Why I Co-Authored Three Acts of Justice
The Truth about Dobbs v. Jackson: The Global Impact of U.S. Reproductive Rights
I moved to Portugal in June 2022. That’s the month that the U.S. Supreme court decided Dobbs v. Jackson, the decision that overturned Roe v. Wade. You can vote as you’d like, and hold any opinion about whether or not you'd personally have an abortion. This is the story about why I co-wrote a white paper about abortion access, Three Acts of Justice, with Harvard University’s Rachel Florman. Psst! You’re getting an early heads up; it doesn’t launch until tomorrow, National Voter Registration Day.
It was time for a new play. 🎭
My primary goal is to educate folks about sexual and reproductive health. Theater stages are wonderful, 3-D, creative venue for doing this — complete with lights, camera, music, and a lot of action! Writing and performing I Füçkèd Your Country and other one-woman plays has been so much fun. I’m so grateful to everyone who’s ever supported any of my shows, newspaper and magazine articles, events, and other ways that I spread sex ed for adults.
In co-writing, Three Acts of Justice, even though it’s a white paper packed with original research, I knew I wanted it presented it in a unique format — a play! It includes:
Prologue: My own reproduction story.
Three acts: A wild journey through the history, present, and future of reproductive rights.
Finale: policy recommendations to make the world a better place for everyone.
At the moment, I don’t have any plans to perform it on stage. But, hey, you never know. This might be coming to a stage near you! Read the report and watch this space.
I want people to better understand sexual health.
Nearly 20 years ago, when I started my company FUNKY BROWN CHICK, Inc, it was for my freelance writing career. I still worked full-time in marketing for Newsweek, Fast Company / Inc. Magazine, BBC, and others. A lot has changed in 20 years. I’ve grown my company from a solopreneurship to Black woman-owned small business with 11 team members. The firm is now my full-time job. FUNKY BROWN CHICK, Inc. still produces my creative projects. We also help nonprofits, NGOs, INGOS, etc. scale their impact.
For current and potential partners who work in one of our nine areas of impact, I wanted them to better understand how policies and SCOTUS decisions — such as Roe and Dobbs — effect stuff they’re working on, too!
In fact, when several Supreme Court Justices opted to overturn Roe v. Wade, the Justices that disagreed with them said: The rest of y’all better be on alert because they’re probably they’re coming for your asses, too. Technically, they didn’t say those exact words. But, this did say:
“The lone rationale for what the majority does today is that the right to elect an abortion is not ‘deeply rooted in history’ [...] The same could be said, though, of most of the rights the majority claims it is not tampering with. Either the mass of the majority’s opinion is hypocrisy, or additional constitutional rights are under threat. It is one or the other.”
This report isn’t just about abortion—it’s about the broader landscape of justice and rights in general. So, even if you’re like: Yeeeaaah, but I’m not really big into abortion stuff, you’ll probably appreciate understanding Dobbs v. Jackson’s impact on issues such as: faith-based activism, interracial marriage, birth control access, rights of incarcerated people, private schools, forced sterilization, marriage equality, and so much more.
It’s an election year. I want you to vote.
You should vote for whoever you want to. Like all good cat ladies, I’m voting for Harris. 🐱 In fact, the passive ActBlue funding campaign I created for her the day after Biden dropped out of the race has helped 4,334 people raise $493,204.71 to get the Harris/Walz ticket in office. It’ll say it again: I don’t want you to vote for who I’m voting for. I want you to vote for who you want to vote for.
This report’s timing aligns with recent public opinion research that shows how abortion access might factor into the presidential race. Gallup’s recent report shows most Americans believe abortion should be legal in at least some situations, and a majority disagree with the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision to overturn Roe. For Harris/Walz supporters, Pew Research Center notes 67% say abortion access is a “very important” issue.
If you’re an American:
Do you live in the U.S? Visit vote.org for more info.
Do you live abroad? You still have the right to vote, too. Visit votefromabroad.org for more info.
Since I’m talking about politics, in the Tiny, Private Love Letter — and everywhere else, as usual — my personal opinions are my own. Anything that comes out of my mouth doesn’t necessarily reflect any official policy or position of any organization, my coauthor, my firm’s partners, nor any other living or dead entity on Earth, other planets in the the Milky Way Galaxy, or elsewhere in space. 😘
I’m grateful for you.
I’m online all day, every day. Some of you have been with me since the beginning. In between Tiny, Private Love Letter updates, you can watch my TikToks chronicling attempts to learn European Portuguese, see my outfits in IG stories, or connect with me elsewhere.
Today, I also hope you’ll:
Tell me who I should send this report to. You’re welcome to share this love letter and this report with others. Additionally, please feel free to reach out to me directly to tell me who you think I should send it to. Who, in particular, needs a copy of this report?
Download Three Acts of Justice to learn more about why this whole sexual and reproductive health stuff is so important to me.
Bringing the white paper to life was a huge undertaking. Now that it’s done, I’ll have more room and space for other items — including returning to more regular Tiny, Private Love Letter updates. If you know anyone else who might be interested in the report, please ask them to get in touch with my firm at smile@funkybrownchick.com or +1 (202) 643-3492.
I appreciate your dedication to educate and share your extensive knowledge. Keep up the informative dialog and positive influence to the world.