SBWPC Members,
There is quite a lot to share with you this month. But I must start by saying the words that are heavy on my heart today:
Breonna Taylor
Breonna Taylor deserved justice, she did not get it. She deserved better. Black women deserve better. We must do better to seek justice and reaffirm that Black Lives Matter.
Remembering Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
I was so proud to have SBWPC join other women’s organizations in our community to organize a Vigil to honor the life and work of Justice Ginsburg and speak out on the precarious moment we find ourselves in to retain the rights and freedoms that are essential to our feminist values. To watch a video of remarks from all the speakers, click here. I wanted to share my remarks with our members:
I stand here as a feminist, a mother, a woman who has been standing side by side with many of you for years, and especially the last four years.
Like many of you, I’m reeling – caught between the mixed emotions of deep sorrow at the loss of our great RBG, at the need to act in solidarity and protection of each other and others, and the profound weariness I feel at the relentless attacks on us. So I want to name that we are feeling a spectrum of emotions tonight.
I’ve been reflecting on my personal commitment to the cause for justice – for reproductive justice, racial justice, and gender equality.
And I’ve been reflecting on my family’s history. My grandmother was widowed at a young age and fought and worked her whole life to care for her children as best she could
My parents were only a few years younger than I am when they left everything behind and immigrated to this country on the promise of opportunity and freedom for their daughters.
I stand here with their blood in my veins and I know that for them and for my own children, I cannot, must not give in or stop fighting.
This is IT, THIS is the moment we are needed more than ever. THIS is the moment we have feared for four years. No one is coming to save us but US.
Everything is on the line. Every liberty and freedom we have fought for, that generations before us have fought for – for autonomy over our own bodies, for economic independence, for immigrants rights, for healthcare for all, for LGBT rights, for racial justice, for voting rights, for public education, for disability rights. It is ALL on the line.
We must be unflinching, we must now be ruthless, we must be willing to sacrifice.
We must do everything we can to stop the Senate from confirming another Trump Supreme Court justice. We cannot rely on Senate Democrats or a few Republican senators to do the right thing. We need mass mobilization of the people.
We must elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris and we must elect feminists and reproductive choice champions up and down the ballot. Including right here in our County.
45 days. What will you give, what will you do to preserve our democracy and our freedoms.
We need everyone to get to work, to work together
We are joined in darkness tonight but we can find the dawn in 45 days
We will fight, we will not give in
We must not give in. Now is the time to focus on the individual actions we can each take to support feminist candidates from President to School Board. Our Feminist Voter Guide is included below. Share it with your friends and neighbors. In this newsletter you will also find opportunities to volunteer for candidates starting now.
Thank you for your continued support of the Santa Barbara Women’s Political Committee!
Luz Reyes-Martín