Nearly 300 people filled the Barn at Fearrington Village on Sunday, each holding a pink and white book as they waited for Cecile Richards, president of the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, to take the stage.
At the event hosted by McIntyre's Books to promote her new memoir, "Make Trouble," Richards called on young people to get involved in social and political movements.
“Invest in young people, invest in teenagers, because that is where young people get their courage, find their voice and really just take over the world,” Richards said.
Michele Tracy Berger, UNC associate professor of women’s and gender studies, interviewed Richards, asking her questions about her book, her experience as an activist and her plans for the future.
Richards said she wrote "Make Trouble" because of the number of people asking her for direction following the 2016 election. She said she hopes to help those who are looking for encouragement or instruction.
Though the stops Richards has made over the past few weeks have been to promote her book, she said they felt more like rallying events.
“Everywhere we’ve gone there have been huge crowds of all ages, many, many women, of course,” Richards said. “I think there’s real keen interest, not only in the book, but in ‘what does this moment mean?’”
Cari Boram, who used to work for Planned Parenthood, said she brought her daughter Lena Rella, age 10, to expose her to the work Richards is doing.
“I think it’s really important for us to be approaching this work from an intergenerational perspective, and Lena has always been interested in activism in general,” Boram said. “She wanted to be part of this, and sharing this with her has always been important to me.”
