Friday: Our first stop was a hip hop concert at Georgia State University. Thousands of people were there – what a better place to hand out our Keith Haring Proper Attire condoms and sexual health literature! We parked the bus nearby and talked to concert attendees as they entered the venue. The response to our presence was overwhelmingly positive and we collected 158 “I Stand with Planned Parenthood” postcards.
Saturday: We had the pleasure of spending time with long-time Planned Parenthood supporter Rev. Tim McDonald, the Senior Pastor of First Iconium Baptist Church. He sat down with us to talk about his views on the role of the black church in the fight for reproductive justice:
"We as a church try to give people information --- we don’t beat people over the head about they ought to do or not do. If you give people the information, they will make the right decisions. Planned Parenthood does a lot of things that are very positive for our community. I’d hate to see our community – the African American community – without the services of Planned Parenthood."
Well, Rev. McDonald, we don’t plan on going anywhere!!
After our inspiring conversation with Rev. McDonald, we joined the brothers of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc., Pi chapter at Morehouse College who invited us to table at a party held at their frat house. The party drew students from the Atlanta University Center, as well as visitors from neighboring states. Planned Parenthood got lots of shout outs from the DJ and the attendees. Most of the students had not heard about the battles in Congress to defund Planned Parenthood and seemed shocked when we told them what was happening on the Hill. 128 of them signed our “Stand with Planned Parenthood” postcards. We ended the night with a small pub crawl in Little Five Points, a favorite part of town that includes locally-owned businesses and eateries, spreading the Stand with Planned Parenthood message.
Sunday: Earlier today, the Big Pink Bus and the Crew went to church! We were able to see Rev. McDonald in action as he led an inspiring and energizing First Sunday service. Most of his sermon was dedicated to remembering the April 4, 1968 assassination of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and honoring the struggles of the labor movement. However, Rev. McDonald made sure to connect the dots between the labor, civil rights and the recent attempts to defund Planned Parenthood. The strong support from First Iconium was truly inspiring and the Pink Bus Crew left the near-three hour service energized and recharged for the last few days of the tour.
At every stop in Atlanta, we were approached by people who use Planned Parenthood and thanked us for being there and bringing the bus. And it is for the people that we serve everyday that we will continue to engage in the fight to stand up for health centers, our providers, our patients, and our supporters. Thank you, Atlanta! We had a great time.
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