Statement from the Carolina Abortion Fund
Decision Day is Here, 6/24/2022
First: if you need a minute, take a minute. Your body is likely tense and flooded with (righteous, justified) rage and frustration at all the (deliberate) mechanisms that brought us here. Give yourself space to breathe. Make no mistake: we are furious. We were furious when the draft leaked. We were furious each time a new restriction designed to chip away at Roe was introduced over the last decade. Anger lives in our bones.
But we want to be abundantly clear about a few things: right now, you can STILL GET AN ABORTION IN BOTH NORTH AND SOUTH CAROLINA. Our wraparound infrastructure remains intact: we can help coordinate and pay for procedures for both North and South Carolinians and are doing so today–like we do every day. We will continue to fight to keep care legal and accessible. We believe no one should be forced to travel to receive medical care. And if either state implements additional abortion restrictions, we will update you on actionable steps and continue to coordinate care–no matter what. We have been anticipating and preparing for this ruling for some time, and we are grateful to have strong networks in place with sibling funds across the region and country.
Abortion restrictions have ALWAYS sought to punish the most vulnerable amongst us – particularly people of color, trans individuals seeking care, and low-income individuals. CAF formed in response to the gaps that Roe v. Wade allowed for–restrictions on public funding for abortion, state-by-state TRAP laws, and the United States’ deliberate lack of programs and services that help people live safe, autonomous lives. Roe was always the floor, not the ceiling.
Since 2011, the Carolina Abortion Fund has coordinated and funded care for patients in North and South Carolina. We provide funding, transportation support, doula services, and post-abortion support. We are supported by a small staff (funded through outside grants) and a volunteer base that operates our warm line, text line, and judicial bypass line. 100% of donations we receive fund our callers. If you are feeling overwhelmed and unsure of what to do at this moment, investing in our infrastructure will help us stay open. There is no need to reinvent the wheel: we’ve been doing this for over a decade and preparing for this outcome for a long time. Right now the most important thing you can do, if you are able, is donate.
If you can’t donate, spread the word. Talk to your family and friends about abortion. Tell them abortion funds exist to ensure people can access care. No matter what, abortions will continue to be needed, and people will need funding and practical support to access abortions. We will continue to provide that funding and support. No matter what.
ESPANOL
Primero que todo: si necesitas tomarte un minuto, tómate un minuto. Es probable que tu cuerpo esté tenso e inundado de ira y frustración (justas y justificadas) por todos los mecanismos (deliberados) que nos trajeron aquí. Date espacio para respirar. No te equivoques: estamos furiosos. Estábamos furiosos cuando se filtró el borrador. Estábamos furiosos cada vez que se introdujo una nueva restricción diseñada para socavar a Roe durante la última década. La ira vive en nuestros huesos.
Pero queremos ser muy claros sobre algunas cosas: en este momento, TODAVÍA PUEDES OBTENER UN ABORTO EN CAROLINA DEL NORTE Y DEL SUR. Nuestra infraestructura integral permanece intacta: podemos ayudar a coordinar y pagar los procedimientos para los habitantes de Carolina del Norte y del Sur y lo estamos haciendo hoy, como lo hacemos todos los días. Continuaremos luchando para mantener la atención medica legal y accesible. Creemos que nadie debe verse obligado a viajar para recibir atención médica. Y si cualquiera de los estados implementa restricciones adicionales al aborto, los actualizaremos sobre los pasos procesables y continuaremos coordinando la atención, pase lo que pase. Hemos estado anticipando y preparándonos para este fallo durante algún tiempo, y estamos agradecidos de tener redes sólidas con fondos afiliados en toda la región y el país.
Las restricciones al aborto SIEMPRE han buscado castigar a los más vulnerables entre nosotros, en particular a las personas de color, las personas trans que buscan atención médica y las personas de bajos ingresos. CAF se formó en respuesta a las brechas que Roe v. Wade permitió: restricciones en el financiamiento público para el aborto, leyes TRAP de estado a estado y la falta deliberada de programas y servicios en los Estados Unidos que ayuden a las personas a vivir vidas seguras y autónomas. Roe siempre fue el piso, no el techo.
