The Newsletter

WELCOME BACK. TODAY IS FRIDAY, MARCH 29.
Today’s newsletter is brought to you by Tessa (she/her), Supermajority’s deputy director of digital experience. She spends her time thinking about our membership, the value that Supermajority adds to our members’ lives, and how to use online spaces to meet women where they are and determine what they need to build their power.

How do you work towards building women’s political power?
I have the honor of leading Supermajority’s digital experience team — working with the most thoughtful people — to think about how the internet and online communities can be used to create a world that is safe, that allows families and women to thrive, and that honors and acts with a steadfast eye for intersectionality. While being online can be detrimental in so many ways, there is never a day where I don’t feel deeply that we need to be utilizing it to reach others who share our values, so that we can combine our power. So many young women get their information online, form their value systems online, and find spaces to become the leaders that they are online. If Supermajority can be in some of those spaces to educate, to train, and to get us one voter closer to a new reality, I will try my best to get us there.

What does a world that actually lifts up, supports, and cares for women look like for you?
A world where just surviving is not an option. I want universal basic income and healthcare (including mental healthcare), I want affordable housing, I want sustainable and accessible food systems, and I want to build communities that focus on making sure everyone has what they need when they go to sleep at night and when they wake up in the morning. I know, it’s a lofty goal, which is why I’m so passionate about mutual aid and how it can get us closer to this possibility, in pockets of neighborhoods all over the world.

What’s your guilty pleasure?
Don’t make me admit this online! I watched The Bachelor this season after not tuning in since Rachel Lindsey’s season (because why would I watch any other season) and well… first it got me through the cold Midwest winter months doing my daily walks on the treadmill, and then I was hooked. I can’t wait to watch Jenn’s season, but don’t tell anyone I said that.

What’s your go-to productivity trick?
I want to say I have a regular productivity system, or that I’m always on top of my game, but I’m not. If I’m feeling stressed about the work ahead of me, I’m pulling out the Pomodoro method. If I’m really in a pinch, I will pull up ambient sounds of a coffee shop on YouTube and blast it in my headphones while I work. Try it, it works.
Here’s what you’ll find in today’s biweekly newsletter: an update on mifepristone, honoring Trans Day of Visibility, Gen Z and college, and an invite to our Michigan day of action (my home state!). Plus, catch my weekend reads and what’s bringing me joy recently.

Let’s get started:

AN UPDATE ON MIFEPRISTONE
On Tuesday, March 26, Supreme Court justices heard oral arguments over the abortion drug mifepristone — the first abortion-related hearing since the court reversed Roe v. Wade in 2022. This case could restrict the use of mifepristone and severely limit abortion access for people across the country, regardless of their state’s abortion laws.

These potential implications come at a time where medication abortions made up 63% of all abortions in 2023, and usage of the medication increased 10% in the year following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the constitutional right to abortion. The most important thing to note from this case is that, if SCOTUS does decide to roll back recent FDA changes to ease access to mifepristone, the consequences can and will affect the approval of other medications and research, from vaccines to birth control. A decision from the justices is expected in July, but we will keep you updated as more information comes to light.

INTERNATIONAL TRANSGENDER DAY OF VISIBILITY
Join us in observing Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV) on March 31. TDOV is a day to honor the lives and contributions of transgender individuals worldwide while shedding light on the challenges they face, including discrimination and violence.

Originating in 2010, TDOV was established by trans advocate Rachel Crandall to counter media narratives fixated on violence against transgender individuals. In 2024, amidst intensifying backlash, it’s crucial to elevate authentic, diverse, and accurate stories that reflect the lived experiences of trans people. According to the American Civil Liberties Union, this year alone, 479 anti-LGBTQIA+ bills have been introduced across state legislatures — and many of these are a direct attack against the trans community. Moreover, since 2019, the American Medical Association has declared direct physical violence an epidemic which disproportionately affects Black trans women, with a majority being young Black trans women.

Let’s stand together to celebrate transgender visibility and advocate for a more inclusive world where everyone’s lives are safe. If you have time, I encourage you to check out two organizations doing incredible work for the community:

@thetransformationsproject — A trans-led nonprofit dedicated to providing accurate, actionable, and accessible info for the ongoing anti-trans legislative crisis in the United States.
@transrightsreadathon — An annual action call to read and uplift books written by and/or featuring trans, genderqueer, nonbinary, gender-nonconforming, and 2Spirit authors and characters.

GEN Z AND COLLEGE NOT LIKELY
According to a new Gallup poll, Gen Zers are less likely to want to attend college than their Millennial counterparts were two decades ago. Gen Z is weighing the benefits against the costs, and many are choosing another path.

It’s important to note that this generation has access to knowledge at their fingertips, and because of it, those between the ages of 12 and 26 generally lack trust in political and societal institutions like college and universities, Congress, police, and the military. And with the rising costs of pretty much everything, I don’t blame them for not wanting to start their adulthood in six figures worth of debt — especially because we’re still not seeing the kind of sweeping student debt relief that we need.

Instead, there have been piecemeal solutions that don’t address the root cause of college’s lack of access and affordability. For far too many, post-secondary education remains out of reach, and millions of people in America are still wracked by insurmountable debt. Two-thirds of outstanding debt is held by women, the majority of whom are women of color. And that outsized debt is a double edged sword for women who still earn less than their male counterparts. True, lasting solutions for the cost of college and student debt are needed, particularly for the young women who don’t trust the government and do not believe it works for them.

MICHIGAN DAY OF ACTION WITH SUPERMAJORITY
Tomorrow, Saturday, March 30, Supermajority will be in Michigan for a Women’s History Month Day of Action at IBEW Detroit from 11 am to 1 p.m. ET. We’ll be joined by Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, and state leaders and organizers who have made building a more equitable world their life’s work. If you’re in Michigan, or know a friend who might be interested, RSVP now >>

MY WEEKEND READS 📰
• Tighter regulations are reducing the risk of lead exposure in public housing
• Self-managed abortions rose by about 26,000 after Dobbs, study shows
• NYC Home Health Aides End Hunger Strike, Vow to Continue Fighting for an End to 24-Hour Workdays
• Pharmaceutical companies worry the Supreme Court’s abortion pill ruling could have a wider effect on drugs and research

WHAT’S BEEN BRINGING ME JOY ✨
• I’m fasting this month, so I’m taking time to make dinners in the evening that are filling and have lots of vegetables and fiber (it was time to say goodbye to girl dinner for a while). I’m really loving every recipe from Gillie.
• Calling my friends and family while doing some spring cleaning, because otherwise it’s not getting done (organization doesn’t come naturally to me, okay?).
• COWBOY CARTER. No further comment necessary.
• This final item is not bringing me joy, but it is honoring my commitment to a better world. Please, please, call your reps. Keep calling your reps, and demand a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and that the United States stop funding this genocide. And then, if you’re able, consider donating to families and individuals whose lives have been upended in the last six months.

Thanks for reading — you’ll hear from another staff member in two weeks.

— Tessa

Tessa Harvey
Deputy Director of Digital Experience, Supermajority