Dear John,
As I was writing this letter, the Texas Supreme Court ruled against Texas abortion providers in their last ditch effort to stop enforcement of SB8. This means the Texas law banning abortion after 6 weeks, with no exceptions for rape or incest, will remain in effect indefinitely, as the U.S. Supreme Court contemplates whether to overturn or completely gut the protections for abortion rights in Roe when it issues its decision in the Dobbs case this summer. We will soon have more in-depth coverage of this critical decision.
Earlier this week, we celebrated the birth of a feminist icon — it's been 200 years since Harriet Tubman was born.
“Harriet Tubman’s bicentennial birthday comes at a time when our nation and the world exist at a crossroads,” writes Janell Hobson, who curated and edited the #Tubman200 Project for Ms. “Born in either late February or early March in 1822, Tubman is the bridge between Black History and Women’s History months. She stood at the intersection of race and gender and ushered in freedom for all because her own freedom required it.”
As Hobson writes in her introduction to the project, Harriet Tubman lived many lives. She was a liberator. Abolitionist. Diviner. Healer. Astronomer. Naturalist. Freedom fighter. Spy. Suffragist. Daughter. Sister. Mother. And so much more.
And as #Tubman200 Project contributor Keisha Blain points out, Black women today shoulder many of the same challenges Tubman endured in her lifetime — from persistent economic and housing insecurity to the highest infant mortality rates in the nation. In the face of these deep-rooted systemic inequalities, she writes that putting Tubman’s face on the $20 bill — while “symbolically meaningful” — brings us no closer to collective liberation. “This historical development will hold much greater meaning if we commit to addressing the tangible needs of Black women—including better access to quality healthcare, a fair wage, equal opportunity, and economic security,” Blain notes.
As we stand at this crossroads, we honor the women like Tubman who paved the way for where we are now — and those who carry on her work and fight for systemic change.
This women’s history month, Ms. salutes those who go unacknowledged: the caregivers, performing labor that goes underpaid or uncompensated. The abortion providers who courageously provide essential services despite an increasingly hostile climate towards abortion rights. The women in war zones around the world, who persevere in the face of gendered and racialized violence. The women who raise their voices for those who must stay silent for their own safety.
I urge you to peruse the whole remarkable and enlightening #Tubman200 Project series of essays and art, of which we're highlighting a sample in this week’s Must Reads. You can find the rest at msmagazine.com/tubman200.
