Today we’d like to introduce you to Kayla Lawson.
Kayla, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
As a sophomore journalism student at Florida A&M University, I founded Planned Parenthood Generation Action on our campus after meeting with Planned Parenthood’s Tallahassee organizer. We informed our campus of Amendment four and had various workshops around consent, healthy relationships, hygiene, and reproductive rights.
After starting this organization, I interned at the Planned Parenthood Federation of America’s headquarters in Washington D.C. as the Youth Organizing Intern. After this internship, I graduated from school and became Planned Parenthood of South, East, and North Florida’s Regional Organizer for Broward County.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Running my organization, being heavily involved with FAMU’S School of Journalism and Graphic Communications, being an RA and being a newly initiated member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. all while trying to prepare myself for graduation and finding a job was the most difficult time of my life. Staying focused and utilizing all my connections and opportunities got me through it.
Please tell us about your work.
As the regional organizer, I educate others on reproductive rights, how to be an advocate, and I encourage people to get involved in the political process by voting and holding their representatives accountable. I’m not necessarily known for anything but my co-workers like the names I come up with for events. Ex: Destigmatizing w. Desserts, My Goodies, Body Party, Get the Scoop, Unpacking Parental Consent, etc.
What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I think success is more of a feeling and less of a rubric. When people tell me they’ve learned something or been empowered and I played a part in that, that feels like success to me. It doesn’t even have to be a large number of people or any specific number, just knowing that my hard work didn’t go unnoticed and somebody gained something from it is enough.
Contact Info:
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/ppsenfl?lang=en
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