Source: Courtesy of Tyler Harden / T. Harden
‘Straight From The Mouths Of Mississippi’ is an ongoing series that centers the Black lives, experiences, histories and geographies of the Magnolia State. As Mississippi continues to be a victim and site of national and state politics and racism, with the highest population of Black people and the poverty rate in the U.S., MADAMENOIRE’s goal is to share real and rich stories straight from the horses mouth.
Mississippi taught the world how to organize. – Tyler Harden, MS State Director of Planned Parenthood-Southeast
As headline after headline began reporting the overturning of Roe V. Wade, Mississippi wasted no time stripping vulnerable Mississippians of abortion access. Just barely two weeks after it was announced, the Jackson Women’s Health Organization, also known as “The Pink House” was forced to close its doors. The last and only abortion clinic, gone.
A major setback in a state that already made it incredibly difficult for folks to access abortion, activists and organizers across the state refused to take this loss sitting down. Tyler Harden, a Mississippi native and Reproductive Justice advocate, is one of many folks on the ground working tirelessly to restore the reproductive rights of Missisisppians.
Speaking with Tyler on what brought her into this work, she discusses how her family history and unplanned pregnancy inspired to advocate for abortion access, especially for Black folks in Mississippi.
