Our Activist Profile series highlights RaisingVoicesUSA members who have found their path to civic engagement by raising their voice for the issues they’re most passionate about.
Want to be featured? Contact us at info@raisingvoicesusa.org to learn more.
Issue/Cause:
Reproductive rights
What was your first experience as an activist and what brought you to that cause?
When I was in college in the late ‘60s, I became active in protests against the Vietnam War, which was a hotly-contested issue at that time and to this day.
What initiative are you most proud of?
There are many initiatives of which I am proud, but most recently, Planned Parenthood of Nassau County mobilized local activists to work with their peers nationally in defeating the Trump/Pence administration’s efforts to defund Planned Parenthood and repeal the Affordable Care Act – not once, but three times!
What projects are you working on now?
This fall we are dedicating the majority of our efforts to non-partisan voter engagement, both in our Hempstead health center and in the communities surrounding the center.
Through our Get Out The Vote (GOTV) Campaign 2018, PPNC is working to spark and maintain significant levels of civic engagement among people of color in Hempstead and Uniondale to ensure that people in these communities vote in the important midterm election on November 6, 2018. Towards this goal, PPNC is engaging in a variety of activities that, together, build a comprehensive effort to implement non-partisan voter education, engagement, registration and GOTV activities.
Our mantra is: Your Power; Your Voice; Your Vote!
What advice would you give to someone raising their voice for the first time?
In the words of Cecile Richards, the former President of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, “One of us can be ignored; two of us can be dismissed; but together we are a movement and we are unstoppable!”
I couldn’t agree more with Cecile, and urge emerging activists to identify the issue with which they want to be involved and contact that organization. Or do exactly what Cindy Vaupel and Emma Travers did in the wake of the 2016 elections and form an organization like RaisingVoices!
Any other advice or resources to share?
We have the power to make change – we just need to embrace that power and use it whether by signing petitions, participating in rallies or marches, calling legislators, writing letters to the editor of your local paper, using social media, volunteering, or writing a check, everyone can make a difference.