Sorority and fraternity members of the National Pan-Hellenic Council, Inc., commonly referred to as the Divine 9, have come together in an effort to guard the lives of Black women following the historic overturning of Roe V. Wade by The Supreme Court. The repeal of the law, which was in place for nearly half a century, ended the constitutional right to an abortion. 

The coalition of Black Greek Letter Organizations (BGLO) recently launched the “Tell Any person” public service campaign. The initiative emphasizes the disproportionate impact of the Supreme Court’s decision on Black women. It also calls on the community to interact elected officials to re-establish the appropriate to abortion. 

“Overturning Roe v. Wade is not going to end abortion. It would only end protected abortions and access to healthcare for tens of millions of ladies—particularly poor women of color—and fuel a full-fledged public health crisis on this country,” Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity President Chris V. Rey, J.D., said in a press release.

“We’re calling on the two.5 million members of the Divine Nine to contact lawmakers to mitigate the impact of this egregious blow to the well-being of 10 million Black women of childbearing age,” Rey added.

Planned Parenthood CEO Alexis McGill Johnson, a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, supports the Divine Nine’s advocacy efforts to counter the Supreme Court’s decision to finish the appropriate to an abortion.

“Creating medically unnecessary barriers to abortion only makes it harder for people to get the health care they need and deeply affects communities that already face challenges throughout the health care system—communities like ours,” said McGill Johnson. “Despite the darkness, we live through, we must do not forget that we’ve the ability to make a difference,” she said. 

With “Tell Any person,” The Divine 9 goals to empower people to assist counteract the negative impacts of the repeal. As a component of the campaign, the organization released a video narrated by actress Jenifer Lewis, which detailed a number of the difficult circumstances that always lead Black women to hunt abortions. 

In keeping with the organization’s public service announcement, nearly half of Black women in the US face sexual coercion. One in every 4 will experience sexual abuse by the age of 18. And 35 percent will experience some type of sexual violence during their lifetime. Black women are also 3 times more likely than white women to die from pregnancy-related complications. Following the repeal, the mortality rate amongst Black moms is predicted to extend by 33 percent.