Black History Month

• Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman elected to Congress, fought hard for the decriminalization of abortion.
  
• Kenneth Edelin, M.D.,  has been a champion of reproductive rights and an outspoken opponent of those who would try to restrict and impair a woman’s right to choose for more than 30 years.
  
• Edgar Keemer, a physician in Detroit, risked his personal freedom to provide safe, illegal abortions before Roe so that women could have a choice.
  
• Florynce Rae Kennedy, a feminist icon, challenged the constitutionality of New York's abortion law, leading to the legalization of abortions in the state in 1970.
  
• The Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. was awarded one of the inaugural PPFA Margaret Sanger Awards in 1966 for "his courageous resistance to bigotry and his lifelong dedication to the advancement of social justice and human dignity."
  
• Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin, editor and publisher of  The Women's Era, the first newspaper for African-American women, tirelessly advocated for the rights of women.

Planned Parenthood is committed to providing the highest level of care to people of all cultures and backgrounds. Disparities in health care access and treatment are particularly stark for African Americans in the fight against HIV/AIDS:

“AIDS is a preventable disease and yet is the number one cause of death for black women between the ages of 25 and 34. Women deserve better.”
— PPFA Vice President for Medical Affairs Vanessa Cullins, M.D.

In Black History Month, Planned Parenthood calls for greater HIV prevention education along with expanded access to HIV testing and treatment for everyone in the United States. Learn more about how you can protect yourself against HIV/AIDS or make an appointment to get tested at your nearest Planned Parenthood health center.