I have a dream.
That is surely one of the most iconic phrases in American history.
At the time of its delivery in late August 1963, the country was reeling. As civil rights demonstrations heated up across the South, firemen's hoses were unleashed on protesters and images of the scuffles were splashed across front pages. Medgar Evers was barely two months in the ground and President John F. Kennedy had just three months left to live.
In the midst of it all, a salve. Hope.
Clarence B. Jones, a prominent lawyer and personal friend and adviser to Martin Luther King Jr., helped the civil rights leader pen the address that would become the most important political speech of the 21st Century according to the National Constitution Center.
Today, the Clarence B. Jones Impact Award honors the spirit of change and social influence he and that speech helped impart by recognizing others whose messages are helping to inspire strides. And a local nonprofit is one of the 10 up for this year's award.
A Step Ahead Chattanooga offers free, long-term, reversible birth control (IUDs) to any woman in an 11-county area who wants one. It's a topic that can be touchy, says President Rachel Schulson. The agency's messaging has to be sensitive and clear. The resultant "Women Can" video in the running for the award is a subtle nod to the agency's mission, a tool to empower women to set their own limits.
* When we started, just having a birth control discussion was considered edgy and controversial for some. I think one of the reasons is because a lot of people conflate birth control and abortion and want to stay away from the whole topic.
Profile
Name: Rachel SchulsonAge: 62Hometown: New York CityOccupation: President of A Step Ahead Chattanooga
* We're a prevention-only organization. We don't promote access or refer to abortions. The only link is that when women become pregnant intendedly, they're not going to be seeking abortion. We had to kind of disentangle the two [abortion and birth control] in order to have a clear conversation.
We want people to think about birth control in terms of life planning ... think about where being pregnant can and does fit in for you.
* Everybody knows somebody, if not themselves, who became pregnant when they didn't plan to be. Everybody loves the baby they ended up with, but they may still acknowledge that they got their degree 10 years later than they'd expected or they had to turn a down a job they really wanted.
* For some people, it may be
the difference between poverty and not poverty. For others, it may just be a hiccup.
* [A Step Ahead] was founded in Memphis by a GPS grad who was a judge in juvenile court. It's unique in that it's from the ground up, a nonprofit approach. There are some states that have government funding for these methods.
* I heard about it, and I've never had this happen - it really was like a calling: I have to do this.
* I was a writer and editor mostly for nonprofit organizations. I just always believed that at the heart of so many organizations I personally support were women who didn't have the opportunity to decide for themselves when they felt ready to be pregnant, and that if I could help more women have access to effective birth control, they could be in a better position to have a more productive future.
* I think we're going to do just over 1,000 [women] just this year. We're up 94% year to date. It feels like they just woke up one day and said, "We need birth control."
* ... When we started, we had to convince people to have us at the table. Now, we don't have enough staff to cover every event we're invited to. We have a five-person staff and only two are full time, plus we have outreach teams.
* We're represented sometimes at five events in a weekend ... community health fairs, minority health fairs, neighborhood this, neighborhood that.
A win regardless
After watching the nomination pool dwindle from 10 to eight to four — and still remaining in the competition — A Step Ahead was not the winner announced in mid-July, following this interview. “We’re proud to have been one of the final four, particularly given who won,” President Rachel Schulson says. “The winner was the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition. Their director, Desmond Meade … is on the 2019 TIME 100 Most Influential People List.” To watch A Step Ahead’s nominated video, learn more or get involved, visit astepaheadchattanooga.org.
* We're very careful about targeting any one population. We have over 100 referral partners, so we make sure materials and knowledge about us are available through all the social service agencies in town. We offer the service equally because you can't look at someone and know if they can afford this or not or what their insurance status is.
* If somebody paid out of pocket and didn't go through an insurance provider, I estimate they'd pay $800-$1,000. We pay anything not covered.
* It's not always birth control for birth control's sake. Somebody might be a married person who already has two kids and they don't want another one right now. Birth spacing is really important. Or let's say you're working two serving jobs and don't have insurance, but you want to make sure you don't get pregnant because you're working toward something with those. You could come to us.
* Most women who get pregnant unintendedly are 18-24. You can't not get pregnant if you don't understand why you have a period. We have that talk with people in college.
* We've been recognized locally as a "Champion of Health Care." This [Clarence B. Jones Impact Award nomination] has already meant a lot because the judges are from the Gates Foundation, etc., so it's pretty amazing to be recognized that way.
* I think we're filling a community need. ... The comments we get from women ... some of the comments are so gratifying. That's what keeps me going.
* All we want to do is keep serving women.