Statement by NOW President Toni Van Pelt

WASHINGTON – January 21 is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a national observance to honor the memory of the civil rights advocate.  But we should also remember that Martin Luther King Jr. was an early and dedicated supporter of women’s rights.

As a preacher at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama during the 1950s, Dr. King took a bold and forthright position in favor of contraception, a stance that was far from common among Southern preachers of the day.  He supported the work of Planned Parenthood and agreed to serve on the sponsoring committee of a Planned Parenthood study on contraception. He wrote of his hopes that “the federal and state governments will begin to appropriate large sums to educate people to the need for such (contraceptive) devices.”

It was The Committee for Equal Justice for Mrs. Recy Taylor, a black women’s organization formed to stop white men from raping black women, that trained Rosa Parks and others as activists.  Dr. King acknowledged the education he got from women, including black welfare mothers who opposed the Vietnam War and influenced his historic Poor People’s Campaign.

Martin Luther King Jr. marched with women who were underpaid and overworked.  He spoke out for women who were denied equality. He organized for women who were victims of oppression. He knew that women’s rights are civil rights, and helped shape many of the movements in which we participate today. NOW honors the memory and the legacy of Dr. King on this holiday.

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NOW Press, press@now.org, 202-628-8669

Statement by NOW President Toni Van Pelt, NOW Combatting Racism Chair Christian Nunes and New York State-NOW President Sonia Osorio:

WASHINGTON – For decades, R. Kelly has abused, exploited and endangered young Black girls.  The Lifetime documentary series Surviving R. Kelly has provided chilling and appalling detail, and brought into focus a key question—why does the music industry enable a man who does monstrous things to women?  Executives should ask themselves how they’d feel if the young girls R. Kelly has abused were their own daughters. Would they continue to protect him at the expense of his victims?

Through our, Enough Is Enough campaign, NOW is working to change the culture of sexual harassment and sexual assault.  There is no room in our society for artists like R. Kelly who use their success and celebrity to exploit and abuse women and young girls of color.  And our society must no longer allow this culture of abuse to continue happening in plain sight, with men like R. Kelly allowed to provide “entertainment” despite their own vile and even criminal personal conduct. We cannot make excuses and we cannot look the other way.

Artists have a powerful platform they can use to promote justice, equality, fairness, and human decency.  When they abuse that platform, society should reject, condemn and prosecute them.

NOW demands that RCA Records and their parent company, Sony, drop R. Kelly immediately.  By keeping R. Kelly on their label, RCA is telling the public that the safety and protection of young Black girls is secondary to financial gain.  We must ensure that Black girls and women are empowered and protected from the abuse of celebrity and power. This is why we are calling on RCA Records to act now.

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NOW Press, press@now.org, 202-628-8669

Statement by NOW President Toni Van Pelt:

WASHINGTON – The Virginia Senate voted today (26-14) to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). The National Organization for Women (NOW) applauds Virginia lawmakers for taking this first step towards passage of the amendment by the state legislature. NOW leaders and activists across the country are rejoicing that Virginia could become the 38th and final state needed for the amendment to become part of the U.S. Constitution.

Virginia NOW activists are currently working hard to convince the state’s House Republican leaders to bring the resolution out of committee.  It will be an uphill battle, but NOW and our allies are mounting a valiant effort. NOW will not rest until women achieve full equality, first with the constitutional protection of the ERA, and then across society in every sphere: social, economic, and judicial.

NOW calls on the Virginia House of Delegates to move swiftly to vote to ratify the ERA, so we can all celebrate as equal rights become the 28th amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

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NOW Press, press@now.org, 202-628-8669