Women’s Foundation of the South set to release 2026 legislative recap on Women’s Equality Day

The Women’s Foundation of the South will publish its 2026 Shift the South Legislative Recap on Aug. 26, looking at how state policy is affecting women, girls and gender-expansive people across the South. The release will also spotlight advocates in seven Southern states who are shaping healthcare, economic security, voting access and civic participation.

Why it matters: - The recap is designed to show how state policy is affecting the health, wealth and power of women, girls and gender-expansive people across the South. - The report focuses on real-world impacts, not just whether bills passed or failed. - WFS says the work highlights how local advocates and community leaders are influencing decisions that affect healthcare, economic opportunity, civic participation and community well-being.

What happened: - The Women’s Foundation of the South will release its 2026 Shift the South Legislative Recap on Wednesday, Aug. 26, 2026, at 11 a.m. CDT. - The release aligns with Women’s Equality Day and this year’s theme, “Leading the Change: Women Shaping a Sustainable Future.” - The event registration is available here.

The details: - The 2026 recap examines policy developments tied to maternal and reproductive health, family economic security, education and opportunity, voting and civic participation, immigration and other issues affecting Southern communities. - WFS frames the report through three buckets: health, wealth and power. - Across Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas, grantee partners and other advocates organized, testified, built coalitions and translated lived experience into public policy. - Those efforts helped advance stronger measures, challenge harmful proposals and prepare communities for what comes next. - Carmen James Randolph, founding president and CEO of WFS, said women across the South are already leading change in statehouses, community meetings, advocacy organizations and grassroots coalitions. - Randolph also said equality should be measured by who can get care, who can earn economic opportunity, who can participate in civic life and who can shape the future.

Between the lines: - WFS is positioning women and community leaders as experts, strategists and architects of change, not just people affected by policy. - The timing on Women’s Equality Day gives the release a broader message: equality is an ongoing policy fight, not a completed milestone. - The report’s emphasis on lived experience suggests WFS wants to influence how lawmakers and advocates define evidence and expertise.

What's next: - WFS will present the legislative recap at the Aug. 26 release event. - The organization is likely to use the recap to inform future advocacy, coalition work and regional policy efforts. - The foundation says it will continue investing in people, movements and institutions working to build long-term change across the South.

The bottom line: - WFS is using Women’s Equality Day to spotlight a policy map of the South and the women driving that map.