April/May 2021 What’s Up NOW?

 

National NOW Conference – Register today!

And we’re off! Planning is well underway to present to you three weekends of workshops, plenary sessions, Bylaws & Issue Hearings! Save these dates: July 24/25, July 31/August 1, and August 7/8.

Do you have a workshop idea and want to present at the conference? Read more here: Workshop Submissions

Anyone can attend the conference! Register today to make sure your spot is reserved!

Executive Engagements

National NOW President, Christian F. Nunes
  • 3/15 – City of West Hollywood’s City Council meeting (accepted NOW’s award/proclamation from the council in honor of Women’s History Month)
  • 3/18 – Guest Speaking with Parkland High School NOW Campus Action Network (Keynote & live QA)
  • 3/24 – Brooklyn Democratic Party’s Herstory Event in Celebration of Women’s History Month (gave remarks / participated in QA)
  • 3/25 – Power Dynamics and Gender: Pima Community College Speaking Engagement (Keynote)
  • 3/29 – Marylanders Rise Up for ERA: A Call to Action to Make the ERA Happen NOW (presenter/panelist)
  • 4/21 – NOW Town Hall: Building Generations of Intersectional Feminists (moderator)
  • 4/21 Vigil for Solidarity for H&M Garment Workers fighting GBVH (remarks)
  • 4/22 – NOW And BWB: Katrina, Maria, & Sandy: Climate Justice is a Feminist Issue (moderator)
  • 5/01 – Equal Means Equal 2021 ERA Townhall (Both Christian and Bear presented NOW’s initiatives in ratifying the ERA)
National NOW Vice President, Bear Atwood
  • April 14th- Pinellas NOW: ERA/VAWA Achievements
  • April 15th- NOW Town Hall: Building Generations of Intersectional Feminists
  • May 1st- Equal Means Equal ERA Townhall 2021

Chapter Updates

Chapter Annual Report: 

Thank you so much to those who have submitted their chapter annual reports for 2019. The submission for the 2019 chapter annual reports has closed. In the event your chapter has not submitted a 2018 or 2019 chapter annual report, please file the 2020 annual report so the status of your rebates is not affected. Failure to do so before March 1, 2021, will change the rebate eligibility status. The 2020 Chapter Annual Report Form can be found on the Members Only Page.

Campus Action Network (CANs):

The Chapters Department is currently working on contacting all inactive campus action networks. If any chapter leaders are still in contact with a school/university with a former that had a NOW CAN, please email us chapters@now.org their contact information to follow up. We would like to revive as many CANs as possible and convene a new Campus Action Network to motivate our youth to get involved.

Chapter Leader Portal: 

  • If you are a chapter leader and do not have access to the chapter portal, please reach out to us at chapters@now.org the Chapter Portal is a resource for your chapter to track members, update chapter information, and view chapter transactions.
  • If you have held or will hold chapter elections, please update your chapter officer listing via the portal before your last day in office. Please bear in mind that they must be affiliated with the chapter to add an officer to your chapter officer list. If affiliations need to be changed, please reach out to our Member Specialist, at member@now.org.
  • Your chapter’s profile now includes a page that displays the chapter’s rebate eligibility status. The page will also highlight the requirements of receiving rebates and if your chapter meets those requirements.

Officers:

Please be sure to stay up to date with your dues. If an officer’s membership expires, the system automatically removes them from their official position and revokes portal access. To prevent this from happening, please ensure your dues are paid.

Round Orders:

Unfortunately, due to the current COVID-19 outbreak, NOW staff is teleworking to ensure the health of their family and peers. Your order status is still pending and will be shipped once we can safely return to the office.

Please do let National know if you have any questions or concerns regarding your order and we will make sure to work with you.

Chapter Highlight: 

Upcoming Chapter Events:

Arizona

California

Connecticut

  • Connecticut NOW: Self-managed Abortion: Safe and Supported: Connecticut NOW is proud to join Progress Florida in offering this free and important virtual event. Attend and learn how to teach others — particularly in Southern states where access is limited or almost nonexistent — how to safely access and use medication abortion pills.  Sign our Senate petition to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act. Protect survivors of domestic & sexual violence. 

District of Columbia

  • DC 51st State NOW: April-May Book Club selection: All we can save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis” edited by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson and Katharine Wilkinson

Florida

Past Event and in the News:

California

  • Hollywood NOW: Promoting Ivy Bittoni event: “Ivy Bottini was one of the founders of the National Organization for Women and President of its first chapter in New York. She was a dear friend of many of us at Hollywood NOW.
  • Sonoma County NOW: “A shout-out to an event we supported presented by the North Bay Organizing Project and the Sonoma County Chapter of the ACLU, “Criminal Justice Reform and the Role of the District Attorney Webinar.” Our chapter also supported “Stop the Recall” for Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch; although we may not always agree with Ravitch, we believe this recall is inappropriate. DA Ravitch is not running for reelection in 2023, and it is time for all of us to pay attention to who is running and vote with our conscience. In addition, the chapter supported “Donation Drive for the Houseless,” coordinated by the Sonoma County Peace and Justice Center.

