November/December 2020


Congratulations to President-Elect Biden and Vice Presiden Elect Harris!

To read our full statement of jubilation, here.

Read more about our newest Officers of the National Action Center, here.

 

National NOW & Feminist Majority Virtual Conference Recap

Saturday, September 26, October 17, and November 7, NOW & Feminist Majority hosted the 2020 National Conference entitled Fired Up, Ready to Vote! On day one of the conference, our members gathered virtually to vote on national bylaw changes, the conference agenda, and conference rules. We also had the pleasure of speaking with playwright, performer, feminist, and activist, V (formerly Eve) Ensler, as we discussed the importance of voting in 2020, and the legacy she’d like to leave with her play, The Vagina Monologues. Shortly after, we ended the day with District Caucus Meetings for all Eastern, Northern, Southern, Heartland, Pacific, and Western NOW members.

On day two, we launched our PAC Brunch with a welcome from actress, women’s rights activist, and surrogate for the Biden-Harris campaign Ashley Judd. We also introduced wonderful guest speakers like Senator Pat Spearman who led our call to action and keynote speaker Amb. Carol Moseley Braun. We then presented our Lifetime Achievement Award to Linda Berg, for her forty-five years of commitment to feminist leadership.

In addition to the PAC Brunch, our dynamic program showcased a panel on why “Representation Matters” with NOW President Christian Nunes, Najaah Daniels, Quiana Dickenson, Nandini DasGupta, and Cheryl Wapes’a-Mayes, followed by a conversation with Emmy Award Winning Director Lisa Cortés. Later in the day, we closed with a slew of additional panels that focused on topics like the Equal Rights Amendment (with Delegate Jennifer Carroll Foy, Rosie Couture, Kobby Hoffman, Senator Jennifer McClellan, and Julie Suk), LGBTQIA+ rights (with Bonnie Grabenhofer, Sharita Gruberg, Mara Keisling, and Sarah Warbelow), Women’s Rights surrounding COVID-19 (with Carol Baldwin Moody, Seher Khawaja, and Ting Ting Chen), Building up Skills for Meetings and Collaboration (with David Ayodele and Sheila Ogea) and the upcoming 2020 election (with Kimberly S. Adams, Eleanor Smeal, and Martha Burk).

Our final day of the conference featured a plenary on Feminists, Money, and Power with Feminist Majority and distinguished guests such as Rep. Barbara Lee, Barbara Arnwine, Hon. Delia Garcia, Cate Gormley, Cartney McCracken, and Jill Barkley Roy. We also had the opportunity to host special constituency caucuses centering on Women of Color, LGBTQIA+, American Pacific American and Allies, State Presidents, Global Feminism, and Feminists of Faith. At this time, we would like to thank all speakers, panelists, attendees, and staff for making our first virtual national conference so special. We look forward to seeing you all again in 2021!

You can watch the conference here: 2020 Virtual Conference Videos

 

Chapter Updates

Round Orders:

Unfortunately, due to the current COVID-19 outbreak, NOW staff is teleworking to ensure the health of their family and peers. The status of your order 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 Annual Report: 

Thank you so much to those who have submitted their chapter annual reports for 2019. Please be aware that the Chapter Annual report for 2019 will be on the Members Only page until December 31, 2020. Eligibility for rebates includes the submission of the most recent annual chapter annual report. The form to complete 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 that had a NOW CAN, please email us chapters@now.org their contact information so we can follow up. We would like to revive as many CANs as we can and also convene a new Campus Action Network to motivate our youth to get involved.

Chapter Leader Portal: 

  • If you are a chapter leader and you 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, in order to add an officer to your chapter officer list, they must be affiliated with the chapter. If affiliations need to be changed, please reach out to our Member Specialist, Priscilla, 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 portal access is revoked. To prevent this from happening, please ensure your dues are paid.

Chapter Highlight: 

North Carolina NOW

Upcoming Chapter Events:

At its January chapter meeting, Charlottesville NOW will commemorate the 48th anniversary of the landmark Roe v. Wade decision with a program on threats to reproductive rights. Charlottesville Commonwealth’s Attorney Joe Platania and Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Areshini Pather will speak on the state of the U.S. Supreme Court cases as well as relevant Virginia laws.

The virtual meeting is at 7 pm on January 12. RSVP to cvillenowevent@gmail.com to receive the access link.

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

  • The First 100-Days – We are looking for your suggestions. Email us at now@now.org
  • The Biden Agenda for Women – The Biden Agenda’s section specific to women’s issues champions a multitude of policies aimed at benefiting the livelihoods of American women and women around the world.
  • 2020 – A Feminist Retrospective – 2020 was a year of change. Although filled with turbulence and struggle, this year included a wide array of feminist victories that protected and promoted reproductive freedom, equal rights, and racial justice. Starting in January with Virginia’s ratification of the ERA after one hundred years of fighting for its inclusion in the Constitution and ending with the election of the first female, Black, and Asian American vice president, this year reminds us that our work is powerful. These strides in the fight for equality reflect the importance of persisting in the face of adversity. NOW is grateful for all the work our grassroots partners have done in helping promote feminism across the country.

PAC Update

NOW-Endorsed Candidates Score Big Wins

A total of 110 NOW-endorsed candidates from 22 states and the District of Columbia have won their general election races (as of Nov. 10) and control by Democrats of the U.S. House of Representative is assured. The U.S. Senate still hangs in the balance with a nail-biting run-off in Georgia on January 5 determining which party will take control. Our feminist grassroots activists in Georgia and elsewhere are committed to seeing Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Osoff, both feminists, defeat Republican Senators Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue.  For more information, visit the NOWPAC webpage.

Core Issues

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

Campaigns, Initiatives, and Events

  • Messages from NOW President, Christian F. Nunes
    • Weekly messages about what NOW is doing and Christian’s vision for the organization.
  • 100 Days of A Feminist Agenda – Healing From Centuries of Oppression: Our Work Is Not Yet Done
    • “100 Days of a Feminist Agenda: Healing from Centuries of Oppression – Our Work is  Not Done Yet” — A listening and discussion series co-hosted by NOW and Black Women’s Blueprint, throughout the first 100 days of the Biden-Harris Administration and beyond.
  • Young Feminist Task Force (YFTF)
    • Phone banking can be scary, but it’s also one of the most effective strategies for getting out the vote. Join the National Organization for Women’s Young Feminist Task Force for a phone banking hangout for the Georgia Senate Run-off!Gather on Zoom with the NOW Young Feminists to discuss grassroots activism tactics, hone phone banking skills, and give each other moral support as we call Georgia voters to remind them to mail-in or drop-off their absentee ballots, or make a plan to vote in person, on January 5. Training will be offered.
  • Racial Justice Summit & Congressional Briefing – February 28, 2020

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, the 2020 Presidential election, and health care. Below are our recent press statements or read more here: Media Center 

Social Media:

On Friday, December 4th,  our National NOW posted a graphic and accompanying language to our Facebook and Twitter pages expressing solidarity and support towards our friends in the LGBTQIA+ community, in particular our transgender friends. Regrettably, both members of the public and members of NOW began and continue to respond to our post,  with vitriol and language that is inappropriate, reprehensible, and not at all in line with the principles and mission of our organization.  On December 9th we posted a response to the public posts that explains our stance and that we are not going to yield. You can read that statement, here.

Press Statements:

Media Hits

Recent highlights include our work on the 2020 election, pushing the 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.