Care & Community: LA Creators Gather to Honor Roe's Legacy
On a warm Los Angeles evening, creators, activists, and community organizers filled a room at De La Nonna in Downtown LA with a shared purpose: to get fed, share truth, and reimagine what collective care looks like in the current fight for bodily autonomy.
This January marked over 50 years since Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973—a landmark victory that guaranteed the constitutional right to abortion for nearly five decades. Yet we gathered in the shadow of its loss. In June 2022, the Supreme Court overturned Roe, and the fight for reproductive freedom became more urgent than ever.
FEMINIST brought together LA's creator community for "Care & Community"—an intimate salon-style gathering that blended expert insight with honest conversation about reproductive freedom, storytelling, and the power we hold when we show up for each other in this moment.
Why We Gathered
California may be considered a reproductive "safe state," but we know the truth: bans anywhere are bans everywhere. With Florida's abortion restrictions tightening, temporary state funding for abortion access set to sunset, and federal attacks on "sanctuary states" looming under the Big Beautiful Bill, the fight for reproductive justice is far from over—even here.
We came together to honor the legacy of Roe, to ground ourselves in the reality of what we've lost and what we're still fighting for, to learn from those on the frontlines, and to explore how creators can wield their platforms as tools for care, education, and mobilization.
Every guest left with a FEMINIST News zine in hand—because information sharing is mutual aid, and the news we need doesn't always make headlines.
The Experts Who Guided Us
After settling in with vino and conversation, we heard from three incredible experts who are are the frontlines of reproductive health access every day:
Dr. Jennifer Russo, Medical Director for the CARE 121 Program at LA Department of Health Services and Executive Director of DuPont Clinic LA, offered a sobering landscape report. She walked us through where we are three years post-Dobbs—the state-by-state shifts, what's worsened, and what remains possible when we refuse to look away.
Rebecca Nall, founder of I Need An A, shared the tools and resources creators can actually use and share with their audiences: where to find accurate information, practical digital security tips, medication abortion access pathways, and trusted California-based organizations doing critical work.
Tricia Gray, Volunteer Engagement Coordinator at ACCESS REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE, brought it home. She spoke about the role of abortion funds in California and nationwide, the independent providers who provide the majority of abortions in the U.S., and how creators can take action—not just with posts, but with sustained support and storytelling that centers community need.
FEMINIST's Co-founder Ky Polanco rounded out the expert panel by engaging the community in a group discussion on creative messaging across platforms, pointing attendees to resources like the FEMINIST News zine and offering strategies for sharing reproductive health content in ways that break through algorithm suppression and reach people who need it most.
What Happened When We Opened the Conversation
After the experts spoke, the room shifted. What followed wasn't a lecture—it was an awakening.
Creators opened up about the tension between their platforms and their principles. One guest, whose content originally centered on LGBTQ+ rights, shared how telling his own story—making himself vulnerable—helped him find his voice on reproductive justice. The two fights, he explained, are deeply interconnected. Sharing his truth didn't just expand his platform; it created space for his audience to share theirs.
Others talked about the crisis of this moment and how it's reshaped what they're willing to stay silent about. Lifestyle creators who once shied away from "political" content admitted they can no longer hold back. Things have gotten too dire. Too many rights have been dismantled. The decision to use their platforms for awareness wasn't easy, but it felt necessary.
Some are experimenting with new formats—podcasts, comedy, alternative storytelling methods—to talk about what matters without triggering content suppression. Because censorship, they told us, is deeply affecting their communities. The algorithm shifts are real: content about bodily autonomy and rights awareness gets shadowbanned, while brand partnerships and lifestyle fluff sail through untouched.
And yet, they're still showing up. Still trying. Still using what they have to make sure people know the truth.
The Power of Convening and Shared Stories
There was something especially magical about gathering around a table—passing plates, pouring wine, sitting with the uncomfortable truth and hope at the same time. We didn't just talk about reproductive freedom in abstract terms. We talked about what it feels like to live in a body under siege. We talked about the people we love who can't access care. We talked about what it means to build a world where everyone has autonomy—not as a distant dream, but as an urgent demand.
What is the Future of Resistance
As dinner wound down, we raised our glasses—not in celebration, but in commitment. To the fights ahead. To the people doing the work. To each other. To honoring what Roe represented, and to building something even stronger in its absence.
Because that's what this gathering was really about: care and community. Not as trendy words, but as practice. As strategy. As survival.
What You Can Do
The creators in that room left with tools, connections, and a renewed sense of purpose. You can, too.
→ Educate yourself. Save I Need An A for up-to-date abortion access info and for those who may be seeking care.
→ Support abortion funds. Donate to ACCESS REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE and other community-based funds doing direct support work.
→ Use your voice. Share stories. Amplify facts. Don't let the algorithm silence what people need to hear.
→ Take Action. Visit it our “Abortion Access Toolkit” for ways to advocate, activate and show up in this critical fight for reproductive freedom.
→ Show up. Join us at the next FEMINIST salon. Subscribe to our newsletter. Be part of the movement.
Photography by Emma Knowles
Thank you to ACCESS REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE, I Need An A, Dr. Jennifer Russo, Rebecca Nall, and Tricia Gray for grounding us in truth and showing us what care in action looks like.
