An RH Reality Check Farewell
August 28, 2009 - 2:43pm (Print)
Dear RH Reality Check community members,
As many of you know, today I'm taking leave of my position as associate editor at our site. I'm very excited to be assuming a new post as web editor at The Nation. But I'm terribly sad to leave behind the incredible community of reproductive justice advocates and writers gathered around RH Reality Check -- a group so smart, so principled and yet so grounded. Thankfully, I'm not taking leave of the site itself -- I'll be reading, commenting and, I hope, occasionally authoring articles; submitting reader diaries and sharing all the terrific content. Nor, I hope, am I truly leaving the community behind -- I couldn't miss the rallies, conferences, phonebanks, online debates and all the friends I've made in the field -- and I know this site will facilitate that ongoing connection.
As I've wrapped up my time here, I've been reflecting on my own journey as an advocate for reproductive justice. When I started at RH Reality Check, I was unquestionably pro-choice and progressive, but it didn't take more than a week for me to realize that there was far more to all of this than I'd seen portrayed in the mainstream media -- there was a fight on for women's lives and dignity of which abortion was only one (if critical) facet. I soon discovered that attacks on contraception, denial of truthful and just sexuality education, the need for sexual rights and LGBT equality, the rights of mothers to parent with dignity, the politics of HIV prevention, pregnant women's rights, birthing politics, the status of women around the world, reproductive health care for incarcerated women, women's right to be free from violence and coercion, economic justice and access to health care -- they were all connected, all crucial pieces of our work and all necessary to keep mindful of if we wanted to make progress on any one aspect.
Thanks to all of you, I have learned so much and in so doing gained an invaluable perspective on my own life and acquired methods of analysis I'll use wherever I go next.
With my deepest gratitude for what you've given to the site, and to me,
Emily.
Emily,
I know we will all miss your incredible work day in and day out here. You are a dedicated, incredibly intelligent, patient and persistent worker and you've been a big part of making RH Reality Check what it is today. The crew at The Nation are lucky to have you on board! But I know we'll stay well connected both through the work we do here and also as the good friends we've become.
Congrats on your exciting new job!
Brady
Emily - I'll be sorry to see you go from RHRC, but wish you the best at The Nation!
Emily, congratulations on your new gig! I'm with Rachel - very sorry to see you go from RHRC, but The Nation is a terrific opportunity and I wish you all the best with it. Tho I'm sure your colleagues won't be nearly as excellent as they are now!
Best, Kirsten Sherk
It's been such a pleasure working with you, Emily. I know you'll do great things at The Nation.
Many congratulations.
You're a goddess!
It's been so fantastic to work with you, and I'll really miss working together a lot! The Nation is so lucky to have you, and I hope it'll be fantastic for you. :)
Well Emily, I'm afraid I'm going to have to insist that you pop in from time to time, because if you don't, WE KNOW WHERE TO FIND YOU!
Congratulations!
Amie Newman
Managing Editor, RH Reality Check
Be the change you seek,
Scott Swenson, Co-Publisher
Lovely Emily, i look forward to your great work at The Nation, but you will be SORELY missed here...you'll remain the heart of RH Reality Check no matter your change in contribution.
Your contribution of your thoughts here was very valuable to me, and I will continue to look for your continuing thoughts at your new location. They're lucky to get you!
Congratulations, Emily! I've enjoyed working with you and wish you the best of luck at The Nation!
-Yolanda Johnny Taylor, UN Foundation
