Organizers and activists from across the country are coming together to protest the overturning of Roe V. Wade on Sept. 30, in honor of the national DAY WITHOUT US initiative. Organizers behind the day of action, are asking supporters and participants to stay home from work and school on Friday, to show “demonstrative power and autonomy over how they use their bodies,” a press release noted.
Instead of attending school and work, participants will have the opportunity to attend an online teach-in event at home, that will feature a wide range of topics on unionism, abolition, voting rights, climate justice and international solidarity.
RELATED CONTENT: Join The Fight For Reproductive Rights: A #DayWithoutUs Is Here
There are also special performances and conversations planned during the event. DAY WITHOUT US, which is spearheaded by a number of Black reproductive justice advocates and organizers, is a day that will give participants a moment to pause and reflect on the “collective grief, anxiety and exhaustion” that has stemmed from Roe V. Wade’s historic overturning.
“Day Without Us is a day of disruption, learning, activation, and community building. The current conditions require that we exercise our power in both new and familiar ways,” said DAY WITHOUT US Campaign Director Tiffany Flowers in a statement.
“Our bodies that our government exerts more control over daily- fuel and drive all of the systems that keep this country running. We will remove ourselves from our daily routines and join a mass teach-in to understand how the fight for reproductive justice is a fight for all of our freedoms — and learn how to plug into the fight from where you are.”
Sept. 30 also marks the 46th anniversary of the Hyde Amendment which banned the use of federal funding to pay for abortions through Medicaid.
It is also the Friday before the next Supreme Court session, which begins on Oct. 3rd when more critical cases on voting rights, First Amendment rights, and bodily autonomy will be decided.
The National Birth Equity Collaborative, Color of Change, and The Black Trans Fund are some of the Black organizations leading the peaceful protest. Read more about the initiative here.
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