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Currently in Toronto— May 4th, 2022

By Aarohi Sheth —

The weather, currently.

Periods of rain, possibly heavy at times continuing tonight

The rain will continue into Wednesday morning. Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement stretching from Kingston to Toronto to Niagara and through much of SW ON. 20-40 mm is possible, especially in the SW. Across the GTA, 15-30mm is expected. It will be a mild start to the day on Wednesday with a wake-up temperature near 11°C. The rain will continue to fall through the morning and rush hour, eventually tapering off before lunch. As the system pushes to the east, we will finally start to see some clearing later in the afternoon. The high is 16°C.

Wednesday night: Mainly clear with a low of 6°C.

—Anwar Knight

What you need to know, currently.

A draft decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, leaked by Politico, indicates that the Supreme Court could strike down the historic Roe v. Wade case later this year — the 1973 ruling that established a constitutional right to abortion in the United States.

Today we published an Op-Ed by Ashley Fairbanks— an Anishinaabe artist, writer, organizer, and digital strategist. In response to the leak, she wrote a road map on how to embrace an ecosystem of change-making, beyond just doomscrolling and telling people to vote.

Fairbanks wrote about how to plug into existing work,

“This is where we have to start. As close to us as possible. Let me give you a plan. Invite a few of your trusted friends to dinner. Maybe a potluck. Have a real conversation about your fears right now. Talk through different scenarios. Figure out your strengths and weaknesses as a group, and where you’re interested in plugging in. Make real plans.”

This methodology can be applied to what ever issue you're passionate about whether that's reproductive justice, climate, or another cause

Here is Fairbanks’ big advice:

  1. Look for existing information. Google is your friend. People that are doing abortion protection work are already overextended. Don’t rely on them to give you personal advice.
  2. Show up and plug in to existing work.
  3. Do what people ask of you. If you’re new to movement work, try and listen more than you talk, keep your head down, and learn. Offer skills you have, but also realize that you taking out the trash allows someone to do work that only they can do.
  4. Don’t waste your time and energy critiquing people if you disagree with their tactics. Find your lane and do your thing.

Read the full story: Beyond Doomscrolling and into Action.