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NOW Proudly Endorses the Black Women’s March and March for Racial Justice

Statement of NOW President Toni Van Pelt:

The National Organization for Women is proud to officially endorse the March for Black Women, and the March for Racial Justice (M4RJ). The events will take place concurrently, and in solidarity with one another, on September 30, 2017.

As our nation reels from Charlottesville, we have a responsibility as feminists to take action on behalf of racial equity and justice. Charlottesville did not happen in isolation; it was the culmination of a long history of policies, practices, and cultural values that continue to uphold white supremacy. People of color–particularly women–lose their lives and sacrifice their dignity every day as a result of this toxic system. Swift action is needed to begin healing the racism so deeply ingrained in the United States–and put an end to the steady stream of injustices people of color face.

On September 30, we will bear witness to these tragedies, and demand racial justice. We are proud to share the vision for the march identified by M4RJ organizers: “to create a just and equitable future for communities of color, so that we may all thrive together.” And we are especially proud to support the creation of a healing space for Black women, who shoulder a disproportionate share of this burden.

Indeed, as the National Organization for Women, we support these marches because of the particular hatred women of color experience, as a result of both their race and their gender. But it’s more than that as well. As feminists we support the march because white supremacy pushes us all downward. The oppression of women, people of color, LGBTQIA+ people, disabled people, and other marginalized individuals are all wrapped up together–and rooted in the same source. Solidarity + action will drive change.

We will be in the streets of Washington, DC on September 30 and raising our voices, just as NOW’s founders did when they put racial justice in our original statement of purpose more than 50 years ago. I’m inviting NOW activists to join me on that day–in Washington, at a sister march, or in their hearts. And I’m inviting them to join me every day afterward, to keep taking action to dismantle white supremacy long after the march is done.

Contact
M.E. Ficarra, press@now.org, 951-547-1241

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Trump Administration Protects the Privileged, Shuns Survivors

Statement of NOW President Toni Van Pelt:

Sexual assault survivors are not safe on Betsy Devos’s watch.

Her announcement today that the Department of Education would begin rolling back protections for campus sexual assault survivors signals once again that this administration is committed only to protecting the privileged.

We’ve seen this in the administration’s treatment of communities of color, and the LGBTQIA+ community. And today, the Trump administration is choosing to protect people who act like Donald Trump. That’s tragic–both for women and LGBTQIA+ individuals who are targeted, and for men who are taught this is what masculinity looks like.

Because of this ugly choice, students are now at risk of losing tools that provided a path to justice–like easy access to Title IX coordinators, and an Office of Civil Rights that listened. But they’re losing far more than that. They’re losing a culture that was finally beginning to support survivors, and take them seriously when they gave voice to their trauma. Without this culture, they won’t speak up. Survivors–particularly women, and particularly members of other already marginalized communities–will go back to enduring the violence in silence.

Where there is silence, there is shame. Survivors have endured far too much of that already. They need to know their schools–and their government–have their backs. The National Organization for Women will continue working fiercely to make that a reality–and to end the cycle of silence and violence once and for all.

Contact
M.E. Ficarra, press@now.org, 951-547-1241

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Ending DACA Will Stoke Fear — and Harm Women

Statement of NOW President Toni Van Pelt

Donald Trump’s decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program will decimate protections for immigrant youth–and sends a message to immigrant women, children, and families that their safety is in jeopardy.

Trump announced Tuesday that the DACA program would formally cease six-months from now, and called on Congress to replace the policy before the March 5, 2018 deadline. His order will wipe out deportation protections and work permits for more than 800,000 young immigrants.

An end to DACA would mean that immigrant youth will be marginalized even further. Without access to work permits, their economic security will be threatened. Without safety from deportation, families will be torn apart.

This move stokes the culture of fear that Trump feeds every day with his racist, xenophobic rhetoric. And it will have real consequences–consequences that go beyond the immediate effects of ending DACA, and harm women. How many young domestic violence victims will be silenced for fear of deportation? What workplace discrimination will young women endure if they are working off the books? How many sexual assaults will occur without consequences for the perpetrator?

Trump is a bully, and he’s picking on young people. But this is not a schoolyard, and the potential for danger is very real.

No human being is illegal, and the National Organization for Women fiercely condemns the end of DACA. We will never stop demanding safety for immigrant women and families; today is no exception.

Contact
M.E. Ficarra, press@now.org, 951-547-1241

Florida NOW

Florida 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.

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