It’s been a rough few days across our country and community since the U.S. Supreme Court officially overturned Roe v. Wade on Friday. I was sitting in our monthly Washtenaw County Board of Health meeting with my friend and fellow Board member, County Commissioner Katie Scott, when the news broke. We immediately jumped to action to serve our community. We knew from our decades of on-the-ground work that our neighbors would need space to come together for mourning, clarifying the immediate effects of the decision, and taking action. Together with Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit, we created a new coalition to coordinate efforts in our community, the Washtenaw Helpers on Abortion Access (WHOAA!) coalition. The coalition’s first action was to hold a vigil and rally on the University of Michigan’s Diag that very evening.
The immediate actions the WHOAA! coalition is promoting are:
Sign the Reproductive Freedom for All petition by this Friday, July 1 - find a list of places to sign online, and spread the word
Donate to the Midwest Access Coalition, an organization that pays for ancillary costs of abortion, such as travel and lodging
I put my campaign on pause on Friday to serve our community, because I know what’s at stake. I’ve been fighting for sexual and reproductive rights and health access for two decades, including serving as a sex educator and HIV test counselor. That’s why I’m the only candidate in this primary endorsed by multiple pro-choice organizations; nearly all Democrats say they’re pro-choice, but endorsing organizations vet their candidates to make sure they have a history of doing the work. This demonstrates that I’m the Democrat we must send to Lansing. Can you chip in $10, $25, $50, or whatever you can to send me, the Democrat with a proven history of doing this work, to Lansing to keep fighting for you?
I also want to say thank you again to our vigil speakers U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Dingell, Michigan State Representative Felicia Brabec, Washtenaw County Commissioners Shannon Beeman and Katie Scott, Reproductive Freedom for All leaders Bonsitu Kitaba and Julie Falbaum, and Washtenaw County Prosecutor Eli Savit. I was honored to serve during the vigil as emcee from the new WHOAA! coalition.
We are grateful for the news coverage in MLive, the Michigan Daily, WXYZ Detroit/Channel 7, and Click on Detroit.