Press Releases

On Title IX’s Anniversary, We Redouble Our Commitment to Ending Discrimination Against Women

Released on June 23, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today marks the 48th anniversary of Title IX, the landmark legislation that set out to ensure equal educational opportunities regardless of gender.  This civil rights law has opened up doors that had long been closed to women and girls, allowing more to participate in athletics programs, earn scholarships, attend college, study in the STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and math) and pursue advanced degrees.  Title IX also assures equality Read more …

NOW Honors Juneteenth

Released on June 19, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, June 19th, the National Organization for Women recognizes Juneteenth, a holiday honoring the day in 1865 when the last enslaved people were free in Texas. Although Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation more than two years earlier, this day marks the liberation of 250,000 Texans.    On June 19th, 1865, Union General Gordon Granger publicly read General Order No. Read more …

Resignations Are Not Enough—Georgia Needs Structural Police Reform to Stop Systemic Racism

Released on June 18, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. – NOW applauds Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms for announcing the departure of police chief Erika Shields, and calling for the immediate termination of Garrett Rolfe, the officer who killed Rayshard Brooks in the parking lot of a Wendy’s drive through.  But firing Officer Rolfe won’t quiet the outrage, or address the injustice, felt by Black communities whose Read more …

Justin Walker Confirmed—The Senate Shamed

Released on June 18, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate’s vote to confirm Judge Justin Walker to the prestigious Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit is a shameful example of how Mitch McConnell has turned the U.S.  Senate into a right-wing confirmation factory for unqualified, inexperienced, extremist federal judges.  Judge Walker is in many ways the worst of the worst. He’s Read more …

The Reversal of Health Protections for Transgender Patients Is Hateful and Cruel

Released on June 16, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On Friday, the four-year anniversary of the 2016 PULSE nightclub shooting and during Pride month, the Trump administration announced its final rule – a slap in the face erasing health care protections for transgender Americans. During a global pandemic when health disparities are revealing deep inequities in our system, this rule perpetuates continued discrimination, structural racism, transphobia, and homophobia.   This action makes it easier for doctors, hospitals, and insurance companies to deny Read more …