Statement from the Board of Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania Advocates
For Immediate Release: Dec. 3, 2020 (Updated: Dec. 3, 2020, 3:27 p.m.)
“The Board of Director Board of Directors of Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania Advocates (PPPA) has accepted the resignation of its Executive Director, Emily Callen, effective immediately. We will appoint new interim leadership shortly.
We are committed to hearing the voices of the staff, and the commitments we have previously made (shared below) remain fully intact. We are moving forward with an internal audit, and will make further determinations about reform at that time.
We are 100% committed to living our values in our workplace, and will take every necessary step to do so.
Our commitments have been outlined in this prior statement, and continue:
“The Board of Directors of Planned Parenthood Pennsylvania Advocates (PPPA) is committed to racial equity and an inclusive environment for all who work on behalf of our mission, and we take the PPPA staff’s charges of racism and inequity seriously. PPPA reaffirms its commitment to working to end implicit bias and structural racism within our organization at all levels.
“As part of PPPA’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion work, the board of directors will work closely with the senior leadership team to immediately launch a deep examination of the issues raised in the November 25 open letter. PPPA commits to the following actions:
- Invest resources in long-term anti-racist training for the board of directors, executive director and the senior leadership team;
- With PPPA staff, conduct an audit of all external and internal communications; and
- With a commitment to equity and inclusion, review and revise policies, procedures and hiring practices and ensure ongoing training for staff.
“Our nation’s history of structural racism, including reproductive oppression and implicit bias, has a profound impact on all of our institutions. We have to continuously and strenuously challenge this in our own organizations and our own leadership, take responsibility for the things we need to change, and work to improve. PPPA’s investment in that work will continue.”
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Contact: [email protected]