It's time to disobey.

I’ve rewritten this note four times because it was laced with so much cynicism and despair. I won’t sugar coat - we are in trouble. Minority rule is a threat to all life on earth. And given the direction things are going, it’s going to get worse before it gets better.

But all is not lost, y’all. In the wake of the devastation of the last few months, I am seeing people wake up and realize that we cannot continue with business as usual. If we want to survive and thrive, we need to reject the status quo and do something different.

We need to disobey, be non compliant, become ungovernable. We need to challenge any and all systems that want to maintain the current order, that call for incremental reforms vs transformative solutions, that continue to choose the rule of “law” over life itself.

We need to do something different.

And we need to take care of each other. Because the struggle is real and people are suffering. We cannot let people be left behind and lost in this mess. We must, first and foremost, make sure that our people are rested, resourced and ready for the work ahead.

We deserve better. And we must love and fight our way towards it.

Kerri (she/her)

Art by @shoutyourabortion

1. While the fight will continue in the courts, assistance for those in need will be through more intimate and practical acts of mutual aid. Abortion activists on the road ahead. [click to tweet]

2. I Am a Trans Man. I Had an Abortion. Reproductive Rights Is Everyone's Fight. Don’t allow them to scare us into silence. Here's how we fight back. Right now. Today. All of us. [click to tweet]

3. There is a long pattern of Republicans attempting some unprecedented and undemocratic move, and Democrats responding with cooperation. Why Are Democrats Letting Republicans Steamroll Them? [click to tweet]

4. What does it mean for a website to "encourage" abortion? Media coverage of abortion is under attack by right wing groups who want to silence truth tellers and criminalize journalists. [click to tweet]

5. It's not just school shootings: the very idea of childhood as a safe, protected experience is under assault. American childhood as we knew it is over. [click to tweet]

Abortion bans are classist, ableist, misogynistic, transphobic, oppressive and unjust. And it is important to acknowledge and center those who are most impacted by these egregious laws: Black women, people who face documentation barriers, transgender and gender non conforming people, people with disabilities, and other people who are routinely denied access to healthcare. In response to ongoing abortion bans, many of you are asking where you should donate money. There are going to be those who tell you to give to Planned Parenthood and other big institutional orgs. They have their place in this fight. But I want to encourage you to give to those who are working on the frontlines of reproductive justice. When you give to the National Network of Abortion Funds, you give to the people who need it most. Here’s what you need to know:

• People facing barriers to abortion access often face more than one, beyond cost alone. that’s why many abortion funds provide what’s called practical support.

• Abortion funds work together to remove barriers to abortion access. Many work with clinic to help pay for abortions. Others offer support such as transportation, childcare, translation, doula services or a place to stay if you have to travel to get your abortion. All of which helps make abortion access real.

• Together abortion funds form a network of over 90 grassroots organizations that directly support people to get the abortions they want and need.

• Abortion funds never ask a caller to prove they need support, only gather essential information and make sure people feel respected and valued when they call.

• Abortion funds are autonomous in their structures and policies. They are uniquely powerful because they work together at and across local, regional, national and international levels.

• Abortion funds are funded by their communities and rely on you to spread the word about the critical work they’re doing. Please give. Spread the word. Show up.

Art by @abortionfunds

This resonated so hard for me. Everyday I hear of someone in my life falling to acute illness, chronic pain and disease, burnout, anxiety, depression and other struggles. And it’s no wonder. How can we be well when our systems are so unwell? In the absence of systems that take care of us, we must take care of us. Check in on each other. Make space for feeling and healing. Get the nourishment that you need to keep going. And keep showing up. The more we all show up for the work ahead, the less burden it places on those who are most impacted. Hold space for whatever you are feeling today. As the struggle for justice continues, we will continue to take care of each other. Follow the people who know the way. Plug in. Contribute.

Join us for a special community meet up TONIGHT (7EST/4PST) called “Rest & Repro”.

Image by @adriennemareebrown

Look no further. Trust yourself.

@panhandleslim

Join us TONIGHT for a community of practice bridging rest and radical action around repro.

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