I started this publication a year and a half ago with a simple goal: track reproductive health policy through a Southern and rural lens, and do it without the doom-scrolling despair that so much of this coverage carries. Six months into this year, I want to reflect and tell you what that’s actually looked like, and say thank you for being part of it.
By the Numbers
Since January, this newsletter has grown to over 1,000 followers and more than 600 subscribers (and counting). Se Repro Justice is consistently ranked in the top 100 creators in the Health Politics category. None of that happens without people actually reading, sharing, and sticking around, so genuinely, thank you.
How I Show Up
This year I launched a monthly series documenting how I show up for repro justice in my own advocacy work. It’s been a way to keep myself accountable and to make the day-to-day of organizing visible, the meetings, the volunteer shifts, the small wins that build community. I share what I’m doing to show that action doesn’t have to mean creating a nonprofit or starting a side hustle - it can look like participating in a monthly book club.
Southern Voices
In January I launched Southern Voices, a series built on relationships I’ve cultivated across the reproductive health and justice space. I’ve had the chance to sit down with a Florida state legislator, an abortion fund director, a prison doula, and community organizers, among others, and every conversation has reinforced the same thing: Southerners are showing up for each other in ways that rarely get covered. Building community, filling gaps in medical access, refusing to wait on institutions that move too slowly. That’s the through line of this series. I have many great guests lined up for the rest of 2026 and I genuinely hope you tune in to hear their stories and work.
With the followers milestone, I also launched the Southern Voices YouTube channel, where you’ll be able to watch these conversations directly with my guests, not just read about them.
Check Out My Interview Series Here
How You Can Support This Work
If you’re able, the most direct way to support this newsletter is becoming a paid subscriber. This gives you access to my weekly policy brief that hits your inbox at 7 am est every Monday morning. It gives you a heads up of what is happening in the week ahead at the federal and state level, what I recommend you read, translating complex health policy into real world impact, as well as hearing about Southern Voices guests before others. Paid subscribers also have access to all policy analysis and access to my published work. These analysis and commentary are in-depth and anticipatory of what the reproductive justice movement is moving to. If you want to be strategic and less reactionary, I greatly recommend this option. Think of it like your personal assistant in understanding the most important headlines, without doing all the research yourself!
If a recurring commitment isn’t in the cards right now, a one time gift is just as meaningful. You can leave whatever amount makes sense for you here.
And if neither of those work right now, that’s completely fine. You can still support this work by restacking, sharing, or liking a piece that resonated with you, or just telling a friend this newsletter exists. All of it helps more than you’d think and drives more people to my content!
Let’s Collaborate!
If you want to collaborate on a piece, pitch a partnership, or you or someone you know would be a good fit for Southern Voices, message me directly here on Substack. I’m always looking for more voices to highlight and showcase how incredible the south really is! I want to change the narrative of the south and do it by telling one story at a time. Thank you for reading, for sharing, and for believing this kind of coverage matters.
Cheers to the next six months.
I’d love to hear how you are taking action, locally, to build community, create more positivity, and advance reproductive justice!
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