How Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards Started Kicking A** At Activism
"You are are going to talk to a lot of people who aren't going to agree with you."
As told to Sara Austin Published: Nov 25, 2015
It's a rare thing to be involved in a group that is not only a health-care provider for 3 million women every day but also a movement. The most exciting thing I do is meet with women who are just getting into becoming activists. The world is totally open to them, more so than for any other generation before.
It's important to find your voice as an advocate because you are going to talk to a lot of people who aren't going to agree with you. We try to provide opportunities for young women to write, speak in public, run meetings, to do the things that help them find their voice. Whether it's at a cocktail party, on an airplane, or in a meeting, I encourage people to have a conversation. Someone who yesterday was not on your side may be on your side tomorrow.
Fieldwork is a great way to start—whether that's canvassing on a street corner for an organization, volunteering at a health center, escorting women, or visiting with teens as peer educators. Even now, I still spend time knocking on doors. I try to stay as close to the work as possible because that's the only way you truly know what's going on.
It's so hard to win. You have to look back and say, "Where did we come from?" When Margaret Sanger started Planned Parenthood, birth control was illegal. Today, it's the most common form of medicine women use. You are going to make progress and then there is always backsliding. Our team is good at celebrating the victories that are won and then rededicating ourselves.
I've moved around a lot in my career. When I went to work for Nancy Pelosi in Washington, I knew nothing about Capitol Hill! I was so unqualified in so many ways. But I took the job because she was an extraordinary person I could learn from. Women at nonprofits sometimes feel like they are invaluable and they can't move on. Instead think: My time is done here, and I'm going to open up an opportunity for someone else.
People say, "No one ever said at the end of their life, 'I wish I spent more time at the office.'" I actually feel the opposite! You could probably make a lot more money, have a little more prestige, maybe not have as controversial a Thanksgiving dinner–table conversation. But there is nothing like having someone look you in the eye and say, "Thank you for helping me."
This story was originally published as "Hold Out For Something Rewarding" in the December issue of Cosmopolitan. Pick up the December 2015 issue on newsstands or click here to subscribe to the digital edition!
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