Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas will honor Cecile Richards with the Gertrude Shelburne Humanitarian Award at its 34th annual Dallas Awards event on Wednesday, Nov. 20, beginning at 10:30 a.m. at the Margot and Bill Winspear Opera House.
Co-chairs for the event are Jessica Bass Bolander, Abby Miller Evans and Missy Rogers Peck.
Richards, daughter of beloved Texas Gov. Ann Richards, has been a national leader in the fight for women’s rights and social and economic justice, and she is a co-founder of Supermajority, an organization fighting for gender equity.
Cecile Richards is the author of New York Times bestseller Make Trouble. And as president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Planned Parenthood Action Fund for 12 years, she worked tirelessly to increase affordable access to reproductive health care and to build a healthier and safer world for women and young people.
After starting her career as a labor organizer, working with women earning the minimum wage, Cecile Richards went on to start her own grassroots organizations and later served as deputy chief of staff to House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. Richards is a frequent speaker and commentator on politics and progressive issues.
This year’s keynote speaker is Darren Walker, president of the Ford Foundation, a $16 billion international social justice philanthropy. Under his leadership, the Ford Foundation became the first nonprofit in U.S. history to issue a $1 billion designated social bond to stabilize nonprofit organizations in the wake of COVID-19.
Before joining Ford, Darren was vice president at the Rockefeller Foundation, overseeing global and domestic programs. In the 1990s, he was COO of the Abyssinian Development Corporation, Harlem’s largest community development organization.
Co-chairs and event planners for Planned Parenthood’s gala event have promised “an inspiring morning filled with camaraderie, exciting entertainment, nibbles and drinks, and a compelling keynote address,” according to a press release.
This year, Dallas restaurants including Teak Tearoom, Grange Hall, Nonna/Tabu, Mirador, Lovers Seafood and Market, Sassetta and Le Bilboquet will be dedicating percentages of the day’s sales to Planned Parenthood.
Individual tickets are available for $250 each, and sponsorship opportunities are available, starting at $2,500. For more information or to purchase tickets or to become a sponsor, visit the website here.
— Tammye Nash