It's happening!

It's the people expressing interest in joining the coalition and signing up. It's an annual Zoom account sponsored by a friend (thank you, M!). It's an email address, midnight thoughts, and a calendar filling up with times to join existing spaces and talk about the coalition.

It's really happening.

I haven't word-smithed anything yet, but the three values guiding me in this effort are built in my own life experience, and professional experience. I have White-Lady-Worries about if my values will alienate people from participating, and the Activist-Within shushes the worrier quickly and says, "If they can't align, they aren't our people, and that's okay. Just do what you think is right." As many times as I've had this internal argument it still entertains me to hear my desire for approval still rise up.

Here they are, in their infancy. The values that lead me here, that guide my words, that remind me to sit back in silence (hard for me, I am noisy, I'm working on it!), set a table with a lot more seats, and to always know who my Elders are.

• The coalition will be guided by the principles of reproductive justice as established by SisterSong, which teach us to look at reproductive care beyond the lens of just choice, but directly addressing the intersections behind barriers and opportunities, and engage in our community responsibility to ensure that all families can thrive.

• Within the realm of the coalition, we will speak about abortion care as normal healthcare. Every person is the expert of their own life, resource and capacity, and should be supported in making the choices right for them. Divesting from stigma, we work to ensure that providers have accurate information about abortion care options for Pierce County residents.

• Community members are the experts of their own needs and how to care for each other. The coalition endeavors to be active listeners rather than teachers, to respect open space without filling it, to center people before systems, and to engage in cultural humility and curiosity. We prioritize and elevate the voices of those with lived experience, and who are a part of the communities they represent.

I'm excited to get to know more people who want to be involved, and I can't wait to see the links we create. We're reaching our hands across generations- to those who came before us for wisdom and patience, and to those who will come after us that they might have a much better chance to thrive.