Hi John,

You know how when you shake an inhaler and all you hear is a little ball bouncing around inside? That's how my brain has felt this month as the weight of the future weighs on me. With my support systems and coping mechanisms at the ready, I’ve still been spiraling about my anxiety (during Mental Health Awareness Month [[link removed]] , of all months.) Through this, I’ve managed to be comforted by community celebrations, demonstrations of strength, and content created by my colleagues and other artists. If you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, I hope you’re able to find some comforting nooks throughout this month’s newsletter.

What’s in a Name? Oh, You Know, Everything. 🌏♥️
nwlc.org/resource/asian-american-native-hawaiian-aanhpi-heritage-month/?ms=NW_20250529 [nwlc.org/resource/asian-american-native-hawaiian-aanhpi-heritage-month/?ms=NW_20250529]

As we wrap up Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month [[link removed]] , I have been thoroughly enjoying the collaborative collection of blogs that my AANHPI colleagues published. My favorite blog [[link removed]] is about the importance of my colleagues' names and what they mean to them; how something so personal and yet so much bigger than them has changed the ways that they see the world and their family. AANHPI people deserve dignity, respect, protection, and advocacy every day. If you are unsure of where to start, start with their names.

Person That Lived Rent-Free in My Head This Month: Fatima Goss Graves 🏛️🏳️‍⚧️
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Earlier this month, our president and CEO Fatima Goss Graves testified [[link removed]] before the House Oversight Subcommittee on Delivery on Government Efficiency (DOGE). Fatima led with strength and moral conviction as she answered questions and rebuffed transphobic rhetoric from extremists who have no plans to actually address serious inequities in women's sports. In her testimony, she said:
“Anti-trans bans hurt all women. They’re wrong. And we won’t let them be enacted in the name of “protecting women.” Because they don’t protect women. They harm us all, and it is discrimination, period.”

Fatima was also part of a viral [[link removed]] exchange during the hearing with Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX). Together, they shined a light on the absurdity of the committee hearing and how extremists lack concern for women in every other political context. I applaud Fatima for her bravery and for my colleagues who prepared her for the moment.
Must-Dos and Must-Reads ✅📖
* Read our By the Numbers [[link removed]] report, which shows how women and LGBTQIA+ folks disproportionately rely on essential government programs, including Medicaid, food assistance, and housing assistance. This means that proposed cuts to these programs would disproportionately impact them.

* Tell the Senate to vote NO on any budget bill [[link removed]] that would give billionaires even more tax breaks at the expense of women, families, and LGBTQIA+ people across the country.
* Check out the latest blog [[link removed]] about Cassie testifying during the Sean “Diddy” Combs trial and what this says about systems that punish survivors.
* Jessica’s monthly media menu 🍽️ (if you’re looking to spice up your media diet) * Read Sunburn [[link removed]] by Chloe Michelle Howarth
* Watch Sinners [[link removed]] in theaters (or IMAX if you’re able!) and listen to the soundtrack [[link removed]]
* Listen to I Don’t Know How But They Found Me! [[link removed]] by Jensen McRae


Feminist Moment of Joy: Mother’s Day 🤱🏾💐
Fatima testifying [[link removed]]
In the midst of my latest mental health struggles, I have been thinking a lot about the women who made me. For my whole life, I have watched my Nana, my Grandma [[link removed]] , and my Mom sit at the heads of dining room tables and gather our family together. In times when the men in my family have stood around scratching their heads, these three women rolled up their sleeves and got to work. When I was happy or sad, I would be pulled in with open arms. When I was confused, they served as beacons.

Becoming an adult has allowed me to see these women not just as matriarchs, but as whole people who are also going through life for the first time. They don’t know everything, and at one point they were young like me; they know a lot because they’ve been through a lot.
As I visited my family this Mother’s Day, I sat alongside my Mom and my Grandma (and my Nana, in spirit) on the back deck. I was overwhelmed by emotion as I thought about how I am able to be who I am because of everything they have gone through. While I wish they didn't have to struggle through hard times, I can always let them know that I love them—because it's never too late to thank a mother figure. As I work through my anxiety, I ground myself in the love of the women that come before me.

With warmth and strength,

Jessica Baskerville
she/her/hers
Media Relations Manager
National Women’s Law Center
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