In August 2019, an open letter was published online expressing solidarity with those harmed by WV FREE—including POC and LGBTQ+ folks—and calling for a change in organizational leadership. The letter was signed by racial justice, reproductive justice, and union organizations throughout West Virginia and the country; 20+ former WV FREE employees, board members, and contractors; and 300+ social justice leaders and community members.
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To add your name as an individual, organization, or former WV FREE associate, please sign on here.
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the letter
Published August 6, 2019
An open letter: White supremacy & WV FREE
In the spring of 2018, WV FREE abruptly lost half its staff. Those exiting included the only employees under 30, the only LGBTQ+ staff members, and the first and (at the time) only employee of color the organization had since its start in 1989.
Three of these employees resigned, unplanned, within days of each other, citing an unsafe work environment including racism, transphobia, and toxicity from leadership -- namely, WV FREE’s executive director (now CEO), Margaret Chapman Pomponio, and communications director (now COO), Julie Tawney Warden. These resignations came after months of unsuccessful attempts following recorded grievance processes, including roping in a contracted HR professional. In a last attempt to affect change, a 16-page document outlining details of events and instances showcasing ongoing toxicity and abuse of power within the organization was submitted upon the first resignation, addressed to the WV FREE board of directors (though the board did not receive it).
Three weeks later, WV FREE’s director of operations was fired without cause -- as would be legally determined by an unemployment hearing -- after expressing support for concerns raised by recently departed staff, and advocating for more equitable hiring practices and organizational anti-racism training. She was refused an exit interview.
In an email to the board of directors regarding the mass exodus, Margaret falsely claimed that staff who resigned did so because “they did not believe in working within a hierarchy, where they had to answer to and defer to supervisors,” and that they “left without notice, warning, or raising any purported concerns before their resignations.”
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This summer, a group of 14 former WV FREE employees, interns, and board members came together to share experiences, offer each other support and solidarity, and attempt to explore possibilities for preventing others from being harmed by the organization in the future. Some decided to share their stories publicly, including:
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Chela Barajas (they/them), former Organizing Coordinator with WV FREE | ⇢ Read Chela’s Twitter thread sharing their horrific experience as the only POC working at WV FREE, a #WhiteLedRJ org, including repeated instances of systemic racism and microaggressions. | ⇢ Read Chela’s original resignation letter to WV FREE.
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Katelyn Campbell (she/her), former intern, volunteer, and contractor with WV FREE | ⇢ Read Katelyn’s Facebook post detailing why she credits the end of her formal career in reproductive justice to the abuse of power she experienced at the hands of WV FREE’s CEO.
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Neera Doss Burner (she/her), former Field Organizer with WV FREE | ⇢ Read Neera’s blog post, entitled “What WV FREE did for me,” about her experience as a brown woman who was overworked, tokenized, and then wrongly terminated (days before she would’ve been eligible for unemployment) by WV FREE during last year’s ballot initiative fight. | ⇢ Read Neera’s follow-up blog post, entitled “The Pretty Guardians of Love and Justice,” on the backlash received from speaking up about her experiences, including being labeled as a “terrorist” by a former WV FREE board president.
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Caitlin Gaffin (she/they), former Director of Operations with WV FREE | ⇢ Read excerpts from Caitlin’s emails to WV FREE’s CEO and then-board president regarding the recent resignations of staff, and leadership’s failure to provide an appropriate reason for requesting her resignation.
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Ciera Pennington (she/her), former Organizing Director with WV FREE | ⇢ Read Ciera’s original resignation letter to WV FREE.
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Amanda Schwartz (she/her), former Operations Coordinator with WV FREE | ⇢ Read Amanda’s Facebook post touching on the events and poor treatment of colleagues, especially her colleague of color, that led to her decision to resign. | ⇢ Read Amanda’s original resignation letter to WV FREE.