Desde 2011, Carolina Abortion Fund (fondo de aborto de las Carolinas) ha coordinado y financiado la atención medica de pacientes en Carolina del Norte y Carolina del Sur. Brindamos financiamiento, apoyo de transporte, servicios de doula y apoyo posterior al aborto. Contamos con el apoyo de un pequeño personal (financiado a través de subvenciones externas) y una base de voluntarios que operan nuestras líneas directas, de texto y de circunvalación judicial. El 100 % de las donaciones que recibimos financian a quienes nos llaman. Si te sientes abrumado y no estás seguro de qué hacer en este momento, invertir en nuestra infraestructura nos ayudará a permanecer abiertos. No hay necesidad de reinventar la rueda: hemos estado haciendo esto durante más de una década y nos hemos estado preparando para este resultado durante mucho tiempo. En este momento, lo más importante que puedes hacer, si puedes, es donar.
Si no puedes donar, pasa la voz. Habla con tu familia y amigos acerca del aborto. Dígales que existen fondos para el aborto para garantizar que las personas puedan acceder a la atención médica. Pase lo que pase, los abortos seguirán siendo necesarios y las personas necesitarán financiación y apoyo práctico para acceder a los abortos. Continuaremos brindando esa financiación y apoyo. Sin importar qué
PA Education Action Team: Statement on DPS Growing Together Plan
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Members of the Board,
The People’s Alliance Education Action Team urges the BOE to wait to approve the new proposed academic application programs and elementary school boundaries. We believe the regional model presented to the Board has many strengths, including a clear focus on equity and efficiency. The 30+% mileage reduction is no small feat, and we know parents and children will appreciate shorter bus rides. We also appreciate the increased access to magnet programs, especially in currently under-served communities such as the Eastern Region which has no magnet programs at the moment.
However, we believe the model still needs the following adjustments before approval is appropriate:
- Consider moving one of the district-wide magnets to the Eastern Region to improve equity.
- Target engagement with stakeholders in school communities that are losing existing special programs, even if alternate programming has been proposed for those schools (R.N. Harris, Bethesda, Lakewood, W.G. Pearson, and Club Boulevard).
- Develop and release a detailed legacy policy so parents understand how each of their children will be affected.
- Analyze costs associated with continuing special programs at R.N. Harris, Bethesda, and Lakewood if communities express a desire to do so.
- Clarify how the new regional approach to programming will coexist with the community schools model that has been successful in two highly impacted schools (Club Boulevard and Lakewood).
While we believe the proposed regional map is a good starting point, addressing the above concerns might require some tweaking of the map to prevent overcrowding at some schools and under enrollment at others. Because of this, we ask the Board to delay voting on this proposal until no later than October 2022 to maintain the current implementation timeline.
We appreciate the effort and expertise of the talented DPS staff who developed the Growing Together initiative. We share their vision of a more efficient and equitable school system for all children in Durham. Regardless of timeline, we urge the Board to consider the above pressing issues before implementing the current plan.
Warmly,
Vanessa Barnett-Loro and Jenny Jones Coldren
on behalf of the People's Alliance Education Action Team
People's Alliance Celebrates 35th Anniversary of Durham Pride
On the 35th Anniversary of Durham’s Gay Pride/Recall Victory
Celeste Cornelius with Mab Segrest
On June 25, 1986, a flyer was distributed around Durham that read in bold print at the top of the page “JUSTICE FOR ALL” with only a thin black line separating the words “DON’T SIGN THE PETITION!” At the bottom of the page, it read “NO RECALL!”
Although the flyer announced Durham Citizens for Responsible Leadership as the ad-hoc coalition that mounted this campaign, the P.O. BOX and address were those of the People’s Alliance. This piece from the archives of the People’s Alliance shows the role that People’s Alliance played in one of the earliest and most important battles for gay and lesbian rights in the history of Durham, as I discussed with PA Board Member Mab Segrest this week.
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