Illinois NOW – Criminal Justice Reform, Fact vs. Fiction

  • The new criminal justice reform law includes significant possible changes but may not cover the scope of needed accountability. Our expert panel will sift through this complex law so that we all better understand the gains we’ve made and areas that still require advocacy.

Indiana

  • Indiana NOW: On April 16, 2021, Northwest Indiana NOW issued a statement calling the bill the “latest attack on health care” by Republicans, which “is nothing short of bigoted, hate-mongering discrimination against people with uteruses, and risks their health and life in a state that already is dangerous to women.” Read more, here.

Florida

  • Florida NOW: Led by our Racial Justice Task Force, our discussion was about the life and music of Billie Holiday.
  • Jacksonville NOW: Change the Name Campaign: This is the final push! We are now in the last lap of the race to get people to vote for school name changes! 


If your chapter has events coming up or you have past events that you think chapters would enjoy seeing, please submit your entries here:

Politics and Advocacy

NOW is a multi-issue, multi-strategy organization that takes a holistic approach to women’s rights. Our priorities are winning economic equality and securing it with an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that will guarantee equal rights for women; championing abortion rights, reproductive freedom, and other women’s health issues; opposing racism; fighting bigotry against the LGBTQIA community; and ending violence against women. You can read about all of our core issues, here.

ERA Update

You can also read about the many initiatives that we work on continually on the National Action Campaign page.

PAC Update and Actions

In 2017, Prince William County NOW President, Hala Ayala, was elected to the House of Delegates in Virginia. Since then, she has been a progressive powerhouse. She has led on expanding voting rights to ensure underrepresented communities could vote more easily and fought to pass historic legislation on Medicaid expansion. This year she is a frontrunner for Virginia Lieutenant Governor in the Democratic Primary.

Hala has been a champion in our fight for equality. She has shown up for us. So, we are showing up for her. Join National NOW PAC and Virginia NOW PAC on Wednesdays from 6-8 PM ET and help us get out the vote for the June 8th primary.

 

Core Issues

NOW is a multi-issue, multi-strategy organization that takes a holistic approach to women’s rights. Our priorities include gaining economic equality, a Constitutional guarantee of equal rights for all; championing abortion rights and reproductive freedom, opposing structural racism; fighting bigotry against the LGBTQIA community, and ending violence against women. Read more about our Core Issues here.

Read the weekly messages from Christian and Bear about how they are implementing the Core Issues that NOW is structured around.

Messages from Christian and Bear

Campaigns, Initiatives, and Events

100 Days of A Feminist Agenda – Healing From Centuries of Oppression: Our Work Is Not Yet Done

You can watch all of the sessions, here.

NOW What! -Building Generations of Intersectional Feminists

If you missed our two town halls, you can view the discussions by date: April 15th and April 21st.

In NOW’s nearly 55-year history, we have celebrated our victories together and supported each other during our most significant setbacks. Change has never been easy. As we face the monumental task of pushing forward our intersectional feminist agenda, we also need to take a moment to reflect on our challenges and appreciate the community we have built together.  NOW must live its values as an organization by supporting an intersectional feminist agenda and committing to diversity and equality.

Break the Cycle: A Conversation About the Rise of Anti-APIA Racist Violence

Our conversation was held by and with activist leaders, legislators, and community members to learn from their experiences,  how we can support efforts and legislation to address this issue, and actions we can all take to help stop the rise of anti-APIA racist violence. To watch this discussion, click here.

NOW in the News

A key component of NOW’s mission is to monitor and elevate the country’s progress and shortcomings regarding women’s issues through social media, press statements, and media outreach.

Recent highlights include our work for racial justice, reproductive health and abortion, and the incoming Biden/Harris administration. Below are our recent press statements and media clips or read more here in our Media Center.

Digital Media:

Press Statements & On The Records:

Media Hits: 

Recent highlights include our work in pushing an intersectional feminist agenda and ensuring all six core issues are brought to the forefront of our work.

Say It Sister – Blogs

Say It, Sister!, is a place where a variety of feminist core issue topics are discussed. All posts and comments reflect the individual views of their authors, and should not be construed as positions taken by NOW.

©National Organization for Women  

What’s Up NOW is a bi-monthly publication of the National Organization for Women. If you have suggestions or news items to include, please contact us at press@now.org. The next issue will publish in January 2021.