Women Inspiring Women

This post was originally written last spring, after Alex, Taya, and I were invited to attend a Planned Parenthood luncheon at the Washington State Convention Center where Cecile Richards (the president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America) would be the keynote speaker. Taya was unable to attend, but Alex and I got the opportunity to give Cecile Richards and Christine Charbonneau (the CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest and the Hawaiian Islands) Uterish shirts and talk about reproductive justice with them. We’ve brought this post back (edited lightly for content and clarity) for International Women’s Day as a reminder of how our idols can call us to action.

Toni Morrison. Angela Davis. Michelle Obama.

Alex and I listed inspirational women as we walked down to the Convention Center. We were on our way to a Planned Parenthood luncheon where Chris Charbonneau and Cecile Richards were to speak. A bag of Uterish shirts in hand, we were buzzing. We weren’t quite sure what we were about to get into, but we knew we were excited.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Lorena Gonzalez.

We arrived to the Convention Center and were ushered into a room where Cecile Richards and Chris Charbonneau were already in the process of taking pictures with guests. Suddenly, it was our chance to meet them. They turned to greet us, and it was like being faced with Mother Nature in duplicate: awe inspiring, comforting, and an overwhelming reminder you’re being faced with some force larger than yourself. Chris enthusiastically dons the shirt we’ve given her. We chat for a minute about why what we do can be so exciting (tales are shared on each side of the moments of genuine and heartwarming support) and unsettling (Uterish had just recently received an uncomfortable email in which we were condemned for “supporting planned murderhood in the slaughter of babies.”) Then: pictures, quick hugs, and Cecile and Chris move to say hello to a mother-daughter pair in matching pantsuits.

Alex and I are left to reel for a moment in the adrenaline of meeting two of our biggest inspirations––who could ever have imagined our school project would ever lead to this! Chris and Cecile are inspiring for a host of reasons: Chris’s resolve in participating in on the ground activism, Cecile’s stalwartness and poise in her testimony before the House of Representatives. They are inspiring in their commitment to connecting personally and directly with the people they work for. They are inspiring for their knowledge, kindness, empathy, and perseverance. It was more than just affirming to meet the women who have inspired us both to begin and continue the work we’ve done with Uterish. It was vital. Meeting our idols was a reminder both of why our project is important and what work we still have before us.

More people, mainly women, are filling the atrium we’re standing in, and we get the opportunity to talk to many of them about what led them to the conference. It’s overwhelmingly positive; women are excited about Planned Parenthood, and it’s empowering to hear how each of them began the history of their own activism. Just as we have settled into conversation with the coordinator of the Planned Parenthood Youth Board, it’s time to begin the luncheon.

We sit, and the muffled clink of cutlery serves as background music to a host of speeches. The theme, overwhelmingly, is access. Chris Charbonneau speaks to access and how women should be able to choose the birth control that works for them, not just what they can afford. Maria Cantwell talks about a Planned Parenthood bombing in Pullman that had happened the Friday prior, and how there was a tent in the parking lot on the following Monday to give the healthcare that community needed. Cecile Richards outlines how increasing access to services like those Planned Parenthood offers has led to a 30 year low in unintended pregnancies.

Then, in a more somber turn, Cecile Richards begins to address the fight for access that is still to come. She calls to attention that “the right to access birth control increasingly depends on your zip code” and tells the story of a woman in Texas who had to take a day off work just to drive to the nearest abortion clinic, only to be told she has to wait a day before the procedure can be performed. She doesn’t have the option of taking a second day off work. She has children at home she needs to return to and care for. She is not a standalone case. Access and care are not available to all. And, for as much work that has been done to grant access to the women in this country, double the effort is required to even uphold it.

I was reminded of how critical the work to increase and protect access was, and I was reminded how hard the fight going forward would still be. However, as Jay Inslee said in his address, “liberty is never won just once.” This international women’s day, I’m choosing to reorient the way I understand access. I’m making an effort to prioritize ways in which I can help increase access, and protect what access what we have.

I’m also reorienting the way I think of success. The women we have interacted with––those who have supported us, those who have thanked us, those who have helped us, and those who have inspired us––are what keep this project running. They are what make it important. Success in our society is frequently judged by how much you’ve achieved alone; the American Dream is built upon pulling yourself up by your bootstraps and building something for yourself. Encouragement is discouraged. Empathy is discouraged. The success of our project is completely dependent upon something else: community. It’s what makes it work. Today, I’m celebrating the community of women that make our project relevant and successful.

I’m thinking of my idols, and I’m thanking my allies. As hard as the work forward is, I’m excited and ready to do it together.

Love and solidarity,

Greta