Melinda Lavon

Melinda Lavon (she/they) is an organizer, activist and midwife based in Lawrence, Kansas. With their DSA Chapter, they’ve elected many local candidates, and last year they created and ran the Vote No Kansas campaign of 2022, then supported comrades in Montana and Kentucky in their own fight for abortion access. They  were also a co-author of the 2023 DSA Convention Proposal, “Fighting the Right by Defending Abortion Rights, Trans People, and Democracy”. Melinda started taking actions in 1997 against the AIDS epidemic and related stigma, went on to establish the maternal mortality review panel in Kansas, founded her local breastfeeding coalition, and more.

Melinda was a speaker at the 2023 Socialism Conference.