Written by Julie Kent / President@flnow.org

Sometimes I need to celebrate the small successes.

Back in January, when I went to Tallahassee, I spent a day running around with a representative from Equality Florida named Chris. Chris had previously been an intern in Tallahassee and seemed to know all sorts of people. I ran into Chris again in Orlando when we participated in the Dragon Parade in February. I mentioned to Chris that for years my husband and I had been complaining about the inability to walk from the Cady Way trail to the Herndon Post Office without walking in the street. See the picture below from the Cady Way looking towards the post office. Chris suggested contacting my new city commissioner for District 5, but then realized the aide for the commissioner was a contact. I tried emailing the commissioner, but I had more success emailing the aide. I sent in the picture showing the exit of the post office and another just a little further along showing where the post office driveway exits into the street. This is the street where we have to walk to get into the post office. It is not a busy street or a dangerous street, but there are absent-minded or distracted drivers. The pedestrians on the Cady Way include mothers with strollers and people in wheelchairs, so it seems odd that this trail no longer connects to the post office. It did 20-odd years ago, but the trail was shifted, a retention pond added, and new apartments built. I received via email a link for submitted disconnected sidewalks, and I submitted my request in March.

Nothing happened. Well construction increased, and there were several reported incidents of cars driving on this stretch of the Cady Way, but nothing happened about the sidewalk. I became distracted with other things, like my husband’s retirement. Then we went to Scotland, and when I came back, I drove to the post office to pick up the mail prior to the NOW conference. I did not notice any difference. However, after the week after the conference, my daughter and I walked over to the Post Office, and we found this sidewalk where no sidewalk had been before. Not only did they connect the Cady Way to the post office, they ran the sidewalk in front of the Post Office so pedestrians can walk all the way to Colonial Drive without walking in the street. This may not seem like a big success, but it makes life more pleasant for some.

Sunday, I arrived back in Tampa from a weekend packed full of Key West archiving, exploring, and connecting! Darlene, the president of Key West NOW, welcomed me, showed me around, helped arrange my lodging, and made sure my weekend was a success. I’m so grateful for all of her support and hospitality!

Thursday, I flew into Key West, had dinner with Darlene, and visited Stacey, who generously gave me several free passes to experience different activities around the island. After settling into the apartment where I was staying, I headed out for the Ghosts and Gravestones Trolley Tour. The tour took me all over the island, where I got to see many interesting sites and learn about Key West’s history. It was really well done and was a great way to start my visit.

Friday morning, I hosted our first recording session at the Key West Library. I recorded oral histories with Darlene, Liz, and Dave, who have all been active members of the chapter for more than 10 years. Each of them shared incredible insight into Key West NOW, the chapter’s history, and how its work has evolved over the years.

Afterward, Darlene and I met with the new Key West Mayor, Sam Kaufman, to connect and talk about how we can work together to uplift women and other marginalized people in Key West. He was very welcoming and had lots of ideas and plans for the community. I appreciate that he took the time to meet with us and was excited to hear about the work Key West NOW is doing.

 

Later that day, I met with Sheri to record her oral history. Her testimony focused on her best friend, Coney Gilbert, the former president of Key West NOW. Hearing Sheri talk about Coney and their friendship offered a really special glimpse into the people and relationships that have shaped the chapter over the years. These are exactly the kinds of stories we want to preserve through the Florida NOW Oral History Archive.

Friday night, I walked to the bookstore to pick up The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, one of our upcoming Anti-Racist Learning Book Club selections. From there, I walked to Amigos Tortilla Bar, picked up dinner to go, and took it to the beach. I spent the evening reading and watching the sunset.

Saturday morning, I went to La Creperie French Cafe for breakfast and explored the surrounding streets. The area was full of people and music, and I sat for a while at two different places, reading and listening to live music.

Later that afternoon, I went to the Key West NOW Women’s Forum and met with members of the chapter. There were three fabulous speakers, a Q&A, and a light lunch, and the room was packed. It was wonderful to see so many people come together and to spend more time with the members of Key West NOW.

After the forum, I rode the Conch Train and explored more of the town before ending my evening at Sunset Pier. I was so excited to discover that they offer vegan key lime pie, and it was absolutely delicious! The live music and sunset made for a relaxing end to the day. I explored a little more afterward, stopping by a place packed with people salsa dancing to music, before heading back for the night.

Sunday morning, I went snorkeling! I saw interesting coral and fish, and even managed to get seaweed stuck in my hair. Afterward, I packed up, said goodbye to Darlene, and flew back to Tampa.

I’m so grateful for the opportunity to travel around Florida and document the history of our chapters. It has been extremely meaningful to learn more about the place, people, and experiences that have shaped Key West NOW, and I’m honored to help preserve these stories for future generations of feminists.

Thank you to Darlene, Sheri, Liz, Dave, Stacey, and everyone at Key West NOW for making this such a memorable visit. I can’t wait to go back and visit Key West NOW again!

I am currently working on downloading and transcribing those recordings, so they will be available in the near future. Reach out to me directly to schedule a chapter visit at kaitlyncomms@gmail.com.

By Judi Marraccini / 2026 Conference Chair

As Conference Chair, I had been introduced to many exhibitors before the conference.

My plan is to introduce you to some of them and review their organization in the next few FL Feminist issues.

First of this series: CWPFG (Children and Widows Protection and Fellowship Group.

Some long time FL NOW members have formed an organization, CWPFG International Inc. It is a charitable non-profit organization headquartered in Delray Beach, Florida, that focuses on empowering women and girls in remote areas of Kenya.

The Core Mission: The organization aims to help women and girls in Kenya overcome poverty, illiteracy, HIV and gender-based growth so residents can build stable lives.

CWPFG currently assists 10 villages with a total population of about 24,780. This is a remote area, near Lake Victoria. The main economic activity was fishing and now the fish have been depleted. Most women rely on small scale business funded by CWPFG and men do small scale farming for a subsistence economy.

The Programs that help women and girls are:

-The Deborah Ullian Kashdan Scholarship Program

-The F.W. Reproductive Health and Sexual Education Program

-The Natalie Andre Women Entrepreneurship Program

-The Doris Rosen Water and Sanitation Program

-The Lin Amendt Agi-Entrepreneurship Program

Natalie Andre has helped women buy 3 goats for each homestead. Why 3? Two Nanny Goats to give milk and be eventually be meat. One male to make the milk happen. Also in her program, feed is given to 100 chickens so they can lay eggs and eventually become meat.

Doris Rosen has provided cisterns to catch the rain water for a group of homesteads. Before the cisterns came to the village, women and girls would take containers to the polluted creeks and carry them many miles back home. Now, they will have clean water with just opening the faucet on the cistern.

F.W. has provided sanitary napkins, Contraceptive devices and sex education information. Just like in the United States, girls miss school because of their menses. Before the sanitary napkins arrived, girls were using dirty rags which often gave them infections.

Below is the story of one of the young women CWPFG has helped.

Would you like more information, please go to https://cwpfg.org/

Anne is 32 years old, has 5 children and shares a husband with 4 cowives.  She has been helped by the F.W. Reproductive Health and Sexual Education Program with free contraceptives.  She is now able sell vegtables with the help of the Natalie Andre Entrepreneurship Program .