Hey John,

I’ve been behind on my podcast episodes, but recently caught up on one that featured CaShawn Thompson, creator of #BlackGirlMagic (which she intended to be “Black Girls Are Magic”). CaShawn discussed everything from working on the book Goodnight Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Real-Life Tales of Black Girl Magic with Lilly Workneh, how child care is undervalued, and how our culture commodified Black Girl Magic into a competition for the elite.

Before We Close Out the Year...

This month, in partnership with Make It Work Nevada and MI Oakland Forward, we launched Show Me The Receipts, a campaign that bridges the gap between how poverty is portrayed in media and its real impact on millions of women and families.

Through video interviews, spending diaries, and documentation, the campaign follows the financial lives of several women fighting to support their families, including the unfair and difficult decisions they make each month in the middle of a pandemic and hostile economy.

“Show Me The Receipts is our effort to amplify that reality by sharing the resilience and courage of women on the front lines of a crisis generations in the making. The poverty experienced by these women is a choice made not by themselves but by the lawmakers who hold their future in their votes and their hands.” Fatima Goss Graves, NWLC President and CEO

Visit our website to listen to each of these stories and learn more about Show Me The Receipts.

Liberate Abortion: Access, Freedom, Equality, Justice

We’re excited to announce that NWLC is one of over 100 organizations coming together to Liberate Abortion. This new campaign was launched during last week’s oral arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization to build a world where abortion is equitable and available for all who need it without shame or stigma. Abortion liberation is about more than keeping abortion legal; it’s about access, freedom, equality, and justice. We rally for the future we know is possible: compassionate and affordable abortion care readily available in our communities, with love and support. We are grateful for the Mississippi Abortion Freedom Fighters and those organizing across the country who are ensuring everyone who needs an abortion gets one. Learn more about the Liberate Abortion campaign.

Must-dos & Must-reads

Congress is finalizing the details of the Build Back Better plan and that must include investments in women and family. Tell your senators to vote ‘yes’ on Build Back Better. Read our latest analysis on the impact of the economic crisis and COVID-19 pandemic on working women. And read our blog about why the billionaire Roys of HBO’s Succession should be taxed, written by Kathryn Menefee, Income Security Georgetown Justice Fellow.

Feminist Moment of Joy

I was recently reminded about Zaila Avant-Garde’s win this summer at the Scripps National Spelling Bee. And something about her story—and her carefree attitude—reignited my joy. Not only is she a well-read Black girl and spelling champ, but Zaila also holds three basketball-related records in the Guinness Book of World Records and aspires to either work at NASA, coach in the NBA, play in the WNBA, or explore neuroscience—which she has described as a “side interest.” And wow, there’s a freedom when we can dream without limits. From interviews, it’s clear Zaila has the brilliance to reach any of these goals. And I wonder: What could any of us do next year if we had confidence like Zaila? I know you have the brilliance—enough to care so deeply about creating a more equitable world for all of us. What freedom could you experience if your confidence matched your brilliance?

We’ll have a whole new year to find out—I’ll talk to you then!

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