Toward the end of January and beginning of February, HRC Alabama toured the state to keep constituents up to date about the actions of the Alabama legislature.

Post submitted by HRC Alabama Field Organizer Tori Wolfe-Sisson

Toward the end of January and beginning of February, HRC Alabama toured the state to keep constituents up to date about the actions of the Alabama legislature. We drove from Mobile to Montgomery on Monday, Birmingham to Tuscaloosa on Tuesday and Huntsville to Florence on Wednesday, stopping in each city to meet with HRC members and supporters and other pro-equality citizens interested in finding out more about HRC Alabama and what’s going on in Montgomery. Over 250 supporters came to the town hall meetings to learn about opportunities to plug into the work of the HRC Alabama.

The town hall meetings took place the week following the Women's Marches, and it was truly motivating for both staff and supporters to hit the ground running after an inspiring weekend of activism. In this political moment, folks who have disengaged or become politically apathetic are finding their place or their voice, and it is inspiring to behold. Some of the dialogues we had involved transgender folks who did not know they had support just down the street, while other conversations were around the needs of LGBTQ parents and their children.

One of the most eye-opening experiences for the organizers was using a live stream to connect with folks who were unable to attend the actual meeting. We plan to work to improve our mechanisms to make out information more accessible. Even if folks cannot learn about HRC Alabama in person, we hope to reach further into the communities we serve. We appreciate the time and energy of everyone who attended as well as our community partners -- Equality Alabama, Free2Be, EATSouth, Gateway at Alberta and Shoals Pridefest -- who assisted in securing locations.

Learn more about HRC Alabama’s work here.