Jul 11, 2022
Since its founding in 1966, the National Organization for Women has been on the frontlines of dismantling both sexism and racism. Its founders, including Betty Friedan, Shirley Chisolm and Pauli Murray saw these systems of oppression as inextricably linked, fortified by policies enacted to marginalize women, particularly Black women, and other people of color. NOW’s president, the immensely talented Christian Nunes is leading in another tumultuous time in America. And she is taking an intersectional, rather than a siloed approach, to meeting historical threats to bodily autonomy, mental health, and economic independence. Intersectionality, a term coined by legal scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw, describes a framework for understanding how overlapping forms of oppression codify injustice. NOW’s organizational structure includes its 501c3, a 501c4, a political action committee and hundreds of grassroots chapters in 35 states. All are at the heart of fortifying the rights of women and girls to reproductive and LGBTQ rights, constitutional equality, and racial and economic justice. Christian is unbowed and highly motivated in the wake of the Supreme Court’s dissolution of reproductive rights. She asks us to bring our passions and skills to this pivotal moment.