Friend, I’m Michelle Colón, Co-Founder & Executive Director of SHERo in Jackson, MS – one of Groundwork Project’s proud grantees. SHERo (Sisters Helping Every Woman Rise and Organize) is a grassroots Black women/femmes Reproductive Justice organization based in Mississippi.
I know we are all reeling from last week’s news. But I’m here to tell you how critical it is for us to channel our fury and disbelief into action, because the folks on the ground – the people I serve every day – they need more than righteous indignation. They need resources, support and solidarity like never before.
The truth is that Mississippi has been in a post-Roe reality for decades. Our state politicians have passed restriction after restriction on bodily autonomy so that it is already near-impossible for any person in our state to access an abortion. It shouldn’t be a surprise that Mississippi is where Friday’s SCOTUS case – Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization – originated.
That means that reproductive justice leaders on the ground here in Mississippi, throughout the Deep South, and across so-called “red states” have been preparing for this moment for a very long time. We’re angry and we’re exhausted and we’re heartbroken. But we’re ready. And we’re determined.
Right now, we need your support like never before as we prepare to help people through what comes next and ensure that any pregnant person in need of reproductive care in this country can access the help they need. Click here to give directly to SHERo and help us provide direct support
At SHERo, we call ourselves Abortion Freedom Fighters because, at its core, abortion is about our dignity, our humanity, and our freedom. Access to abortion is more than just a right — and no one should be criminalized for exercising their human rights and taking control of their life and future.
No matter what, we will show up every day to do our work. We will defend our collective liberation and help any pregnant person in need, particularly the most marginalized. We will move forward, especially as they try to pull us back.
We did it yesterday, we’ll do it today, and we’ll do it tomorrow.
Because we decide our destiny. Chip in here to join us.
In solidarity,
- Michelle
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Michelle Colón (she/her)
Co-Founder & Executive Director at SHERo
Groundwork Project Grantee