Racial Justice
NOW Stands in Solidarity to Combat Racism and Discrimination
As one of our core issues, NOW is committed to ending racism and discrimination. Through our work, we are constantly identifying and combating the barriers to equality and justice imposed by structural racism, particularly those that inflict a double burden of race and sex discrimination on BIPOC women and girls, including trans women and girls.
As champions of equal opportunities in all areas, including employment, education and reproductive rights, we recognize that racial justice is a feminist issue and that to achieve equality, our activism must be anti-racist.
NOW activists have taken to the streets to demand that the police, the government, the media and our society finally recognize that BLACK LIVES MATTER. We know that for too long, Black women and girls (including transwomen) have been made to feel devalued, silenced, and held to different standards. Having a thriving and free civil society is fundamental for human rights, and NOW is committed to ensuring that historically excluded communities of color have the freedom to participate at every level.
NOW believes that the lives lost due to our unjust system matter, and we will not stop raising our voices until we see justice.
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NOW and Racial Justice
NOW condemns the racism that inflicts a double burden of race and sex discrimination on women of color. Seeing human rights as indivisible, we are committed to identifying and fighting against those barriers to equality and justice that are imposed by racism. A leader in the struggle for civil rights since its inception in 1966, NOW is committed to diversifying our movement, and we continue to fight for equal opportunities for women of color in all areas including employment, education, and reproductive rights. NOW’s Combatting Racism Committee is working to encourage growth at all levels within NOW of multiracial task forces to combat racism.
Watch the video below to understand why.
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Racial Justice Summits:
Blog
Allies in Equality—Him and Her for Each Other
By Leora Lihach, President’s Office Intern As the millennial generation begins to take center stage in the world, the feminist movement is at risk of severely slowing down. Too many young adults believe that feminism is off-limits to men and a dangerou Read more...On Baltimore
I haven’t talked about Baltimore very much. Honestly, I haven’t really even thought about it much, because thinking about it makes me so angry and frustrated and I’m tired of feeling that way. But it doesn’t go away just because I try not to think abou Read more...Challenges Faced by African-American Girls Deserve Equal Attention
For some time, the National Organization for Women has been advocating that there needs to be a parallel effort to the My Brother’s Keeper (MBK) initiative which focuses entirely on helping Black boys and men. The picture of African-American girls deta Read more...News
NOW Commemorates Black Feminist Trailblazers This Black History Month
WASHINGTON, D.C. – This Black History Month, NOW is excited to engage our grassroots in efforts that will move the country forward on racial justice issues. With a new administration in place, we know we must prioritize making progress towards ending p Read more … Read more...Socks, step-kids and Sotomayor: An inauguration that breaks barriers is only fitting for Kamala Harris
Being “first” means @KamalaHarris has an opportunity to give other women a seat at the table. More from @ChrisFNunes in @Independent on how our new VP is proving you don’t have to follow outdated norms of what a woman’s role is. Read more...NOW Calls for Donald Trump’s Impeachment and Conviction
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Donald Trump must be impeached now, and for the sake of history. He must stand in judgment before the Congress he defiled, desecrated and made into a target for insurrectionists who answered his call to be “wild” and stop the certi Read more … Read more...NOW Demands Equitable Treatment from Our Justice System
Charge Violent Perpetrators as Domestic Terrorists & Institute a National Day of Apology for Peaceful Protestors Who Were Excessively Policed in the Past WASHINGTON, D.C. – Make no mistake. What we witnessed taking place in our Capitol yesterday Read more … Read more...Resources
ISSUE ADVISORY: Despite House Action, Senate Republicans Refuse to Consider Racial Justice Legislation
The tragic police-involved murder of George Floyd this spring and a succession of tragic police-involved fatal shootings that followed prompted a historic public outcry by tens of millions in the U.S. and elsewhere.
NOW’s Long History of Working for Racial Justice and Equity
As we are approaching a historic anniversary with the Centennial Anniversary of the 19th Amendment, recognizing women’s fundamental right to vote, it seems appropriate to take stock of the important work for equality that NOW has undertaken.
Juneteenth Resources and Celebration
Juneteenth (short for “June Nineteenth”) marks the day when federal troops arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1865 to take control of the state and ensure that all enslaved people be freed. The troops’ arrival came a full two and a half years after the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth honors the end to slavery in the United States and is considered the longest-running African American holiday.
A guide to starting anti-racist conversations with friends and family.
To all non-Black people of color — it’s time we speak up against the anti-Blackness in our communities.