The Camel and the Scorpion is a book inspired by true events. It is the story of #StrongWomen - Caroline, Lydia, Anna - who spoke out for a good world despite the personal and professional risks to themselves in doing so.
This post is the seventh in my Strong Women Series. The series honors women and girls of courage.
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| Cecile Richards. Source: Cosmopolitan. |
Cecile Richards is my seventh #StrongWoman.
“Every bit of progress we have made in this country, perhaps in the world, has been because there were people willing to speak out even when it was unpopular.”
Cecile Richards, Georgetown speech, April 2016
Ms. Richards is most well-known as Planned Parenthood's president, a position she's held since 2006, and which will end in May this year. Ms. Richards' time with Planned Parenthood will close as a new endeavor opens: the publication of her forthcoming book, Make Trouble: Standing Up, Speaking Out, and Finding the Courage to Lead — My Life Story.
But Ms. Richards' activist life emerged in childhood: At age 14, her school disciplined her for wearing a black armband to protest the Vietnam War. Well, one might say her activism began in the cradle, as Ms. Richards' parents were Ann Richards (former governor of Texas) and David Richards, a civil rights attorney.
As a human lightning rod for Planned Parenthood, an organization committed entirely to the reproductive health of women and men - to medical, economic, and social justice - Cecile Richards is the target of daily attacks from individuals, organizations, and political operatives. Ms. Richards' valor in withstanding these electric strikes and swirling storms so resolutely ... it astounds me.
Women of courage like Cecile Richards? They are who kept me writing The Camel and the Scorpion for 20 years, so I could share the stories of women like The Camel and the Scorpion protagonists, Caroline, Lydia, and Anna.
Honorable, imperfect, brave, vulnerable champions, all of them. Risking their personal and professional lives to stand up for their ideals.
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