Becoming a parent has made me more attuned to the invisible scaffolding that holds certain lives up. I had the freedom to decide if, when, and how to become a parent, and I’ve had the support to live that decision with dignity. A supportive partner and family. Access to healthcare and childcare. A career with stability and flexibility. These are often described as privileges, but that word obscures the truth. They are essential forms of care. And care should not be scarce.
As we observe Black History Month, I find myself thinking about how unevenly care, safety, and autonomy have been distributed in this country, and how often Black women, in particular, have been asked to carry the weight of families, movements, and futures while being denied the same protections or choices.
In my books, The Three Mothers and Erased, I write about Black women whose labor, leadership, and vision have shaped our world, while their contributions have so often been overlooked, minimized, or strategically buried. That erasure is not just historical. It shows up in whose choices are protected, whose bodies are defended, and whose futures are allowed to be planned.
The freedom to make decisions about our bodies and our lives only exists when it is supported by real systems of care, including safety, healthcare, and economic security. Without those, choice becomes fragile and conditional.
This is the foundation of the work at Women’s Foundation California (WFC): the belief that bodily autonomy and reproductive freedom are not abstract ideals, but material conditions that must be ensured and sustained over time.
Planning is one way we do this. While we may not always want to think about it, when you create a will, you are protecting the people you love. You are also extending your values forward, saying that the world you believe in should last beyond the present moment.
Last April, I had the honor of hosting a legacy gathering for WFC centered on future gift planning as an act of feminist self-determination. That day, longtime WFC colleague and supporter Lee Draper announced a $1.1 million legacy endowment, the Draper|Paiva Feminist Legacy Fund for Bodily Autonomy.
The intention behind this fund is both simple and profound. Resources that protect bodily autonomy should not depend on political cycles or moments of crisis. Created by Lee Draper and her husband, Thomas Paiva, the fund advances reproductive justice, including access to healthcare and essential resources. It also supports work to confront gender-based violence in all its forms, because choice without safety is not choice at all.
Legacy gifts like these allow WFC to take the long view, investing in community-led organizations, responding when rights are under threat, and helping build a future where care and reproductive freedom are not the exception, but the expectation.
Thank you for taking a moment to reflect with me today. I hope you will check out WFC’s FreeWill resources and create a plan that protects your future and helps make that future more just, more caring, and more equitable for others.
P.S. Already included Women’s Foundation California in your will or trust? Please let us know so we can celebrate your commitment to our shared feminist future.