Mississippi feminist talks grassroots politics
Michelle Colon started SHERO Mississippi to fight for abortion access, programs that help poor women
Michelle Colon is emblematic of what the grassroots activist will look like in the event of Roe v. Wade being overturned by the Supreme Court. She’s a Black woman in Mississippi defying what the local authorities plan on doing with abortion access should the legal protections go away.
Colon has been in the state for 20 years. There used to be an abundance of clinics, but now there is one that is at the center of the abortion rights debate. It’s Jackson Women’s Health Organization, located in the state’s capital. The facility is at the center of the SCOTUS decision that will go a long way in determining what will happen to abortion access there and elsewhere.
Colon started Sisters Helping Every Woman Rise and Organize, or SHERO MISSISSIPPI, to fight for reproductive justice in an area that has historically been hostile to both feminism and civil rights. Colon began it because she felt that she was devalued as a feminist within a movement that is driven largely by white leaders.
“Issues of women of color were still taking a back burner in parts of the movement,” Colon said. “And I got sick of that.”
Colon said that she embraces the range of reproductive issues, including the right to an abortion. Some within that community have shied away from championing what is a divisive issue.”
“There's a lot of funding that's available and being thrown around,” Colon said. “So what is happening is that people who are not (abortion rights supporters), and who are really not even pro-choice, are (picking and choosing) what parts of reproductive justice they want to take on just for the funding opportunities.”
Some prominent feminists have called for a greater embrace of localized politics. Democratic operatives should care about every office, from highest to lowest. It’s on school boards that women can get books written by Betty Friedan or Susan Brownmiller into curriculums. City councils can institute fair pay policies for their employees, many of whom represent the lion’s share of the local workforce. And at the statewide level, if legislatures flip to pro-choice candidates, many of the antiabortion bills could be repealed and access could even be expanded. But to do so requires a movement that has a message shaped by the manners of speech and customs within each community’s population.
“Utilizing grassroots activism for some seems like it's an archaic way of doing things, but it's the most successful way,” Colon said.
Platforms at the national level could be shaped by the successful arguments used in different parts of the country.
In certain states like Mississippi, there are some harsh realities to politics. Colon explained the rules they have to play by. For candidates to be successful, they have to publicly express their devout beliefs. They have to oppose any form of gun control. They have to express a dislike for gay people. And they have to want to criminalize abortion. If they do all those things, then Colon said, “they’re in like Flynn.”
With that said, it’s worth mentioning what other Democratic leaders have sought to do to build the party’s appeal in southern states. William Barber’s Poor People’s Campaign has grassroots activists in cities nationwide to garner support for economic reforms that help those in need. Nearly one-fifth of Mississippi’s population is below the poverty line. The average household income there is nearly $26,000, according to census figures. Programs dedicated to helping single mothers with daycare may find support.
Colon is planning a big rally on June 17, which is right around the time most people predict that the Dobbs decision will be handed down by the Supreme Court.
“That’s what I’m calling our D-Day event,” Colon said.