The
National Organization for Women (NOW) is the largest organization
of feminist activists in the United States. NOW has 500,000 contributing members
and 550 chapters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Since
its founding in 1966, NOW's goal has been "to take
action" to bring about equality for all
women. Both the actions NOW takes and its position
on the issues are often unorthodox, uncompromising and
ahead of their time.
NOW activists use both traditional and
non-traditional means to push for social change. NOW
activists do extensive electoral and lobbying work and
bring lawsuits. They also organize mass marches,
rallies, pickets, non-violent civil disobedience and immediate,
responsive "zap" actions. NOW
re-instituted mass marches for women's rights in the face
of conventional wisdom that marches were a technique that
went out with the 1960's. A march in support of the
Equal Rights Amendment drew more than 100,000 people to
Washington, D.C. in 1978. NOW's March for Women's
Lives drew 750,000 supporters to Washington, D.C. in 1992,
for the largest abortion rights demonstration ever. In
1995, NOW organized the first mass demonstration to focus
on the issue of violence against women--and drew a quarter
million people to the Mall. The 1996 March to Fight
the Right in San Francisco drew more than 50,000 activists
to kick off an electoral season focused on efforts to defend
affirmative action.
These ongoing efforts established NOW
as a major force in the sweeping changes that put more
women in political posts; increased educational, employment
and business opportunities for women; and enacted tougher
laws against violence, harassment and discrimination. NOW's
official priorities are winning economic equality and securing
it with an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that will
guarantee equal rights for women; championing abortion
rights, reproductive freedom and other women's health issues;
opposing racism and fighting bigotry against lesbians and
gays; and ending violence against women.
NOW Issues
Abortion Rights and Reproductive Rights
Affirmative Action
Body Image
Childcare
ERA
Economic Equity
Feminist Consciousness Raising
Fighting the Right
Health Care
Insurance Discrimination
Legislative Monitoring and Lobbying
Lesbian/Gay Rights
Media Activism
Political Action Committees
Racial and Ethnic Diversity
Violence Against Women
Women-Friendly Workplace
Women in the Military
...and more...
For over 25 years, Tucson NOW sought redress
for women's rights in court, both in active support of
cases and through leadership involvement. Victories
included ending male control of community property, stopping
nepotism rules at the University of Arizona that kept women
from employment, and backing equal pay cases. They
were heady times and Tucson NOW enhanced legal victories
with challenges on the social front, as well.
By the mid-seventies, Tucson NOW's emphasis
shifted. National and state public interest law firms
(including NOW's own Legal Defense & Education Fund)
were carrying on the work in the courts, and the highest
courts were refusing further extension of women's rights. Increasingly,
NOW became a lobbying force to legislators to move where
courts would not, and expanding public consciousness to
demand justice.
Tucson NOW is staffed entirely by volunteers. Tucson
NOW is issue-oriented and does not offer direct services
NOW's purpose is to take action to bring
women into full participation in the mainstream of American
Society now, exercising all privileges to responsibilities
thereof in truly equal partnership with men. This purpose
includes, but is not limited to, equal rights and responsibilities
in all aspects of citizenship, public service, employment,
education and family life, and it includes freedom from
discrimination because of age, marital status, sexual preference
and parenthood.
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