Reproductive Justice for All OCTOBER 18, 2022
A LETTER FROM OUR CO-CHAIRS
Dear Friends,
Thank you for joining us for our 2022 New Orleans Fall Celebration. Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast remains a resilient force in our community despite all of the hurdles we have faced and continue to battle. After a global pandemic, a hurricane, and a devastating ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court, this celebration is much needed. But we are still here, and you are still with us. We appreciate you.
This year, we are excited to celebrate the power of our collective community as we embrace tonight’s theme, Weaving the We. We hope you come away from this event re-energized and refreshed, as we continue to fight for the reproductive rights of all people.
Thank you again for your support. And we extend a special thank you to our incredible committee and all of our sponsors who made this event possible. Your commitment to our mission inspires us all.
In this together, Micah and Takema
WEAVING THE WE
In planning for tonight’s special event, one of our dedicated and beloved supporters, Carol Bebelle, came up with the perfect theme to encapsulate the power of our partnerships. The work we are doing is challenging, especially with the intense opposition, but when we maximize all of our strengths and utilize all of our resources, we are unstoppable. This evening, we are focusing on Weaving the We: building a powerful, intersectional movement dedicated to reproductive justice for all. And we could not do that without each and every one of our supporters, volunteers, and partners.
Thank you for being a part of the tapestry of equity we are weaving.
WELCOME
Micah Fincher, Co-Chair 2022 NOLA Fall Celebration
REMARKS
Petrice Sams-Abiodun, Ph.D., PPGC VP of Strategic Partnerships - LA
Melaney A. Linton, PPGC President and CEO
Dr. Ann Schutt-Ainé, PPGC Chief Medical Officer
STORYTELLERS: FROM OUR PAST TO OUR FUTURE
Professor Jane Bertrand, Storyteller
Kim O’Brien, Honorary Co-Chair 2022 NOLA Fall Celebration
Finn Galarneau, PPGC TeenREACHer
Dr. Gail Wise, Honorary Co-Chair 2022 NOLA Fall Celebration
ELECTED OFFICIAL REMARKS
Councilperson Lesli Harris, New Orleans City Council
SPECIAL COMMISSIONED SPOKEN WORD PERFORMANCE
Created and performed by Sunni Patterson
CLOSING
Takema Robinson-Llewellyn, Co-Chair 2022 NOLA Fall Celebration
ABOUT SUNNI PATTERSON
Sunni is a 2020/2021 John O’Neal Cultural Arts Fellow. She currently serves as a Resident Artist for both the City of New Orleans’ Claiborne Corridor Cultural Initiative and Junebug Productions. She is also co-founder, along with Scientist and Atmospheric Chemist, Cherelle Blazer, of Environmental Arts and Public Health Organization, Breath is Lyfe.
A NOTE OF APPRECIATION
Although we weren’t able to gather last year because of the weather, we wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who worked on last year’s event. Your dedication and commitment did not go unnoticed or unappreciated. A special shout out to last year’s chairs who are serving as honorary co-chairs for this year’s event, Kim O’Brien and Dr. Gail Wise.
HONORARY COMMITTEE CHAIRS
Kim O’Brien
Dr. Gail Wise
COMMITTEE
Micah Fincher (Co-Chair)
Takema Robinson-Llewellyn (Co-Chair)
Belinda Lewis Batiste
Michele Goldfarb
Ashley Heard
Elizabeth Monaghan
Preethi Murthy
Renee Niemann
Isabelle Parise
Maleiya Porter Jones
Lindsay Reeves
Lorraine Thien
Sharon Woods Washington
MOVEMENT MAKER
Fierce Advocacy Fund
Elizabeth Monaghan
CHAMPIONS OF CHOICE
Converge Consulting
Mimi & Billy Groome
Holley Haymaker
Tamara Kreinin & Rosalind Hinton
E. Schoenbaum
Chloe & Robert Watters
COURAGEOUS VOICE
Jane Bertrand
Virginia Besthoff & Nancy Aronson
Yvonne Garrett
Kabacoff Family Foundation Lindsay & James Reeves
Jackie & Daniel Silverman Pamela & Robert Steeg Women’s Foundation of the South
ADVOCATE
Marie K. Cahn
Micah Fincher
Michele Goldfarb
Julie Schwam Harris & Seth Harris
Sally & Jay Lapeyre
Marilyn McConnell & Dr. Jody Gates
Kim & Mike O’Brien
Robyn Schwarz
Jane Steiner
Lorraine Thien
Jennifer Walner
Fern Watters
FIERCE FRIEND
Barbara L. Arras
Belinda Lewis Batiste Vivian Cahn
Allison & George Freeman Dr. Kendall Genre Cathy Glaser
Caroline Good Andre Guidry
Sharon Howard Ann & Carey Kaufman Brad & Megan Knapp Jane Kohlmann Gay LeBreton
Louisiana Coalition for Reproductive Freedom Paige Morrison Kim & Marshall Page Janice Parmelee & William Hammack Deborah Peters Joyce & Sidney Pulitzer Dr. Alistair Ramsay & Dr. Allison Quayle Ann & Bill Richardson Dionne M. Rosseau Madalyn Schenk Amisha Sharma Melanie Sheen
Jane & Billy Sizeler Kim Tuleu
Kim Unglesby Priya Velu
Joy Willig
OUR VISION
Planned Parenthood seeks a world in which all children are wanted and cared for, all individuals have equal rights and dignity, sexuality is expressed with honesty, equality, and responsibility, and the decision to bear children is private and voluntary.
OUR MISSION
The mission of Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast, Inc. is to ensure the right and ability of all individuals to manage their sexual and reproductive health by providing health services, education and advocacy.