Cecile Richards, Planned Parenthood Leader, 2006-2018, Born
Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood from 2006 to 2018, was born on this day.
Richards had a strong familybackground in politics. Her mother, Ann Richards, was elected Governor of Texas in 1990, and served one term. Her father, David Richards, was a lawyer with a civil rights, news media, and labor union practice. He took one voting rights to the Supreme Court and won.
After graduating from college, Cecile worked for several labor unions, America Votes, a political action non-profit, and was on the staff of Nancy Pelosi, Democratic Party leader in the House of Representatives.
As president of Planned Parenthood, Richards fought powerful attacks on the organization by conservatives, but also strengthened the organization by helping to consolidate local chapters into larger chapters. She marked her retirement by publishing her memoir, Make Trouble: Standing up, Speaking Out, and Finding the Courage to Lead (2018)
In 2019, Richards co-founded Supermajority, a non-profit organization devoted to organizing women voters.
Learn more about Planned Parenthood here.
Read Cecile Richards’ memoir: Make Trouble: Standing up, Speaking Out, and Finding the Courage to Lead (2018)
Visit the Supermajority web site