Meet Pearl
Pearl Ricks is an advocate, artist, and caretaker whose refusal to bow down has taken them all the way to the steps of the Supreme Court.
Growing up in Philadelphia, Pearl realized from an early age that while all were created equal, all weren’t treated equally. As a Philadelphia public schools student, Pearl shared books with classmates and relied on photocopies of more recent textbooks when the ones made available to Pearl and their peers were out of date. When they moved to a whiter, more affluent suburb, the new textbooks and state-of-the-art resources gave them a first-hand lesson in American inequality and in the opportunities that every young person deserves.
Pearl’s conviction that all people, regardless of background, deserve every opportunity to thrive continues to propel their activism to this day.
After working their way through college as a home health aid, they moved to New Orleans. In more than a decade of calling this city home, they have learned the challenges that the people of District 23 face first-hand and have also seen the potential for change through collective action. Like many artists Pearl has juggled their music career with day jobs in order to make ends meet—struggling to make it with rising rent and Entergy bills—all the while organizing for safety, bodily autonomy, and a fair shake for their neighbors.
In response to Baton Rouge politicians’ attacks on reproductive health, Pearl co-founded Plan B Nola and the Reproductive Justice Action Collective (REJAC). There they partnered with advocates around the state, helping them to build their own programs to distribute emergency contraception and sexual health education, and in 2020 became REJAC’s first executive director.
Pearl has been an unapologetic voice at the Louisiana state legislature, against a host of legislation designed to silence us–Black folks, queer folks, poor people, and the people the Founding Fathers didn’t include in their plans for liberty and justice for all. Through all of it, they have maintained that commitment to fighting for the opportunity to thrive for all people.
