John,
The attacks on DEI are out of control.
In just his first few weeks in office, Trump moved to strip federal funding from programs that seek to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion of all people in our society. [1] Then, disgustingly, he blamed DEI for a tragic plane crash [2] that killed sixty-seven people. [3] And the attacks have only gained steam with more time. These attacks have induced fear of political retribution within, I think it’s fair to say, nearly all sectors of our society.
I want to be crystal clear: Reproaction has been, is, and continues to be committed to naming racism, and ending it.
Like many organizations, Reproaction did focused, internal, and thoughtful diversity, equity, and inclusion work following the murder of George Floyd. I’m proud we did that work. Full stop.
Reproaction names racism and we are seeking to end it. This work needs to be holistic and anti-racist in order to be just, and to succeed. Reproductive justice is a human rights framework created by Black women. You can’t do bodily autonomy and human dignity and sexual freedom and set racism to the side. That’s not how any of this works.
Many are scared to even put (or keep) a commitment to anti-racism in writing now, much less dig in and do the hard work. I understand why. Funding (and existence) for institutions and, thus, people’s lives and all manner of vital priorities are on the line. But also, authoritarianism depends on people and institutions ceding their power proactively, without being asked. Reproaction is not going to do that.
No. We’re not going to stop fighting racism. As bullies in our government try to strong-arm institutions into backing down from deliberate anti-racist work, we stand up and stand firm. Diversity is an American value. Dictatorship is not. Ending racism must remain a priority.
Sincerely,
Erin Matson
Co-Founder, President, and CEO, Reproaction
P.S. Donate to support our work.
[1] https://www.politico.com/news/2025/02/21/federal-judge-ruling-blocks-trump-administration-dei-funding-00205585
[2] https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/trump-plane-crash-dei-press-conference-biden-faa-washington-dc-rcna190020
[3] https://abcnews.go.com/US/dc-crash-victims-aboard-american-airlines-flight-5342/story?id=118250442#
