Cecile Richards, the former CEO of abortion chain Planned Parenthood, and Alicia Garza, a co-founder of Black Lives Matter, are partnering with Ai-jen Poo, director of National Domestic Workers Alliance. The women say one of the priorities of their group, dubbed Supermajority, is to create a “women’s New Deal for gender equality.”
I’m so excited to introduce you to @supermajority → a new home for women’s activism.
Supermajority will be a place to stay informed, take meaningful action, and connect with other women activists—newcomers and veterans alike. Join us: https://t.co/N5YZMtJ2d4 https://t.co/tisdB7G0nn
— Cecile Richards (@CecileRichards) April 29, 2019
According to BuzzFeed News, the organizers plan to teach two million women how to engage in political activism.
The report added:
The group will emphasize the intersection of issues affecting different racial and socioeconomic groups in the US, Richards and Poo told BuzzFeed News Saturday. In collaboration with its separate education division, Supermajority will train women on how to participate in politics and activism in their communities, both online and on the ground.
The progressive leaders said they will travel around the country for a “listening tour” to meet with women about priority issues.
Supermajority — run by @CecileRichards, @aliciagarza and @aijenpoo — will train & mobilize 2 million women over the next year to become organizers and political leaders in their communities. It's going to change the world. Can't WAIT. https://t.co/P0NqLmUib3
— Amanda Litman (@amandalitman) April 29, 2019
Amid concerns that Planned Parenthood’s new president, Dr. Leana Wen, is moving the abortion vendor away from politics and toward beefing up its diminishing healthcare services, Richards said she invited her former organization to join the new women’s effort, and Wen agreed.
“If anything I feel like [Planned Parenthood is] really interested in how we can continue to grow this movement, and I’m really proud of the work they’re doing,” Richards said.
“Alongside the entire Planned Parenthood family, I am thrilled about the launch of Supermajority, which builds upon the work of so many powerful women leaders and women’s rights advocates across the country,” Wen also said, according to the report.
Richards said she and Poo have been planning the women’s political action group since even before she stepped down as Planned Parenthood president.
If the news makes you ask yourself, “What should I be doing right now?” @Supermajority is a new community of women founded by NDWA's very own directors @aijenpoo and @aliciagarza who will help you discover the answer. pic.twitter.com/lySL6d3Kzs
— Domestic Workers (@domesticworkers) April 29, 2019
“The two of us got together more than a year ago to start talking about this idea, so it’s been germinating for quite a while,” Richards told BuzzFeed News. “It just felt like there was this moment where millions more women wanted to organize than even our two organizations could keep up with.”
Poo hopes to work with Time’s Up, the organization launched by women in Hollywood after the #MeToo movement took hold in the country.
Garza will highlight the issues important to Black Lives Matter — the movement that she and other left-wing leaders created around allegations of police brutality.
It’s launch day! Women everywhere are taking action and want to know how to do more. We’re ready to win! Join the @Supermajority because one of us can be ignored, two of us can be dismissed, but together, we are unstoppable! #SuperMajority pic.twitter.com/2ZephMkcxA
— Alicia Garza (@aliciagarza) April 29, 2019
According to the report, Supermajority will also work closely with Pantsuit Nation, a Facebook group created to support Hillary Clinton’s failed 2016 White House bid.