Why Mackenzie Scott's $275 million donation to Planned Parenthood is so important

Planned Parenthood 02 - Cleveland Pride 2017
Planned Parenthood announced that MacKenzie Scott has donated a record-breaking amount of $275 million. That’s the single largest donation in Planned Parenthood history.
This is one of the 465 organizations and institutions (including Habitat For Humanity, Boys & Girls Club of America and Urban Teachers, to name a few) that Scott has contributed to as part of her 2019 pledge to donate the majority of her wealth. But as political division continues to threaten access to sexual and reproduction healthcare (all of which Planned Parenthood provides) this action carries a different tone.MacKenzie Scott, philanthropist and novelist, has given Planned Parenthood $275 million, the largest gift the nonprofit has ever received. https://t.co/NTnCeAjvDy
— NPR (@NPR) March 24, 2022
In a heartfelt statement written on Medium, Scott clearly conveyed how her decision to donate was beyond anything partisan.
“The increasing stridency of opinions in the news can be divisive. But lately I’ve heard something different in it. Turned up so loud, all I can notice is how similar it all sounds. The universal tendency to shout is an ironic reminder of how much we all have in common, as well as encouraging evidence that we have what we need to solve our shared problems. It’s as if the antidote is right there waiting in all that venom. We are all human. And we all have enormous energy to devote to helping and protecting those we love.”
As her statement continued, Scott mixed logic with heart perfectly while arguing the importance of helping those who are underrepresented.
She pointed out how helping one group helps us all, using the examples of bike lanes meant to protect cyclists also improved property for everyone, seat belt laws made for young children saved lives of all ages and how students of racially diverse schools achieved better learning outcomes.
“Those are just the positive ripple effects that can be easily counted,” she added.
“But the trend line is clear. Communities with a habit of removing obstacles for different subsets of people tend to get better for everyone.”
Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood, wrote in a statement that the money would go toward improving health equity for patients of color by eliminating racial and structural barriers in the community.
She also reiterated the fact that Planned Parenthood is a critical part of the public health infrastructure.
This is incredibly important to remember as the organization is under fire for providing abortions, which only account for a portion of the provided services. Though there is much dispute over just how large that portion is, the fact is PP still helps provide birth control, contraceptives and healthcare to many who would not have it otherwise. This includes LGBT services like hormone therapy for transgender patients, another historically marginalized group currently facing crisis.
Scott’s act of kindness is philanthropy at its best. At a time when so many hard-won freedoms feel at risk, or when the constant chatter of derision drowns out hope for the future, it’s a gentle yet powerful reminder that generosity chooses no sides. It only exists to bring us together by placing everyone on equal ground. There is tremendous and exponential value to be gained (for everyone) by investing in people.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."
This article originally appeared in May.