Can You Imagine a Day Without the Work of Black Women ? The “ Day Without Us ” Campaign Wants Us to Try
Program Success 38 October 2022
A Day Without Us
Can You Imagine a Day Without the Work of Black Women ? The “ Day Without Us ” Campaign Wants Us to Try
Our bodies are tired . We are all exhausted from fretting about pandemics , economic insecurity , eroding systems , and institutions and elected officials who have failed us . We ’ ve been trying to keep ourselves and the people we love safe and encouraged while searching for ways to manage grief , sadness , school and work . And we ’ ve felt very alone amid all this trauma . Today , we say enough . Today we invite you to abandon borders , boundaries , and binaries to build solidarity across the country .
It ’ s been nearly 100 days since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v . Wade , but some Black women aren ’ t letting decades of reproductive rights slip away quietly . Black women from several reproductive and racial justice organizations are challenging Americans to put down their work and come together for a collective day of action they ’ re calling a # DayWithoutUs .
The event organized by advocates at The FrontLine , Netroots Nation , and several other national advocacy partners , marks the 46th anniversary of the Hyde Amendment . For those who don ’ t know , the Hyde Amendment blocks federal Medicaid dollars ( along with all other federal funds ) from going towards abortion care , meaning Medicaid recipients have to pay out-of-pocket for care .
Many Black reproductive advocates argue that keeping Hyde in place makes abortion care cost prohibitive for lower-income folks , who simply can ’ t afford the hundreds or even thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket costs for abortion care . “ Our opposition is united , and we need to be just as united ,” says Mac . “[ We can ’ t ] just talk about abortion here or just talk about the climate there .”
As for how the day is actually going to work , the general idea is that folks would skip work and their “ routines ” to attend an all-day digital teach-in session starting at 11:30 am ET .
There will also be in-person pop-up sessions throughout the day in Washington , DC , New York City , Atlanta , Chicago , and other cities throughout the country .
Tiffany Flowers , another event organizer and Campaign Director for The Frontline , says she ’ s well aware of the fact that many marginalized folks won ’ t be able to afford to take off an entire day of work . But , she hopes that folks will be able to tune in when they can throughout the day .
# DayWithoutUS emphasizes the autonomy of participants above all . We will move participants from education to absorption to action around reproductive justice and democracy defense , realizing that work encompasses labor , climate , racial , disability , housing , and gender justice . By hosting inperson gatherings and virtual teach-ins in communities across the country , we ’ ll share information and immediately connect people with local reproductive justice , democracy , and organizing work happening where they live .