DAVENPORT, Iowa — Editor's note: The above video aired on July 11.
Becca Nicke and Red Perez were far from home in St. Louis when the news dropped.
On June 24, the United States Supreme Court, in the Dobbs v. Jackson decision, overturned Roe v. Wade, concluding that a pregnant person's right to an abortion was not constitutionally-protected; returning the contested legal issue to state lawmakers.
Becca and Red are the owners of Abernathy's, a small vintage clothing store in Downtown Davenport specializing in alternative women's fashion. The small business has garnered some attention due to a piece of art hanging in one of its window displays.
The installation features tons of clothes hangers clumped together in a sprawling mass of metal wire and sharp edges, captioned by a sign that reads, "Vintage clothes, not vintage reproductive rights."
The piece invokes the dark history of coat-hanger abortions, a practice made infamous in places where medical access to abortion is heavily restricted or outlawed. Laws like these can lead many women to take matters into their own hands, which often results in serious injury, health complications and even death.
The combination of Becca and Red's distress and their line of work gave them an idea.
"We were both, like, reeling with what we could do because we wanted to do something to show our support, being pro-choice, and so I think we kind of looked at each other and we were like, 'hangers!'" Becca said.
"Working in a clothing store where there's literally always a plethora of hangers, so it kind of worked really naturally with the with working in retail and us being a retail store," Red added. "It also is just kind of nice to be able to do something in a time when you kind of feel powerless, so it's like; 'So here's something we can do. We can at least make art about it.'"
The pair hopes that people who might not know the full scope of meaning and history behind the iconography of the coat hanger will learn something new from their art.
"Even being a young person, I always would see in, like protest art, whether it be stickers or old punk rock buttons, you know, a hanger with a slash through it. Just because, I think, it symbolizes how dangerous it is for women to not be able to have choices, " Becca said. "And I'm not sure if everybody understands it, but maybe our installation will make people at least curious enough to want to educate themselves further on it. And also, it's nice that like it's slightly subdued, and that it's not like graphic but it definitely, if people know what it symbolizes, it definitely can be a hard-hitting point for people."
And it's this more artistic expression of their viewpoint that gives their voice more power and meaning
"Sometimes, you'd, like, drive in like rural counties, and you see, like political billboards and stuff, and I'm like, I think I've always known that like a billboard isn't going to change anybody's mind, and I don't think that's necessarily our end goal," Becca detailed. "But just I think more than anything, people who feel like they might be alone, or feel like their voice isn't heard. They know where we stand as a business; that we support them in making choices. So I guess it's not necessarily to sway anybody, but just to let people know where we are."
It also means that Abernathy's, as a business, is more transparent about its values and where its money goes after the sales.
When it comes to people who reside on the other side of the debate, Becca and Red just want to reach across the aisle, start a conversation and stay respectful.
"I think anyone, anyone, whether you're a supporter of pro-choice or you're a supporter pro-life; I hope that by seeing it makes a difference to you. So hopefully that you can research more, and form your own opinion," Red said.
"Even the people that disagreed with us; they respectfully disagree and haven't you know, come in here raging up the storm or anything. We're very lucky." Becca adds.
The pair says that the only harassment they've received came from about one person on the internet, and they believe that even they aren't really saying anything that they truly believe.
On top of that, the feedback and support they've received from like-minded customers and community members is something they've been grateful for.
"I think people have been grateful or thankful that we have taken a stand," Red said. "I think that, maybe, a lot of businesses do it more privately. So I think it's different and that way we've impacted, the pictures of the place, of the window I've seen circulating, so we've must have made an impact somehow with someone."
"And other businesses reach out to us and they say that they saw us, you know, make a stance and that that encouraged them," Becca added. "So that's a huge deal. But I guess at the end of the day, maybe if it didn't mean anything to anybody, it definitely meant something to us, and that's really we kind of did it. For that reason, first and foremost. And then whoever it positively affects beyond that, super grateful for."
The pair said they want to continue speaking out for their causes and would be interested in using the window for other messages should they feel strongly enough about another issue that they want to speak out about.
"It's interesting that we were talking about like, at least we have this platform to be able to express ourselves. We had to literally build the platform, but we have been reached out to by other nonprofits, like 'hey, would you be interested in doing this kind of thing' and if it's something that aligns with our values, we're definitely interested in expanding on using it as a platform to you know, lift others up for sure," said Becca.
"It definitely is a nice way to be able to express ourselves, for sure."
Abernathy's, which is currently holding its 20%-off summer sale, is donating 5% of its sales through the end of July to Planned Parenthood.