The ‘Power of Pink’

September 27, 2018

From the September-October 2018 issue of News & Letters

Detroit—“Power of Pink,” a Planned Parenthood volunteer training conference, drew over 2,000 young women to Detroit July 27-29.

The beauty, energy and strength of this rainbow of women filled the cavernous convention center. The focus of the sessions was organizing to win elections for supportive candidates.

Demonstration in support of Planned Parenthood. Photo by Terry Moon for News & Letters.

Yet workshops that drew significant participation included: specific strategies to bring out youth, Latinx and Black voters; Queer theory; “Revolutionizing Sex Ed in the U.S.”; rebuilding a whole new health care system; the dangers of President Donald Trump’s judicial nominees; linking the Black and immigrant American experience; domestic violence involving guns and racism, economic and environmental justice with “Repro” health and rights; and “ways you can be a co-conspirator with the disability community on ‘repro’ justice.”

At first I was annoyed at the elaborate security procedures, but then I thought about the real and ongoing history of violence against abortion rights advocates, women of color and LGBTQ women. Sadly, those measures were more needed here than taking off my shoes at the airport.

—Participant

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