Welcome back to the Power Builder, your one-stop resource for reproductive freedom news and resources!
What We’re Working On
Here’s what PPAC is focused on right now and how you can be part of it.
We are deep into primary election season and early voting is underway across the state. Make sure you check out our digital voter guide and share it with your friends, family, and the strangers you run into at the grocery store. Most importantly, make sure you get out to vote on or before March 17!
What Brings Us Hope
A reminder that change is possible and you’re not alone in this fight.
As Black History Month comes to a close, we want to share some resources on the Reproductive Justice (RJ) framework. The RJ framework was born out of the work of Black women activists, including members and founders of the SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice Collective, who gathered here in Chicago in 1994. Realizing the mainstream women’s rights movement didn’t address their unique needs, they developed a broader vision of freedom with a human rights approach that asserts everyone has the power and resources for bodily autonomy, the right to have or not have children, and the right to parent in safe, healthy environments. The RJ framework addresses how race, class, and gender intersect to create barriers to reproductive freedom, going beyond a “choice framework” to demand systemic change for marginalized communities. Their work continues to shape how we fight for dignity and justice today.
Read more, with Reproductive Justice: An Introduction, and learn more about SisterSong’s ongoing work here.
What You Can Do
Your actions make a difference. Here’s how you can help this month.
On Saturday, March 28, Personal PAC and our Hands Off partners are taking to Grant Park once again to rally and march against a federal regime that continues to attack our basic freedoms.
Sign up now to let us know you’ll be there on March 28, and stay tuned for details on how you can help us amplify the message of reproductive freedom!
What We’re Reading
Articles, research, and commentary we think are worth your time.
- Abortion, Every Day: “A Year Without Adriana Smith.” On her family’s fight for justice.
- The Nation: “Keeping the Police Out of Pregnancy Care.” On pregnancy criminalization and law enforcement’s encroaching role.
- Anat Shenker-Osorio: “Bringing a Survey to a Gun Fight.” On how polling has failed us, why, and what we can do about it.
Why Personal PAC?
I’ve had the privilege of working with Personal PAC in the state senate to pass the Birth Equity Act, expanding abortion, pregnancy, and birth protections and access in Illinois. It was a turning point for me as someone who saw them as a leader in reproductive care policy and progressive values in the state; one that motivated me to get more involved.
Once the opportunity came up to join the NextGen Board, I immediately wanted to be part of it. I want the NextGen Board and myself to help move people to actively be part of the reproductive healthcare movement. Times are dire and if we can plug into our strengths, organize ourselves, and be intentional about bringing in people to care and support our own allies and champions, we will be so much stronger each and every day on this issue.
What is the one thing you’re most worried about right now?
To be frank, I’m worried about the stamina of our people all around. I understand that is the playbook that is meant to beat us down, and seeing people step up to fight has been heartening! But what do you do when you work full-time, when you also have responsibilities to care for family, and every day you’re bombarded by the news that the federal government is discouraging birth control use, is taking away safety net resources, and plans on resending ICE in droves in the spring? We are stronger together, and we don’t get to protect reproductive access without each other. And that means caring for oneself each day to be able to fight the next day.
What’s the one thing you want people to know about Personal PAC?
I want and will make sure people know that Personal PAC doesn’t silo itself, and takes seriously in a moment of “business as usual politics” that it must work and be part of each level of activation.
What’s giving you hope right now?
My friends and family! They help make sure I’m okay in the day-to-day, and give me some space to just be Maya. I look forward to volleyball each week with my friends, TV catch ups and cookbook nights, and family dinner just to name a few of the things that are keeping me sane in the insanity. Come summertime Chi, catch me rooting for the White Sox and repping South Side strong. And once softball (12-inch and 16-inch) season starts back up, you will never catch me just staying inside during the warm beautiful weather.
In solidarity,
Sarah Garza Resnick
Personal PAC president & CEO