WV FREE has attempted to silence the voices of POC and LGBTQ+ folks speaking their concerns. After refusing an offer by the community of a restorative justice session to address and resolve issues in July, WV FREE sent cease and desist letters to former staff and community members who have been voicing their concerns and sharing experiences of harm caused by WV FREE. Among those receiving cease and desist letters from WV FREE was:
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Peshka R. Calloway (she/her), Black woman, single-mother, disabled US Army Veteran, sexual assault survivor, domestic violence survivor, reproductive justice advocate, abortion storyteller, and proud Afrolachian | ⇢ Read Peshka’s account of her experiences with WV FREE and why she stands with former ex-WV FREE employees—“When I Met Neera & WV FREE”.
Just this past week, former WV FREE board president, Heather Foster Kittredge, has publicly and repeatedly labeled those sharing their stories as “a gang” and “domestic terrorists,” a choice of words that invites violence on the POC speaking out, literally putting their bodies at risk.
“It is unimaginably reckless and physically dangerous at this moment in history, or any moment in the reproductive rights movement, to label young POC and queerfolk as literal terrorists and gang members as a way to silence their voices when they ask for justice.”
~ Liira Raines, community organizer, regarding the behavior of WV FREE’s former board president, Heather Foster Kittredge
On July 30, WV FREE released a public statement which refers to those community members and former employees asking for restorative justice as “bullies” and accuses them of spreading falsehoods. The statement did not address any concerns raised by former staff or the community, but instead further sought to discredit and silence those who dared to speak out.
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The undersigned organizations and community members stand in solidarity with those harmed by WV FREE. We believe the experiences of the women, LGBTQ+ folks, and people of color (POC) who have bravely spoken out against racism, transphobia, and other injustices inflicted by WV FREE’s leadership, and we condemn WV FREE’s attempts to silence marginalized voices with legal threats rather than participate in restorative justice efforts as proposed by the community.
The behavior of WV FREE’s leadership throughout this conflict demonstrates their unwillingness to take criticism (deleting social media comments that aren’t positive, refusing to answer questions, blocking community members who voice concern, etc.) and their refusal to make any substantive change to be better advocates, allies, and leaders in our national reproductive health, rights, and justice spaces and local social justice community.
WV FREE’s CEO, Margaret Chapman Pomponio, and COO, Julie Tawney Warden, have demonstrated repeated racist, transphobic, and emotionally abusive behavior that continues to traumatize and target members of marginalized groups.
We, therefore, are calling for the immediate resignations of WV FREE’s CEO and COO, as well as a major overhaul of the WV FREE board of directors. We propose that a steering committee, made up of POC representatives from five to eight reproductive justice organizations, come together to conduct a hiring search for new WV FREE leadership.
West Virginia deserves to have a reproductive justice group that fights for everyone, and it is our hope that with these actions, we will be on our way to a safer, more effective reproductive justice space in West Virginia.
Signed,
Former WV FREE employees, interns, paid canvassers/contractors, and board members:
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Chela Barajas - former Organizing Coordinator with WV FREE
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Katelyn Campbell - former intern, volunteer, and contractor with WV FREE
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Molly Campbell - former paid canvasser with WV FREE
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Maureen Cremeans - former board member with WV FREE
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Neera Doss Burner - former Field Organizer with WV FREE
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Caitlin Lejarzar Gaffin - former Director of Operations with WV FREE
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Alex Gallo - former Field Organizer with WV FREE
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Rachelle Garner - former Field Organizer with WV FREE
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Crystal Good - former consultant and lobbyist with WV FREE
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Aaron Gumm - former volunteer and paid canvasser (canvass lead) with WV FREE
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Chloë Hays - former paid canvasser and contractor with WV FREE
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Gina R. Hays - former volunteer, paid canvasser, and contractor with WV FREE
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Clare Higgins - former paid canvasser with WV FREE
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Jennie Hill - former paid canvasser (canvass lead) with WV FREE
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Olivia Miller - former paid canvasser (canvass lead) with WV FREE
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Danielle Mullins - former Field Organizer with WV FREE
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Ciera Pennington - former Organizing Director with WV FREE
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Megan Ross - former paid canvasser (canvass lead) with WV FREE
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Amanda Schwartz - former Operations Coordinator with WV FREE
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Hunter Starks - former paid canvasser with WV FREE
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Emma Tinney - former intern with WV FREE
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Danielle Vealey - former intern and board member with WV FREE
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Organizations:
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