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MC Lyte Co-Curates Planned Parenthood Playlist to Encourage Women to Vote

Don’t forget to go to the polls on Nov. 4.

Who knew Spotify could get so political?

Well thanks to Planned Parenthood Federation of America, rapper MC Lyte and DJ Samantha Ronson, it just did.

Together, they created the illest Spotify playlist to emphasize the importance of voting on Nov. 4. Boasting 20 female-empowering songs — both current and throwback hits — the Planned Parenthood playlist includes Beyoncé’s “Girls Run the World,” Chaka Khan’s “I'm Every Woman,” Jill Scott’s “Golden” and Queen Latifah’s “U.N.I.T.Y.” to name a few.

This collaboration is just another element of the highly visible Women are Watching Campaign, an initiative to let politicians know that women — regardless of age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and gender identity — are paying attention to their stance on the issues that affect women. So whether it’s access to birth control, abortion rights, other sexual health issues, and equal pay for women, Planned Parenthood is educating women on knowing what is going on.  

And while African-American and Latino women are disportionately impacted by these health and economic disparities, MC Lyte encourages women of color to recognize their power despite these barriers.

"Women of color are pivotal in determining the outcome of this election. I know how important it is to empower my community to get out the vote and what better way to do that than with my favorite female powered music tracks?” said MC Lyte.

She adds, “Working in a male dominated field, I’ve never succumbed to pressure because of my gender and I’m certainly not going to start by letting politicians have a say in what I do with my body this Election Day. And neither should you.”

MC Lyte isn’t the only Black celeb lending her voice to Planned Parenthood’s campaign. In October, Being Mary Jane’s Gabrielle Union and Orange Is the New Black’s Selenis Leyva also designed T-shirts highlighting key election issues that impact women.

"It's hard to believe we're still living in a time when some politicians believe they should make decisions for women about birth control and basic health care.... We have to vote like our access to birth control and basic health care is on the line this year — because it is," Union said. 

Leyva echoed these sentiments. "We need to make our voices heard and send a message loud and clear that we refuse to let politicians take us back."

So what can you do?

Three simple things:

— Educate yourself on the issues and spread that knowledge to others.

— Register to vote AND go vote on Nov. 4!

— Join the discussion on Twitter! Follow Planned Parenthood’s new handle dedicated to African-Americans at @PPBlackComm

Watch Kevin Hart in a new episode of Real Husbands of Hollywood every Tuesday, 10P/9C.

BET Health News - We go beyond the music and entertainment world to bring you important medical information and health-related tips of special relevance to Blacks in the U.S. and around the world. Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

 (Photo: Bennett Raglin/BET/Getty Images for BET)

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