Florida NOW

Released on June 4, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Today, NOW recognizes Mom’s Equal Pay Day and acknowledges the enormous wage disparities between mothers and fathers in our nation. Especially in the present moment, sex-based pay discrimination prevents mothers from receiving equal pay for equal work and makes the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic even more devastating.  

We know that in 2019, on average, mothers were paid 70 cents to every dollar fathers were paid. This gap is even larger for Black, Latina, and Native American mothers when compared to White, non-Hispanic fathers, as seen by these nation-wide averages. For every one-dollar white fathers are paid: 

• Asian American and Pacific Islander mothers are paid 89 cents.
• White mothers are paid 69 cents. 
• Black mothers are paid 50 cents. 
• Native American mothers are paid 47 cents. 
• Latina mothers are paid 45 cents.  

These disparities are wide-spread and are even greater in some states and occupations. For mothers of all races working as cashiers or retail salespeople in grocery stores, they are paid on average 28 cents less than fathers in those same occupations.  

NOW is a fierce supporter of the Paycheck Fairness Act, and other policies like paid leave, affordable childcare and healthcare, and family leave. On Mom’s Equal Pay Day, we reaffirm our commitment to advocating for these initiatives which would ease the financial burdens on mothers and women in this country. 

Contact: Press Team, press@now.org,

Released on June 3, 2020

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Organization for Women has signed on to a letter calling on the Department of Justice to open a full and thorough hate crime investigation into the horrific killing of Ahmaud Arbery, who was chased down and shot to death by armed vigilantes while peacefully jogging in a suburban Georgia neighborhood. 

Like the murder-by-police of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Ahmaud Arbery was targeted for being Black and victimized by a culture that gives permission to racial violence, especially when committed by individuals with a law enforcement background.  But unlike Minnesota, where Attorney General Keith Ellison, who has a consistent record in opposing police violence, is leading the investigation, Cobb County  District Attorney Joyette Holmes, the fourth prosecutor to be assigned to this case, identifies herself as a “proud conservative” and has political ties to Georgia’s controversial Republican governor, Brian Kemp. 

That’s why NOW has joined the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights’ and the Hate Crime Coalition’s call for a thorough investigation into the local district attorneys, as well as the Glynn County Police Department for their pattern of systemic constitutional abuses.   

There are too many families of the victims of police violence crying out for justice today.  Along with George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery, there is also David McAtee and Breonna Taylor, both shot by police in Louisville in incidents that sparked national outrage.  All these families must see a full accounting for the legal system’s inherent racism, neglect, and contempt for communities of color. 

NOW stands with Black Lives Matter and other groups demanding racial justice, systemic change, and immediate reform and accountability.  

Justice delayed is justice denied.  Change must come now—it’s long overdue.  Hate must be driven out of our criminal justice system, and it must never come back. 

Contact: Press Team, press@now.org,

Released on May 27, 2020

WASHINGTON – The shocking video out of Minneapolis shows another black man, George Floyd, being brutalized by another white police officer as he kneels on the prostrate man’s neck, pressing the full weight of his body on his handcuffed, unarmed victim.  Mr. Floyd is seen gasping and crying out for help, shouting “I cannot breathe,” and “Don’t kill me!”  He then grows motionless, closes his eyes, and appears to stop breathing.  But still the officer keeps his knee pressed into Mr. Floyd’s neck. 

Meanwhile, other Minneapolis police officers stand by and do nothing to prevent this obscene instance of police violence.  But we can bear witness, and bear witness we must. 

Minnesota NOW joined a protest on Tuesday expressing the community’s outrage at this incident, which took place on Monday, Memorial Day.  NOW members across the country stand with Minnesotans who demand answers to the continued pattern of police violence, following the shooting death of Philando Castile in 2016.  The officer in that incident was acquitted of a second-degree manslaughter charge and two counts of dangerous discharge of a firearm. 

We demand justice for George Floyd, his family, and his community.  We demand that the names of the officers involved in this attack be released, and for those officers to be vigorously prosecuted, firing them is not enough. Police violence against unarmed black men must not be allowed to continue as “business as usual.”  That is not who we are.