Political training program will develop the next generation of feminist leaders
Washington, D.C. – In an effort to increase women’s political representation, the National Organization for Women (NOW) today unveiled RUN NOW, a unique program to train NOW members how to run for office and/or run a political campaign. Through impactful partnerships with leading progressive political organizations including Emerge and EMILY’s List. RUN NOW will prepare the next generation of feminist leaders to assume positions of power in politics.
Available exclusively to NOW members, this comprehensive program will equip prospective candidates and campaigners with the resources, skills, and insights needed to successfully campaign in national, state, and local elections.
“In the words of NOW icon Rep. Shirley Chisholm, ‘If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair,’” said Christian F. Nunes, National President of the National Organization for Women. “By establishing RUN NOW, we are ensuring our community of activists has greater access to the table and positions of power. The leaders we develop through this program will continue NOW’s half-century legacy, carrying the torch for Mrs. Chisholm and other NOW leaders like Dr. Pauli Murray, Betty Friedan, and Catherine East, moving us closer to gender parity.”
This innovative program will establish a pipeline of leaders committed to advancing a feminist agenda, building on NOW’s legacy leading the fight for women’s equality as the country’s largest grassroots feminist organization.
“The EMILY’s List training team is excited to be a NOW partner supporting their launch of the RUN NOW program that seeks to train future candidates and campaign operatives, “said Johanna Silva Waki, Vice President of the Training and Community Engagement Team at EMILY’s List. “In line with our mission we are committed to working with NOW to train women leaders who will ignite change in their state, local, and national offices. We are delighted to connect with the women in NOW’s grassroots community and provide them with tools they need to be prepared for the political landscape.”
RUN NOW will empower and mobilize NOW’s network of more than 100,000 activists to transform the face of political campaigns – both as candidates and paid staffers.
“We are excited to partner with the National Organization of Women on the RUN NOW campaign, and look forward to training their women on how to run for office and win,” said A’shanti F. Gholar, President of Emerge. “Emerge and NOW share the belief that when women own their voices and have a seat at the table, everyone benefits. Our country needs the leadership of women now more than ever and through this program, we can ensure that even more women are in the political pipeline. The more women we have stepping forward to change the face of power, the faster we can create a truly reflective democracy and a brighter future for us all.”
RUN NOW will officially launch on Tuesday, June 2 with a virtual event for members featuring NOW leaders. For more information, or to join NOW, visit Run NOW.
About the National Organization for Women
As the grassroots arm of the women’s movement, the National Organization for Women is dedicated to its multi-issue and multi-strategy approach to women’s rights and is the largest organization of feminist grassroots activists in the United States. NOW has hundreds of chapters and hundreds of thousands of members and activists in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Since our founding in 1966, NOW’s purpose is to take action through intersectional grassroots activism to promote feminist ideals, lead societal change, eliminate discrimination, and achieve and protect the equal rights of all women and girls in all aspects of social, political, and economic life.