Leading Black Activists and Planned Parenthood Partner to  Launch “Liberated Woman” Campaign Against Attacks on Health Care for Women of Color

SEE CAMPAIGN LAUNCH VIDEO HERE

FIND CAMPAIGN T-SHIRT HERE

NEW YORK, NY – This Mother’s Day, writer and image activist Michaela angela Davis and Liberated People — founded by The Wire actor Gbenga Akinnagbe — have launched the “Liberated Woman” campaign with Planned Parenthood Federation of America to push back against attacks on reproductive health care and to proclaim the need for all people to support health and liberation for women of color. This follows the recent House of Representatives’ vote to pass legislation that would devastate health care options for many women of color with Medicaid coverage, leaving them unable to turn to Planned Parenthood for cancer screenings, birth control, STI testing and other life-saving care. Five dollars from the sale of each Liberated Woman t-shirt, available through Liberated People, will support Planned Parenthood’s programs benefitting women of color.

In addition to Davis and Akinnagbe, the Liberated Woman campaign is supported by a diverse group of influential activists including:

• Natarsha McQueen, Co-Founder, Cancer Survivors Network for Planned Parenthood

• Carmen Perez, National Co-Chair, Women’s March on Washington

• Mara Hoffman, Fashion Designer

Women of color in the United States are often denied access to comprehensive, affordable, and quality health care due to the intersections of racism, sexism, classism, xenophobia, and other systemic barriers. This inequity results in disproportionately negative health outcomes that will only be compounded if people lose access to the quality, affordable, and compassionate health care Planned Parenthood health centers provide. The increased vulnerability of women of color is a health care crisis that requires the reproductive health and women’s rights movements to prioritize centering their experiences and protecting their access to care.

Statement from Dr. Raegan McDonald-Mosley, Chief Medical Officer, Planned Parenthood Federation of America:

Planned Parenthood is beyond grateful to Michaela Angela Davis and Gbenga Akinnagbe for their partnership and commitment to protecting health care access for women of color. The care that our health centers provide women of color is a revolutionary and liberating force, allowing our patients to lead healthy lives, pursue careers, and make their own plans for their families.

“Health disparities have the most significant impact on women of color who face continuous threats to their ability to receive essential reproductive health care — including birth control, cancer screenings, and, STI testing and treatment. Women’s lives are at stake, and we can’t afford to push these issues to the side. Planned Parenthood is proud to stand in solidarity with women of color and the many activists and organizations committed to ensuring their reproductive justice, and we call on all our supporters to join us.

Statement from Michaela angela Davis:

“If patriarchal policies cut off women’s access to quality, affordable reproductive health care, it’s women of color who will suffer the most. Through Liberated Woman, we’re amplifying the stories of the women who receive care at Planned Parenthood while celebrating the strength and breadth of women of color’s resistance against political attacks. This is a movement for all people — no person can be fully free if we all can’t freely support Black and Brown women. Now, more than ever, people from all walks of life are coming together to fight for women’s health and agency. But that fight can’t be sustained unless we put the struggle and triumphs of women of color front and center.”

Statement from Gbenga Akinnagbe:

“For people facing the intersections of racism and poverty, struggling against attacks on the freedom to govern their own bodies can be especially daunting. But the women of color who stand to lose access to reproductive health services are not fighting alone. Planned Parenthood has stood with women of color for more than 100 years and now it’s time for all of us — regardless of gender, race, religion, or sexual orientation — to band together and support their right to autonomy and access to care.”

NOTE: Davis and Akinnagbe previously collaborated on the Liberated People’s Our Son, Trayvon hoodies worn by influencers including Kerry Washington, Ava Duvernay, Marc Lamont Hill, Tracee Ellis Ross, Regina King, and Gabrielle Union.