Welcome!
In June I attended the National NOW Conference in Indianapolis Indiana. This is an election year and two slates of women were running for Kim Gandy’s presidency as she has termed out after 8 years. Five hundred and forty five women attended the Conference from all over the country. The two slates that were running have different styles of leadership. The slate supported by Kim Gandy current president, Now is the Time, were mentored by her and the outgoing board. It seems to me there would be no change with cloned leadership. Change is necessary at NOW to bring it into the 21st century.
The Terry O’Neill slate called themselves Feminist Leadership NOW, they have 2 women under the age of 30 and I believe NOW needs to recruit more young feminists to sit at the table with the leaders of yesterday.
I had the opportunity to speak with Patricia Ireland, Senator Carol Mosley Braun and Martha Burke. These are the women who have been fighting for women’s rights for many years. What a delight it was to be in the company of these women who made a difference for all women. We were all sitting in the hospitality suite when some young lady appeared at the door and said, “I think we won” We all scrambled down to the bar area and what a sight - women were yelling, hugging and crying at the same time. The flow of emotions was overwhelming and this went on for about 30 minutes.
I traveled to Indiana carrying 5 delegate votes for the Terry O’Neill slate. The final count came down to this - 406 people voted – 198 for the Now is the Time slate and 206 for the O’Neill slate –we won by 8 votes! We partied until three am in the morning, (at least that is when this seasoned activist went to bed) it was a blast! I can’t remember a better time than being with a group of feminists who were full of joy and laughter, it felt good. I do not have a sister but it feels like I brought home a heart full of sisters. My activism for women and queers is expanding and what a great moment when you do win!
The month of July is special because it was July 19, 1848 that the first Women’s Rights conference was held in Seneca Falls, N.Y. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, two American activists in the movement to abolish slavery called together the first conference to address Women's rights and issues in Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848. Part of the reason for doing so had been that Mott had been refused permission to speak at the world anti-slavery convention in London, even though she had been an official delegate. Applying the analysis of human freedom developed in the Abolitionist movement, Stanton and others began the public career of modern feminist analysis.
The Declaration of the Seneca Falls Convention, using the model of the US Declaration of Independence, forthrightly demanded that the rights of women as right-bearing individuals be acknowledged and respected by society. Sixty-eight women and thirty-two men signed it. Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s quote “Truth is the only safe ground to stand on” resonates with all truth tellers.
July is the birth month of Amelia Earhart born in 1887 who opened the skies for women and Bella Abzug born in the Bronx on July 24, 1920. Bella (Savitzky) Abzug predated women's right to vote by one month. A fighter for justice and peace, equal rights, human dignity, environmental integrity, and sustainable development, Bella Abzug has advanced human goals and political alliances worldwide.
It’s also Independence Day and I wish there were no wars, hatred or violence so everyone can truly be free of oppression and tyranny. I will celebrate my independence and hold the space for peace on the planet.
My trip to Indiana was a reminder of how much I enjoy being a part of an organization that helps to advance women’s rights. The newly elected board of NOW will continue to do this work into the 21st century.
Melinda Tremaglio
President, PSNOW
More Chapter News
Our meeting date has changed so more feminists can join us. We meet on the first Tuesday of each month. Bring your friends and attend our next board meeting to discuss our chapters actions and fundraiser's.
We do not meet in the summer months. Our next scheduled meeting is Tuesday, September 6th at 6 PM at the Democratic HeadQuarters, Cathedral City.
For more information and to have your items placed on the agenda call President Melinda at (760) 333-8304
Our chapter proudly supports CA NOW's
I Heart Consensual Sex campaign. Click on the link
to read more about it, order a t-shirt, and
download an organizing kit to help get you started!
