Hey friend, the news has been gut-wrenching, and I hope you are taking care of yourself and your loved ones at this moment, particularly everyone facing the threat of their bodily autonomy being taken away.
Before the SCOTUS document was leaked, our team had just announced our fourth partner state – Oklahoma. We are thrilled and honored to be adding OK to our roster.
Unfortunately, the incoming SCOTUS decision on Roe v. Wade was not the only bad news activists on the ground in Oklahoma had to face these past 48 hours. Just yesterday, OK Governor Stitt signed an abortion trigger ban into law — now the most egregious ban on the books in the country. Not only will this law restrict essential reproductive care after only 6 weeks of pregnancy, it encourages private citizens to ‘enforce the law’ by putting a $10,000 bounty on health care providers who provide an abortion any later in the term.
That’s why Groundwork is determined to support hyperlocal organizing efforts in Oklahoma starting now.
Oklahoma is another one of the so-called ‘red’ states that Democrats have written off for decades, at tremendous cost. It’s states like Oklahoma (and Mississippi and Alabama…) where our failure to show up has created fertile ground for the conservative movement to push their most regressive policies and spread them across the country. We’ve seen it on voting rights, on democracy protection, on trans equality and abortion.
I want to be up front: we face a long and tough path forward in OK. But over the last few weeks my team has seen the incredible organizing capacity and potential on the ground. We’ve found pockets of opportunity that could change the political trajectory of Oklahoma – if local organizers get the resources they need to educate, engage, and activate voters year-round.
Here at Groundwork, we’re more interested in ten-year plans than two-year plans. Which is precisely why we’re going to Oklahoma. We know that long-term investment in sustained local organizing is the most effective way to turn political tides and rewrite the map for the next generation. And we’re incredibly humbled to join those who have long been fighting on the ground in Oklahoma.
And you can help. We still have a goal of raising another $30,000 by tomorrow to get started on the ground. Can I count on you? Here’s the link to give now:
https://secure.actblue.com/donate/gwp_partnergrants
We’re so excited to introduce you to some of the amazing organizers we’ve already met in Oklahoma & to find creative ways to support them in the months and years ahead.
Our grant program is the foundation of that work. (To support it, donate here!)
- Joe