Stand with Black Women
This year, the national Black History Month theme is “Black Health and Wellness.” In accordance with this theme, we honor Black communities and Black-led partner organizations, while also highlighting and continuing to implement the equity work that remains undone, especially within our health care system. As we celebrate the contributions of Black Americans this month, it’s never been clearer how essential Black communities — and Black women, especially — are to the backbone of our society.
Despite the vision and bold leadership of Black women in all sectors, many members of Black communities don’t get the respect, care, or support they deserve. At Planned Parenthood California Central Coast, we are committed to providing the care, education, and resources Black people need to protect their health and their futures, so they can lead healthy, safe, and empowered lives.
As an organization, we are committed to providing sexual and reproductive health care and education for all. We also understand that sexual and reproductive health do not exist in a vacuum. As we have learned from Black-led reproductive justice partners, sexual and reproductive health cannot be separated from other social justice issues like access to housing, clean air and water, and a just immigration system. We are committed to providing the care, education, and resources Black women need to protect their health and their futures, so they can lead healthy, safe, and empowered lives.
As a health-care provider and educator, we have a responsibility to support our communities and to help ensure they have access to all the services and resources they need to live their best, most healthy lives. Planned Parenthood is invested in eliminating barriers to sex education for Black communities. We provide sex education that is inclusive, medically accurate, and culturally relevant to the communities we serve. Our Health Educators and Promotorx are out in our communities providing information about our health care services and sharing vital sex education.
Sexual and reproductive health equity is at the center of our mission. Addressing implicit bias in providing health care is a top priority for us, because we know that health equity cannot be achieved without racial equity. Our goal is for each of our health centers on the Central Coast to be safe and supportive environments, free of judgement, for every person who comes through ours doors.
Throughout the U.S., Black women are consistently at the forefront of society — leading social movements, organizing communities, reimagining a better world and creating it, too. At Planned Parenthood California Central Coast, we stand with Black women to celebrate and honor their heritage, humanity, and contributions to sexual and reproductive health care and education, our country, and the World.