Thoughts from the bus

As we say goodbye to Louisiana and look forward to today's stop in Hattiesburg, MS, the PP Truth Team reflects on our time in Baton Rouge and New Orleans:

The Big Pink Planned Parenthood Bus rolled into Louisiana on Wednesday with events in Baton Rouge and the Big Easy. The day's events gave us an opportunity to connect with our young, diverse supporters and to see (and hear about) the impact we have in their lives and communities.

We started the day bright and early at the Baton Rouge Health Center. We had a great crowd of clinic staff, supporters and State Representative Michael Jackson. We gave tours of the bus, took photos and talked about Planned Parenthood. The clinic staff was thrilled to host us (and the Big Pink bus!) and we were equally excited to see them. Then we went off to City Park in New Orleans. The rain held off long enough for us to have an uplifting event with local supporters. From there we headed to Tulane University. More than 200 students stopped by to get information about our health services, sign the "I Stand With Planned Parenthood" postcard, pick up a t-shirt and, of course, get a few Proper Attire Color condoms, which one male student described as "the coolest condoms he had ever seen" as he walked off with a handful. Whatever works! It was great to see how committed and passionate the VOX chapter members are, and we thanked them for their support.

Last night, we headed to the French Quarter for a Planned Parenthood pub crawl! Come on, it's N'awlins baby! We visited four bars and talked with dozens of patrons about our health services and asked them to sign our petition. A few people even put on their pink t-shirts right there on the spot! And most were happy to get the free condoms. Both women and men approached us to tell us they support Planned Parenthood and thanked us for the work we're doing.

It was a wonderful experience and we can't wait to see what the University of Southern Mississippi has in store for us.