Who We Are

The Florida National Organization for Women (Florida NOW) is a state chapter of the National Organization for Women (NOW). National NOW is an American feminist organization which was founded in 1966 and legally organized as a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. NOW is regarded as one of the main liberal feminist organizations in the US, and primarily lobbies for gender equality within the existing political system. NOW campaigns for constitutional equality, economic justice, reproductive rights, LGBTQIA+ rights and racial justice, and against violence against women.

Legal Status

The National Organization for Women originally was registered with the Florida Department of State as a foreign not for profit corporation on February 21, 1972.1 The Florida National Organization for Women was incorporated on May 17, 1993 as a not for profit Florida corporation.2 Following assignment of a state chapter number by National NOW, the corporate title was amended to read “Fl0000 Florida National Organization for Women, Inc.” as of May 13, 2020.3

Florida NOW coordinates the activities of local NOW chapters in the state, promotes the foundation of new chapters, and advances NOW’s goals through task forces and social media. Florida NOW commits itself to the affirmation of equal rights for women, the elimination of all forms of racism and sex discrimination, the recognition of gay and lesbian rights, the respect of abortion and reproductive rights, and the fulfillment of economic equality for women.

Formative Years

The launch of Florida NOW as a collective is documented in the Museum of Florida History Collections Roxcy Bolton Collection.4 Roxcy Bolton (1926–2017) was a leading women’s rights activist in Florida. She became actively involved in the women’s rights movement in the 1960s and helped to launch the Florida National Organization for Women (NOW) in 1966. A few years later, she was elected a national vice president of NOW. She was inducted into the Florida Women’s Hall of Fame in 1984, in recognition of her accomplishments as a pioneer in the cause of women’s rights.

The developments in the 1970s of Florida NOW are described in papers housed in the Special and Area Studies Collections, George A. Smathers Libraries, University of Florida.5
At least as early as 1972 there was a legislative coordinator in Florida funded by National NOW. In the latter part of 1972, Andrea Westmoreland of Deland stated that she had been appointed by NOW Regional Director Judy Lightfoot as coordinator for Florida, apparently with the assignment of organizing a statewide group. Within a year, an organized group with bylaws, elected officers, council meetings and an annual conference was in place. Karen Coolman was the first coordinator, and Gwen Cherry, the chairone. In 1974, the Florida NOW elected chairone position was replaced by a State Coordinator and by a president in 1979.

Current Organization

Currently, the elected state officers constitute an executive committee consisting of President, Vice-President, Legislative Director, Treasurer, Administrative Secretary, Communications Director, and Membership Director. The Florida NOW president presides at the state conference and at meetings of the state council and is responsible for all the official oral and written communication of Florida NOW. State council meetings are held between conferences. State officers, delegates from each local chapter, and delegates for the at-large membership attend these meetings to discuss planning for the state conference and other administrative.

Local chapters are active and some are older than Florida NOW.

6 For further information, refer to the Florida NOW (www.flnow.org) and NOW (www.now.org) websites.

7 See, for example, FSU Special Collections & Archives National Organization for Women, Tallahassee Chapter records (documents 1971-1997) (accessed March 14, 2022)