Florida NOW

Released on June 24, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate’s failure to move decisively on comprehensive policing reform underscores the urgent need for Congress to follow the lead of their constituents, who overwhelmingly support an end to abusive policing practices, state-sanctioned violence and systemic brutality against Black people at the hands of law enforcement.  Senate Democrats are right to call B.S. on the JUSTICE Act, a pathetic excuse for reform. 

NOW supports the position of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights to demand that Congress adopt a set of fundamental reforms that must be in any policing legislation Congress adopts. 

These priorities are: (1) the creation of a use of force standard that allows force when necessary and as a last resort; (2) a ban on chokeholds; (3) a ban on racial profiling; (4) the establishment of a police misconduct registry; (5) the inclusion of a “reckless” standard in 18 U.S.C. Section 242 that enables federal prosecutors to hold law enforcement accountable for criminal civil rights violations; (6) a prohibition on no-knock warrants, especially in drug cases; (7) the elimination of the judge-made doctrine of qualified immunity, which allows officers and other government actors to evade accountability when they violate individuals’ rights by abusing and killing suspects; and (8) the demilitarization of law enforcement agencies.  

 In less than 12 hours, more than 450 civil rights, civil liberties, and racial justice organizations, including NOW, signed on to that letter to support these reforms – none of which are adequately addressed in Senate bill, S. 3985, the so-called JUSTICE Act. The Senate was poised to vote on this bill today.

 While some Senate Republicans are showing good-faith interest in at least making a start at reform, Mitch McConnell continues to revel in his self-described role as the “grim reaper” standing in the way of racial justice.  His political posturing and cynical maneuvering continues to cause irreparable harm to marginalized communities and is ultimately costing lives. 

NOW activists will continue working with advocates to dismantle this structural racism that has disproportionately caused harm to the Black community.    We stand for racial justice—and the victims of racial profiling, police brutality, and blatant prejudice and hatred.  The American people know what’s happening in the streets.  We demand justice. 

Contact: Press Team, press@now.org,

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 in athletics, which has helped increase the number of women who participate in high school sports to an all-time high, from 300,000 nationwide in 1971 to nearly 3.5 million opportunities for girls to compete in 2018-19, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations.  U.S. women medal-winners in the Olympics routinely break records. 

The language of Title IX is crystal clear: 

“No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” 

But as we’ve seen in the decades since, Title IX can still be undermined by politics, prejudice, and discrimination.  Today, with President Trump’s backing, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos is intent on weakening Title IX protections for LGBTQIA+ students and making it harder for survivors of sexual assault to be safe at school.  A new rule that DeVos is pushing would give new rights to the accused, reduce liability for schools, tighten the definition of sexual harassment and allow schools to use a higher standard in evaluating claims of sexual harassment and assault. A lawsuit has been brought to stop the administration from implementing this dangerous weakening of Title IX. 

Multiple studies have confirmed that 1 in 5 women and 1 in 4 transgender or gender non-conforming students are sexually assaulted on college campuses, and approximately 20 percent of girls have been the victims of sexual assault or attempted sexual assault while in high school.  

NOW is committed to strengthening Title IX protections and enforcement, ending the criminalization of trauma, and pushing back against the Trump Administration’s coordinated attacks on this vital civil rights law.  Fulfilling the promise of Title IX and ensuring that it remains a strong deterrent to discrimination and harassment underscores the importance of defeating Donald Trump and electing a new feminist majority to the U.S. Senate in November.  We need a government that proudly enforces Title IX, and not one that weakens it and, thereby, threatens the safety of all students. 

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. 3, which stated: “The people of Texas are informed that, in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free.” This day quickly grew to become a holiday within Black communities that included food, dance, and community celebration and acknowledgment.  

President Trump tried to hijack this day of celebration by holding a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a city with its own history of violent racism – in 1921 white citizens killed and wounded several hundred African Americans, destroying their homes and businesses. Although he ultimately moved the date, this thoughtless act further proves how little he cares for the Black community.   

Juneteenth honors a time in our nation’s history when our country began the process of undoing the impact of centuries of slavery, and our work still continues today to dismantle structural racism. Our country is at a crossroads, and we must create a more just and equal society, especially for the Black community. Non-Black allies not only need to reconcile their own biases to become better allies but dismantle forms of complicity that perpetuate racial oppression.  

At the National Organization for Women, we are committed to antiracist feminism. We know that women of color will not be free unless we are intentionally being both anti-sexist and anti-racist. Every aspect of our work, from reproductive justice to constitutional equality, is motivated by our desire to include and honor women of color. 

Contact: Press Team, press@now.org,