Florida NOW

Statement from NOW President Toni Van Pelt and VA NOW President Connie Cordovilla:

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The results of the Virginia elections are a resounding affirmation of the power of grassroots action.  NOW made electing a Virginia legislature that will protect women a top priority, and our members did what they do best.  They organized, networked, knocked on doors, volunteered in campaigns, took voters to the polls—whatever it took to win this much-needed victory for Virginia—especially for Virginia women. 

The new Democratic leadership of the legislature has pledged to bring ratification of the ERA back for a vote, after it fell just one vote short earlier this year.  A constitutional amendment requires ratification by two-thirds of the state legislatures—or 38–and Virginia’s vote will achieve that goal. 

NOW works at both the national and state levels to achieve enduring change and strengthen women’s rights. Our victory in Virginia opens the curtain on a year of electoral activism unlike anything in NOW’s history.  Our members are fired up and ready to go to put equality, reproductive rights and women’s justice at the front of the political agenda in 2020—and make Donald Trump a one-term President. 

Contact

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

Statement from NOW President Toni Van Pelt:

WASHINGTON, D.C. – A past marked by violent oppression and exclusion, and a future left open for today’s leaders to mold– that’s what we observe during Native American Heritage Month.  

At present, two Native American women serve in Congress. Deb Haaland (Laguna-Pueblo) of New Mexico and Sharice Davis (Ho-Chunk Nation) of Kansas are the historical faces of long overdue change. These women prove that indigenous women are leaders of our country’s future.   

But more needs to be done to demand a better future for women and people in tribal communities. According to a study by the National Congress of American Indians, 84.3% of American Indian and Native Alaskan women have experienced violence in their lifetime – the majority of whom have suffered at the hands of non-white partners. On top of that, health care in tribal communities is severely underprioritized, putting women’s reproductive health especially at risk.   

As much as Native American Heritage Month means celebrating past accomplishments, it also asks us to make it our mission to create a better future. This can be done by rallying for the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and prioritizing safe and accessible birth control, especially in Indian Country. NOW is a fierce proponent of both of these issues, recognizing the vitality of changing this narrative marked by insufficient protections for Native American women.  

This November, and all year round, we stand in solidarity with Native American activists to stop the erasure of indigenous women and their suffering. 

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Contact

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

Statement from the National Organization for Women:

HOUSTON, TEXAS – Immigrant families are being inhumanely locked away in horrific and immoral detention facilities in Texas and around the nation and women and girls are suffering the most. 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.

The National Organization for Women (NOW), in collaboration with our coalition partners listed below, are hosting an “Unlock the Future” campaign rally in Houston. We are also issuing a Bill of Rights that will be delivered to top level government officials and launching an #UnlockTheFuture social media campaign.

Who: Joining NOW Vice President Christian F. Nunes will be:

• U.S. Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, Representative for the 18th District of Texas
• U.S. Congressman Al Green, Representative for the 9th District of Texas
• U.S. Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia, Representative for the 29th District of Texas
• Kendrick Sampson, Activist and Actor From HBO’s Insecure
• Ruby Powers, Immigration Lawyer and Human Rights Activist
• Tia Oso, International Activist and Strategist for BLD PWR Initiative
• Amy Hinojosa, President and CEO, MANA, A National Latina Organization
• Frances “Poppy” Northcutt, Texas NOW President; First Female Engineer to Work in NASA’s Mission Control
• Andrea Fernandez, NOW-Austin Chair; 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: Hobby Family Pavilion at The Water Works – Buffalo Bayou Park: 105 Sabine St. Houston, TX 77007 (Cross streets to Amphitheater and lawn- Memorial and Sabine Parking lot across from the lawn – City Lot H)
When: Sunday, Nov. 17th, 2019; 1:00pm Central.

Unlock the Future Co-Sponsors:

National Partners
African Communities Public Health Coalition
Association of World Citizens
Black Women’s Blueprint
BLD PWR
CASA
Catholics for Choice
Dolores Huerta Foundation
Families Belong Together
Feminist Majority Political Action Committee
First Church UCC
Go With The Flow
Harness
Immigrant Families Together
Justice for Migrant Women
Legal Momentum
MomsRising
MamásConPoder
MANA
PERIOD. The Menstrual Movement
Refugee and Immigrant Center for
Education and Legal Services (RAICES)
Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice
Sister Song
The Global Women’s Institute
The Peace Alliance
UltraViolet
UNITE HERE!

Local and State Partners
California Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo (AD-51)
Border Angels
California NOW
Field Team 6
Heart of LA Democratic Club
Hollywood NOW
LEAN IN San Diego
NOW San Gabriel Valley
Planned Parenthood Generation Action at UC San Diego
Riverside County NOW
San Diego Area NOW
California Senator Pro Temp Toni Atkins
Stonewall Democratic Club
The Strategic Insights Group
Women’s March California
Women’s March San Diego
Houston Youth Activists (HYA)
Houston Area NOW
Texas NOW
Arizona Federation of Democratic Women (AFDW)
Arizona NOW
AZ Celebrates the 19th Amendment.
Central Phoenix • Inez Casiano NOW
Handmaids’ Resistance Phoenix
National Council of Jewish Women (NCJWAZ)
Women’s March Phoenix
Direct Support for Immigrants
S K Burt Law
The Outrage
Central New York NOW
Charlottesville NOW
Nevada NOW
Southwest Idaho NOW
Utah NOW
84 Reasons Inc
Pretty Girls Rock
Migrant Child Watch
C.A.E.O.S. Project
Eagle Wings
ECinaj
Refugee Aid
Uncage & Reunite Families Coalition
NetworkNoVA
Southwest Idaho NOW
Williamson County Texas NOW

More information: Visit our website, read our Bill of Rights or visit our Facebook Event Page.

For a full list of Unlock the Future Partners, please see our Bill of Rights.

Contact

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