Lift was born out of the careful analysis of what was missing along the path to providing solutions to reproductive rights and health in Louisiana. In 2015, Co-Founders, Michelle Erenberg and Ellie Schilling, met with community stakeholders and reproductive justice leaders to identify the obstacles to meaningful and strategic advocacy in support of reproductive rights. From these conversations, we recognized the need for a three-pronged organization focusing on (1) non-biased educational materials to ensure that medically-accurate, evidence-based research is informing public opinion, (2) community engagement and policy advocacy to shift power in the Louisiana Legislature toward those who support reproductive freedom, and (3) legal advocacy and impact litigation to protect and affirm reproductive rights. That idea provided the backbone that would become Lift Louisiana, which was launched on February 1, 2016, as a project of the Tides Center, which serves as its fiscal sponsor.

Lift exists within an ecosystem of reproductive health, rights, and justice, and we support reciprocal, accountable relationships to shift power and improve the quality of life for women, girls, and gender-expansive people in Louisiana. Lift’s programs and strategies are informed by community organizing experience, policy analysis, public engagement, and collaboration with community partners and coalitions.