PARTNER
Planned Parenthood of Greater New York
Challenge
More than 100 years ago, the birth control movement was fractured by the embracing of ‘positive eugenics,’ an oppressive and racist narrative of the day. Reproductive oppression continues to this day across communities and institutions, disproportionately affecting women of color, trans and non-binary people, the working class, and poor communities across the country. In order to rebuild relationships of trust with communities of color, Planned Parenthood of New York called for a daring and bold internal and external reckoning with its history and present, and changing and strengthening of its practices moving forward.
RC's Response
RC worked with PPGNY to design a series of priming postcards as a first step to prepare their employees to openly receive and engage with stories and information shared by their clients from communities of color. These cards illustrated concrete examples of historical and current day issues their communities and clients have raised, and included a series of provocative questions and action steps to support staff in examining their implicit biases, how they may perpetuate racist practices in their work, and actions to additional exploration, learning, and steps towards accountability.
Impact
RC illustrated postcards were distributed amongst all staff of PPGNY and used to spark reflection and discussion on how personal and institutional practices within Planned Parenthood have and continue to cause harm to communities of color, and taking the first steps change it.
