Leola Reis oral history interview, September 19, 2008

Item — othertype: Oral History

Identifier: ReisL_20080919

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Interviewed by Morna Gerrard. Leola Reis begins her interview by discussing her family lineage. She talks about the experiences of her parents and grandparents, which include one of her grandmothers surviving a German concentration camp during WWII. She discusses being raised Jewish, and what that meant in her family. Reis was born in Canada and eventually immigrated to the United States, and she talks about some of the differences in the two nations. She was educated at Queen’s University in Kingston, Canada, and she mentions some early activism she was involved with there. Reis talks about the March for Women’s Lives, which was a large demonstration for reproductive rights and women’s rights which took place in Washington D.C. in 2004. She mentions some early lobbying efforts, specifically a meeting with Georgia Representative John Lewis. After a move to Atlanta, Reis became very involved with Planned Parenthood. She talks about the many roles the Planned Parenthood plays and the various services it provides. She discusses the organization’s work in sexual education at length. This interview also touches on politics surrounding Planned Parenthood, as well as programs concerning birth control, medical abortion, emergency contraception, and STD screenings.

Dates

Creation: September 19, 2008

Creator

Reis, Leola (Interviewee, Person)

Restriction on Access

Oral history available for research.

Biographical Note

Leola Reis was born in Montreal, Canada, in 1963 and graduated from Queens University with a B.A. in English. Reis began her work for Planned Parenthood of Georgia as a clinic counselor and a liaison for judicial bypass (1995-1997). Reis then became Planned Parenthood of Georgia’s Coordinator of Marketing, Communications, and Public Policy (1997), Director of Marketing, Communications, and Public Policy (1997), Vice President for Marketing and Communications (2000), and eventually Vice-President for External Affairs. Reis also served on the board of Refugee Family Services (2005-?), the Atlanta Women’s Foundation Grant Committee (2004), and a panel for the Alan Guttmancher Institute (2003). Reis was also involved in extensive volunteer work with First Line as an after-hours counselor, teaching a course called Judaism and Sexuality, as well as working as a facilitator at Juvenile Justice Fund’s Summit to End Sexual Exploitation (2006).