Dear Friend,

My name is Jordyn, and I'm the Ohio State Coordinator with URGE: Unite for Reproductive & Gender Equity. I sit on the board of Ohio’s statewide abortion fund, WHO/O, and do abortion storytelling and political education throughout Ohio. When I’m not working, I catch up on sleep with my handsome kitty, Tony.

February is Black History Month, and while it’s important to celebrate how far we've come, we must also use this time to demand justice. Black communities across our nation are being left behind by lawmakers during this pandemic — with Black women being the most negatively affected.

In Ohio, Black residents are being vaccinated at far lower rates than white Ohioans. Women of Color, especially Black women, are the hardest hit by pandemic job loss. Even before this crisis, LGBTQ+ youth experienced high levels of housing insecurity and homelessness, but during the pandemic, Black LGBTQ+ youth have suffered the greatest setbacks.

We must show up for our communities and build safety nets. Community allows us to keep each other safe when our government fails to do so. Reproductive Justice, founded by Black Women, is a framework to create safe communities Beyond Policing, with accessible, free healthcare, stable and secure housing, and enough resources for families to have the autonomy to have children, not have children, and be able to parent those children we have in safe and sustainable communities.

In Solidarity,