The first-ever Goodbye Stigma Summit was held last week and it was a powerfully inspiring success! The afternoon taught participants how to identify and reduce the stigma around abortion — a particularly relevant subject in these politically volatile times.
The California Latinas for Reproductive Justice and the Coalition for Reproductive Justice co-hosted the event at the beautiful Hilton Bayfront together with Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest.
The afternoon kicked off with our President and CEO, Darrah DiGiorgio Johnson, welcoming the crowd and setting the tone with a vision for cultural change around abortion.
Darrah’s speech was followed by “Mic Drops”: powerful presentations by individuals with different perspectives and information about abortion and stigma.
Mic Drops included:
- Jessy Rosales: how stigma shaped her abortion experience
- Becca Karpinski, VP of Strategy and Organizational Effectiveness, defining stigma and how it permeates our culture
- Research sociologist Gretchen Sisson’s analysis of abortion in pop culture
- Sandra Duran, Public Affairs and Communications Manager, defining reproductive justice
- Event underwriter Beverly Grant’s personal experience with her roommate’s abortion before Roe v. Wade
- Associate Medical Director Dr. Kyle Bukowski’s explanation of how abortions work
- A discussion of faith and abortion by Rev Madison T. Shockley II
- Lawyer Jenn French’s discussion of how stigma shapes laws
- Medical Director Dr. Toni Marengo and Chrissy Cmorik, Director of Education, answering common and difficult questions about abortion
- Erin Panichkul’s story of why she’s proud of her abortion
- Center manager Chantel Gammage’s incredible spoken-word performance
Participants then filtered out into breakout sessions on the topics of law & policy, health care & social services, faith, and community — where they learned to detect stigma in their everyday lives, examine personal values around abortion, and practice how to combat stigma and tactfully yet pointedly address it.
Thank you to everyone who participated!
***