This email discusses police brutality and murder. We urge you to prioritize your own well-being before continuing.
John—
Like so many of you, I have been rocked by the events of the last week. The murder of George Floyd and the uprisings that have followed have inspired outrage, hope, and commitment. It’s just a small snapshot into the experience of so many Black people in our country due to systemic and violent racism.
The stories of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, and countless others drive home the fact that freedom remains a dream for far too many people in this country. Entrenched racism kills hopes, dreams, opportunities, and people. This must end. But it will not end without our collective action.
The NARAL Pro-Choice America team dedicates our lives to fighting for reproductive freedom for all people. But we know: There is no reproductive freedom without the fundamental freedom from tyranny and oppression. This fight is all of ours.
We join in solidarity with the Movement for Black Lives, with leaders in the reproductive justice community, and with the families and communities of those who have lost their lives to racial violence. Please read our full statement released last night.
With all of you over the years, we have worked hard to acknowledge and address racial disparities in abortion care, in birth control access, in pre-natal care, and in maternal mortality. We know that the ability to parent with security and safety is core to our values and core to the success of our work. Being dedicated to reproductive freedom for all people means Black people must be able to raise their children free from fear and hate.
This work isn’t easy. It starts with the acknowledgment that until we are working every day to unlearn and fight against systems of structural racism, we are — and will be — a part of it. It starts with our commitment to dismantling the culture of white supremacy, eradicating racial disparities, and affirming the inherent dignity of every human being.
We’re in deep conversation with our allies in the racial justice and reproductive justice movements. In the coming days, we’ll send you resources, actions, and opportunities to follow through on this commitment. We’re on this journey together. I’ll be there every step of the way. It won’t take a day or a week. It’s a lifelong commitment, and I hope you will make it with me.
We commit to this work because it is the only way to create a world that is truly free and just, for every body. It is in this spirit of freedom that we will continue to fight to reform our nation.
In gratitude,
Ilyse Hogue
President, NARAL Pro-Choice America
P.S. — Please visit the Movement for Black Lives website to learn more about the Week of Action in Defense of Black Lives being organized this week.
 |
