Political party Democratic Role Activist Children 3 Spouse Kirk Adams | Name Cecile Richards | |
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Parents Ann Richards, David Richards Siblings Clark Richards, Daniel Richards, Ellen Richards Grandparents Mildred Iona Warren, Robert Cecil Willis Similar People Ann Richards, Kirk Adams, Margaret Sanger, Wendy Davis, Elizabeth Holmes Profiles | ||
Cecile richards 2014 commencement address barnard college
Cecile Richards (born July 15, 1957) is an American pro-choice activist who has served as the president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America and president of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund since 2006. In 2010, Richards was elected to the Ford Foundation board of trustees.
Contents
- Cecile richards 2014 commencement address barnard college
- Did rep trey gowdy wink at planned parenthood s cecile richards
- Early life education and political activism
- Writing
- Personal life
- Awards and honors
- References
Did rep trey gowdy wink at planned parenthood s cecile richards
Early life, education and political activism
Richards was born in Waco, Texas, and is the daughter of former Texas governor Ann Richards (née Willis), an American politician and activist. Her father, David Richards, practiced law and had built a practice dealing with civil-rights plaintiffs, newspapers and labor unions, and also won several landmark cases, including a voting-rights lawsuit that went to the Supreme Court. She initially went to public school, but in ninth grade she was disciplined for protesting the Vietnam War after she wore a black armband. She then attended the progressive St. Stephen's Episcopal School for the remainder of high school.
Richards' parents were immersed in political activism from her early years on. At the age of 16, she helped her mother campaign for Sarah Weddington, the attorney who won Roe v. Wade, in her bid for the Texas state legislature.
Richards graduated with a bachelor's degree in history from Brown University in 1980. After graduation, she became a labor organizer for service workers across several states, running union campaigns for garment workers, nursing home workers, and janitors. When she was 30 she moved back to Texas to help with her mother, Ann Richards, with her campaign for Governor. She is currently on the board of the Ford Foundation, a global private foundation with the mission of advancing human welfare. She was one of the founders of America Votes, a 501(c)4 organization that aims to coordinate and promote progressive issues, and is currently serving as president. Richards founded and previously served as president of America Votes, a coalition of national Democratic Party-affiliated organizations. Before that, she was deputy chief of staff to Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic Leader in the U.S. House of Representatives. She has also worked at the Turner Foundation. In 1996, she founded the Texas Freedom Network, a Texas organization formed to counter the Christian right.
Writing
She contributed the piece "Combating the Religious Right" to the 2003 anthology Sisterhood Is Forever: The Women's Anthology for a New Millennium, edited by Robin Morgan.
Personal life
Richards is married to Kirk Adams, a labor organizer with the Service Employees International Union, and has three children. Their eldest, Lily Adams, served as press secretary for Tim Kaine and later as an advisor of communications for Hillary Clinton’s Democratic Presidential campaign. Richards and her husband live in New York City.