQ+ community, immigrants, communities of color, and more. 

“Well before SCOTUS overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 and lawmakers across the country began to pass harsher anti-trans legislation, we knew that surveillance technology would be weaponized to enforce these restrictions on bodily autonomy.” Learn more about S.T.O.P. in our latest blog!