To gear up for our Summit21 Conference this year in Atlanta, 21Ninety has scored exclusive interviews with some of this year's participants.
Nia Martin-Robinson, Director of Black Leadership and Engagement at Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA), says the overall purpose of the Planned Parenthood organizations is to work tirelessly to protect and advance the sexual and reproductive rights of African Americans, who face numerous obstacles to receiving affordable, quality health care resources.
Photo: Nia Martin-Robinson/PPFA
Read 21Ninety's exclusive interview below:
21Ninety: Can you give us a little of your background? What inspired you to create PPFA products? What was the vision behind it?
Nia Martin-Robinson: Stand with Black Women started with Black women at Planned Parenthood. We wanted to be intentional about honoring the leadership, voices, and values of Black women, and ensuring that we were centering our conversations around the impact of lack of quality, affordable reproductive health access.
As a health care provider, Stand With Black Women is a framework for moving our work forward. Black women and girls face substantial health disparities in sexual and reproductive health — we have a real opportunity to help address those, and we need to be proactive.
Stand with Black Women is a labor of love and an acknowledgment that there is no path successful to Reproductive Freedom if the lives and experiences of Black women and girls are not centered.
Photo: Planned Parenthood
21N: How long have you been creating these accessories?
MR: We've been creating these accessories since 2017, and Kristen Davis designs our pins.
21N: What kind of work goes into the process of creating these items? What materials are used?
MR: We always consider our audience first when we're deciding what items to brand. The events we're at range from the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's Annual Legislative Conference to Broccoli City Festival, so we want to make sure what we give out is what people want and find useful. We've done anything from phone pop sockets to t-shirts to tumblers to pleasure kits with condoms and lube.
21N: Which ones were the most fun to create? Any favorites?
MR: The t-shirt is where it all started. We've handed them out at a ton of activation's like Broccoli City Festival, our rallies, and given them to partners and supporters.
Photo: Planned Parenthood Marketplace
21N: What do you think makes your business/platform unique over others like it?
MR: We're a health care provider. Stand With Black Women isn't about profit, it's about centering Black women, and the impact that lacks quality, affordable reproductive health access has on our lives.
21N: What are you most excited about when it comes to attending Summit21 this year? Is there anything you wish to learn more about this year?
MR: We're excited about a fantastic opportunity to engage Black millennials around reproductive health care. With the rash of extreme abortion bans sweeping the country, we're most looking forward to learning about how we can connect with supporters, and educate the audience about how they can get politically engaged.
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