Hi John—

These wise words came from my therapist long before the pandemic, but the words are ringing true as I think about the rush this week to hold hearings and confirm a new Supreme Court justice, who will be anything but good news for gender justice. But we’ve been here before. You can trust we will dissent and are fighting hard to protect our rights and the legacy of RBG. We won’t back down and, most importantly, we won’t allow this moment to steal our joy.

Protect Black Women.

#MeToo has transformed our culture for the better. People are more empowered to hold people in positions of power—entertainment moguls, chefs, Olympic team doctors—accountable for their actions. For the third anniversary of #MeToo going viral, we’re challenging society to center Black survivors. Black survivors can no longer be pushed to societal margins waiting to receive permission to be supported. Read this op-ed from Megan Thee Stallion, that gives us a look into what it means to show up for Black women, always, all ways.

Coming Forward.

This week we also released a new report based on the stories of the thousands of survivors who have come forward to the TIME'S UP Legal Defense Fund over these past three years. The findings reveal the courage it takes for people to come forward and report the harassment and abuse they’re experiencing in the workplace. This AP headline sums it up: "Many who report harassment face retaliation."

A She-what?

Despite having the highest labor force participation, as of the September Jobs Report, one in nine Black women were still unemployed. How do we put economic justice back into the hands of the people? By voting. On October 23 at 2:00 p.m., Fatima Goss Graves will join C. Nicole Mason, CEO and President of the Institute of Women’s Policy Research for an Instagram Live conversation, “By the Numbers: Black Women and the Shecession,” to discuss how the recession is affecting Black women and why economic justice is on the ballot this November. With more than 860,000 women leaving the workforce just last month, it’s time to address why Black women face income insecurity at higher rates than other women, and how to change that.

Here are a few must-dos:

• My money tree has done more for me than Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Having plants in your home can create a relaxing atmosphere, but my money tree—or Guiana Chestnut—won’t provide critical funding for front-line, health care, child care, and unemployed workers. We need senators to address the current financial crisis. Contact your senators and tell them to provide funding for child care, health care, front-line and unemployed workers, housing, education, the postal service, and state and local governments.
• We could go on about the myriad of ways confirming Judge Barrett would impact gender justice. And we have! Read our latest blogs and learn why this confirmation would be bad for sexual assault survivors, LGBTQ+ people, reproductive rights, economic security, and workplace protections.
• Latina Equal Pay Day, which is on October 29 this year, marks the symbolic day when Hispanic and Latina women’s pay “catch up” to non-Hispanic white men’s earnings from the previous year. Latinas are paid just 55 cents for every dollar non-Hispanic white men are paid. Learn more about the lifetime wage losses for Latinas (it’s more than a million dollars!) or find out how to get involved here.
• After you catch up on the action, do something nice for yourself (and your stomach!) and learn how Elena Torres Wirth, assistant for Strategy & Policy, is finding comfort through her grandmother’s recipes. We have exclusive recipes for enchiladas, calavacitas con chile verde, posole, and more!

Chaos or not, I’m celebrating fall.

This has been quite the year, and it still isn’t over. I know I mentioned it in the last newsletter, but I’m still a champion for change. We can resist, fight, and hope for change. But remember, joy is also resistance, so it’s also a part of change. We need to be well, not just running on fumes, if we’re going to persevere for gender justice. One small, but significant moment of joy this week came from pausing on a random stoop and posing with pumpkins. Can you caption what I’m thinking?

I’d love to find out—what fall activities are you doing to cultivate joy currently despite the chaos?

For justice (and joy) for her and all,
LySaundra Campbell
she/her/hers
Writer and Editor
National Women’s Law Center