Grassroots coalition of Wilmington activists protest 'attack on a woman's right to choose'

"On Wednesdays, we wear pink."

Borrowed from a line in the movie "Mean Girls," that's the slogan adopted by a loose-knit group of Wilmington activists who have started weekly Wednesday protests against what they call "the attack on a woman's right to choose."

Spurred by recent reports that the U.S. Supreme Court may be poised to overturn Roe v. Wade, which protects a woman's right to have an abortion, they hope to gather signatures for a petition to convince local leaders to enact laws and/or policies that would protect and support women in New Hanover County who choose to have an abortion.

From 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Wednesday of last week, several dozen activists gathered at the corner of South 17th Street and Hospital Plaza Drive. Among them was Alisha Swinson of Wilmington, who had helped organize the first protest the previous Wednesday.

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"When I began the group I was a one-man band," Swinson said. "I then decided I would step out and be brave and create a Facebook event with a day and time and see who would show up. Week one I had almost 50 people come."

"It was strictly word of mouth and people taking screenshots of my post and reposting to their social media," Swinson added.

Among others, the protests got the attention of Lily Nicole and Brandon Cagle, who helped form Wilmington community group the lowercase leaders in the wake of 2020's George Floyd protests in Wilmington.

"We were just upset and wanted to show up," Nicole said while at the protest last week, wearing a pink shirt and holding a sign that read, "I (heart) my abortion." "We want our county to be a safe one for women and we want to protect women's rights."

Swinson said the spot she chose for the protest, in an area that's been used by by pro-choice activists in the past, was intentional.

"I chose this spot because I've seen them here many times in the past and been outraged," she said. "If they can be out there, I can, too."

Inspiring her to protest, Swinson said, is her belief that "women are going to die" if Roe v. Wade is overturned.

Over the honking of horns from passing vehicles responding to one protester's sign that read, "Honk for Women's Rights," Nicole said one of her major concerns is that an abortion ban could have "a trickle-down effect" in terms of health access, and would have a disproportionate impact on people of color and those without means to travel to another state for an abortion, or to obtain one in other ways.

"It's an attack on all health rights," she said. "Abortion won't stop. You'll still have coat hangers" and people trying unsafe and possibly deadly drug mixes. "It's terrifying that it could happen."

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Last week, activists of multiple races and ranging from retirement age to teenagers attended the protest.

Swinson said representatives from Women Organizing for Wilmington, a group dedicated to advancing progressive political causes, also showed up at the protest last Wednesday and will be joining them moving forward. She's encouraging other groups to join them as well.

Swinson and Nicole said they're particularly inviting men to get behind their cause.

"This isn't just a women's issue," Nicole said. "A lot of men have benefited from access to abortion."

Both women said they will continue to attend the weekly protest until they feel their concerns are being heard by local leaders, and hope to make access to abortion in New Hanover County an election issue in November.

"We'll be here until they talk about it. Until they make some changes," Nicole said. "If you can make a policy protecting golf courses, you can make a policy protecting women."

Contact John Staton at 910-343-2343 or John.Staton@StarNewsOnline.com.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Wilmington activists aim to make New Hanover Co. 'safe' for abortion