Florida NOW

Media Statement the National Organization for Women:

PHOENIX, Ariz. – White House Senior Adviser Stephen Miller, a key architect of President Trump’s inhumane immigration policies, is making headlines as leaked emails show he allegedly circulated material linked to white nationalism. This is the man who has promoted some of Trump’s most hard-line actions, including locking away immigrant women and girls in inhumane and immoral detention facilities in Arizona and around the nation.  

Those fleeing to the U.S. are often seeking refuge from sexual violence, assault and poverty and they deserve a fair and humane immigration process. If they are to be held in these prisons, at a minimum, we have an obligation to give them access to vital human needs such as reproductive health care, feminine hygiene products and mental health care, among other provisions. They must also be free from physical and sexual abuse, strip searches by guards, invasive personal and intimate questioning and tracking of their periods by U.S. government officials. 

This is why the National Organization for Women (NOW) and RAICES, in collaboration with our coalition partners listed below, are hosting an “Unlock the Future” campaign rally in Phoenix.  

Who: Joining NOW President Toni Van Pelt will be: 

• State Senator Victoria Steele, Representative for the 9th District of Arizona 
• Erika Andiola, Chief of Advocacy, RAICES 
• Imelda Omega, Latin Therapists Action Network
• Alejandra Pablos, Reproductive Justice Activist, Immigration Detention Survivor; and
• Additional Speakers to be Announced

What: “Unlock the Future” Rally to demand humane treatment for the women and girls held in immoral immigration prisons. 

Where:  Rose Garden by the Arizona State Capitol, 1700 W. Washington St., Phoenix, Ariz.  85007 

When: Sunday, Dec. 8th, 2019; 12:00pm Mountain. 
 

More information: Visit our website, sign our Bill of Rights,see our hashtag #Unlock the Future and RSVP for the rally at our Facebook Event Page.  

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For a list of Unlock the Future Co-Sponsors please click here. 

Contact

Kimberly Hayes, Press Secretary, press@now.org, 202-570-4745

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Two years. That’s roughly how long it takes for Latina women to earn what White, non-Hispanic men earn in just one.  

In the time since the Equal Pay Act was passed in 1963 – fifty-six years ago – Latina women have made only twenty-eight years’ worth of the wages they’ve earned. Reporting at almost half the amount of White men and at only 86 percent to that of Latino men, Latinas are the victims of the largest pay deficit between sexes.  

What does that deficit look like? It looks like Latinas being most likely to experience economic instability. It looks like one third of the households headed by Latinas living in poverty. It looks like women and nonbinary people worrying about how to care for elderly relatives. It is an unacceptable number, and a reminder of the patriarchal and racist systems put in place to hurt women. 

Today, on Latina Equal Pay Day, we not only call out employers and our nation’s leaders on their neglect and bigotry, but we remind feminists to hold ourselves accountable. It’s our mission as feminists to bring to light these inequities and advocate for pay equality for all. 

NOW stands in full solidarity with our Latina members and allies today and every day, paying special attention to their unique experiences as we advocate for changes and legislation that will ensure economic, political, and social equality.  

Contact

Kimberly Hayes, Press Secretary, press@now.org, 202-570-4745

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Ten years ago, President Obama signed the first significant pro-lesbian, pro-woman, pro-disability rights legislation, the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, named for two victims of horrific hate crimes that shocked the nation. 

That legislation has made an enormous difference in the last decade, but there’s more to be done. We’re still seeing scores more reported instances of intolerance, hatred and violence against LGBTQIA+ individuals that add to the nation’s shock—and shame.  Now, our country has the chance to recommit our determination to ensure enforcement of gender-based hate crimes under federal law. We must also act decisively to protect religious minorities, immigrants and other targets of the rising tide of White Nationalism in the U.S. 

NOW calls on Congress to pass the bipartisan Jabara-Heyer National Opposition to Hate, Assault, and Threats to Equality (NO HATE) Act of 2019, which vastly improves federal reporting of hate crimes and helps strengthen police responses to incidents of hate, among other provisions. We are also encouraging our hundreds of thousands of members and supporters to ask their representatives to co-sponsor this important legislation. 

Khalid Jabara was gunned down in a hate crime in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Heather Heyer was killed in Charlottesville when a racist drove his car into a crowd of people. 

Hate crimes are more than violent assaults on innocent individuals—they are designed to frighten, alienate and disenfranchise entire communities.   

We are all Matthew Shepard. We are all James Byrd, Jr. We are all Khalid Jabara. We are all Heather Heyer.  And we demand justice. 

Contact

Kimberly Hayes, Press Secretary, press@now.org, 202-570-4745