FYI NOW – January 5, 2019
Inside:
• NOW’s Statement Regarding the 2019 Women’s March
• Activists Urged to Come to D.C. for Preparations
• March Facts and Other Details Noted – The #WomensWave
• NOW Board Meeting is set for January 26
• Chapter Portal Update
• Chapter Annual Reports
• Chapter Actions
NOW’s Statement Regarding the 2019 Women’s March
NOW’s national board members recently discussed the organization’s involvement in the upcoming Women’s March to be held in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, January 19 and made the following determination:
NOW will continue to support the Women’s March Unity Principles, and we will participate and organize members to attend the March. However, we will withhold direct financial support until the current questions regarding leadership are resolved.
The full statement appears on the NOW homepage at, https://now.org/media-center/press-release/nows-support-for-the-principles-of-the-womens-march-is-unwavering-but-clarification-on-leadership-is-essential/
Comments made by several persons associated with the Women’s March have drawn concern over what some perceive to be anti-semitic and bigoted in nature. Here is a response posted on the Women’s March website and also their Facebook page, https://www.womensmarch.com/
Activists Urged to Come to D.C. for the March
Past experience has shown that having additional activists to help prepare for the Women’s March is important. If you are able to make the trip to D.C. to help distribute signs on the day of or participate in preparations on Friday, January 18, leading up to the March, please let us know. (Contact Julianna at planner@now.org). We have thousands of signs to be distributed to marchers and on Friday we will be loading up the van with signs to locate at various points near the March route. We will also be keeping the National Action Center Open on the day of the March for NOW members and supporters to pick up signs.
The National Action Center is located at 1100 H St. NW, Suite 300, Washington, D.C. 20005. We are at the corner of 11th and H, with the main entrance facing 11th and across from the Grand Hyatt. By Metro, we are one block north of the eastern-most exit at Metro Center. Please note: we have a new location for our office suite’s main door: it no longer faces the hallway as you get off the elevator, but has been moved down the hallway to the left. The National Action Center is currently undergoing a renovation and the addition to several new offices to make better use of existing square footage.
If there is a sister march in your community and you wish to order rounds (vintage rounds including “ERA NOW” “Stop Racism NOW” “End Violence Against Women” “Young Feminists Mobilizing” are being offered for free), please contact
For the Washington D.C. Women’s March, Virginia NOW members will be featuring their organizing activities to get the Equal Rights Amendment ratified by the state legislature by marching together and carrying a historic ERA banner. On January 9 Virginia NOW ERA supporters will gather at the State Capitol in Richmond to urge ratification
National Park Service (NPS) officials have learned from the successful past two Women’s Marches that more space will likely be needed for the enormous crowds. March attendees in past years found it difficult to even move with so many marchers crowded into a limited space on the National Mall. The Women’s March website provides information about the schedule, bus/train travel to D.C., parking recommendations, what to bring and what to wear (it’s been cold in D.C.), youth groups, accessibility concerns and many other important details, check out at, https://www.womensmarch.com/2019/https://www.womensmarch.com/2019/ Their website has links to charter bus companies, with guidelines. Additionally, they offer assistance to groups wanting to organize sister marches, they note, “If you’re interested in planning your own sister march, please register with the “Click To Host” button on the map. A representative from our field team will contact you within 72 hours with more information on how to get started.”
Marchers will be gathering on the National Mall between 3rd and 12th streets, starting at 10 a.m. on Saturday. The March step-off is set for 11 a.m., heading west towards the Lincoln Memorial where the rally begins at 1:30 p.m. and lasts to 4 p.m. Speakers have not been named to date. There will be a Main Support Station at Constitution Gardens, located just north of the reflecting pool at 21st and Constitution Ave., NW. This area will have porta-potties, water stations, heated tents, medic stations, and a lost person tent. A site map with further details once approved by the NPS will be posted on the Women’s March website.
NOW Board Meeting is Set for January 26th
More information is forthcoming soon.
Chapter Portal Update
If you are a chapter officer and do not have access to the online chapter portal, please let Supria Bhatia in Chapter Services know immediately. The portal has been created so chapter leaders can immediately access the most up-to-date information in NOW’s database. National will no longer run transaction reports or membership lists. Since you will be able to run membership lists, please bear in mind that Chapter membership lists can only be used for official NOW business and cannot be given to potential candidates or allied organizations.
Local chapters: If you need an at-large membership list for your chapter area, please contact your state president and they will be able to provide the list for your approved zip codes. If a state president does not exist, please contact chapters@now.org to make your request.
State Leaders: If you are unsure of how to run membership lists, please contact Chapter Services immediately.
Please contact chapters@now.org with any questions, concerns, or comments.
Chapter Annual Reports
The 2018 Chapter Annual Report Form has been posted!! Please complete the online form, informing us of your 2018 actions, as soon as possible, to remain eligible for rebates. The deadline for 2018 Annual Reports is April 30, 2019.
Rebate Eligibility: In order to be eligible for rebate checks, chapters must: 1) Have a valid address on file, 2) Have at least two elected officials (President and Treasurer), 3) Have cashed any previously issued check, and 4) Have the most recent chapter annual report submitted or at least two of the past three consecutive annual reports. For further clarification, please contact Supria at chapters@now.org.
Chapter Actions
National wants to highlight all of the amazing actions taken by state and local activists so please reach out and let us know how you’ve made a difference. Not only will your actions motivate other activists, but it will also give your peers an idea of how they can follow suit and make a difference! You can email Supria at chapters@now.org today!
Chapter Annual Reports
https://nationalnow.wufoo.com/forms/x5lrunp0fn35ln/