Let’s Make History Together

This past week has been historic in the U.S. as the first Black woman and first Asian American is poised to lead the ticket of a major political party. As our most recent Status on Women & Girls+ report outlines, we know that women bring different experiences to the decision-making process. Women introduce more legislation than men related to women’s rights, children, and family. Women of color bring expanded community voices to elective office—and they focus especially on issues and interests of their communities.

One thing that we have heard loud and clear from the WFM community this past week is that we are all committed to not going back. Not going back to an era when the rights of marginalized people were ignored. Not going back to when women were not allowed to access economic opportunity. Not going back to a time when the safety and health of women, girls, and gender-expansive was non-existent.

As we look forward, we’ve heard from all of you how important it is to ensure that everyone in our state has access to reproductive healthcare, especially since the Dobbs decision. Thus, we’re proud to announce a first-of-its-kind Reproductive Health endowment here in Minnesota. Through a generous $400,000 seed-funding gift from Midwest Legacy Fund, we have an opportunity to keep reproductive healthcare safe and legal in our state and be a role model for the nation.

This fund will support reproductive health efforts and clinics across the state that are struggling to keep up with the increased demands for services because Minnesota has become a sanctuary state for people not only in this region, but from across the country. It comes at a time when Minnesota’s decline in rural obstetric services now outstrips the national average—with nine Minnesota counties losing birth services over the past decade. Many rural women in Minnesota must now travel several hours to deliver in a hospital with obstetric services. For example, a woman who lives in Grand Marais would need to travel more than 2 hours by car to Duluth to give birth in a hospital with obstetric services.

We are currently seeking individuals and institutions interested in matching Midwest Legacy Fund’s seed-funding gift to build this Reproductive Health endowment. If you, or someone you know, is interested, please contact Nadia Siddiqui at nadia@wfmn.org. If you want to be part of creating a Minnesota where all women and girls thrive, we ask that you donate to the Women’s Foundation. Thank you for your support—now let’s make history together!