Newsletter #1

Dear friends and supporters,

This is our very first Women Unite! newsletter that represents a two-and-a-half year journey, one made possible by a whole long list of friends, family, small businesses, and other folx who helped take this informal group of volunteers and transform us into a formal nonprofit. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

As I sat down to write our inaugural newsletter, I kept coming back to this question of, “What now?” I’m someone who spends most of my time thinking about the future and have a hard time living in the moment, so this is a question that consistently flashes across my brain. It’s also a question I’ve found myself asking a lot more since November 2016. Trump won the election. What now? Neo-Nazis are marching in Charlottesville. What now? Kids are in cages. What now? Yet another mass shooting. What now? This administration has an unending propensity for hateful wretchedness. WHAT THE (*insert swear word of choice*) NOW???!!!

This question inspired me and our four other co-founders to start Women Unite! in December 2016. It inspired a collective of women, many of whom are now board members, to join our small but mighty squad as we found ways to connect with and empower our community. In January 2019, the question of “what now” inspired Women Unite! to start the process of becoming a nonprofit. Since officially launching this past June, our “what now” has been our three partner charities: Assata’s Daughters, {she crew}, and Midwest Access Coalition. For the next 12 months, Women Unite! will provide capacity-building services to these organizations for free. Our services include fundraising & communications, graphic design & marketing, and professional training & development.

In addition to providing direct support to these three groups, our “what now” involves using our platform to make sure you all know about their critical work--about Assata’s Daughters, a Black-women founded, youth-led organization that provides political education and leadership development to young people as well as revolutionary services like mental health counseling, food access, and employment opportunities; about {she crew}, an organization committed to providing creative outlets to girls and gender expansive youth, giving them the chance to find their voice and learn in a collaborative environment; and about Midwest Access Coalition, which provides logistical and emotional support to women seeking access to safe abortions.

In November 2016, many of us were confronted by a series of difficult questions--some of us for the very first time. How did we get here? What responsibility do I have in this? What could I have done better? How can I be better? What now? Women Unite! is an attempt to answer this question. It’s an opportunity to acknowledge our privilege and our resources and use them to amplify the voices of those committed to making us all a little better--more equitable, more compassionate, more creative, more inclusive. As we move forward through the year, our newsletter will be a chance for you to learn about Women Unite!, connect with our partner charities, and find ways to answer the question "what now?" for yourself.

Sincerely,
Liz Jansen
Co-Founder & Executive Director