NOW Election Highlights Debate Over Strategy For Future Of Feminist Movement

Main Category: Women's Health / Gynecology
Article Date: 17 Jun 2009 - 7:00 PDT

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The AP/Kansas City Star on Sunday examined how the upcoming election for the next president of the National Organization for Women has brought to the forefront a debate over how the feminist movement should define itself moving forward. NOW President Kim Gandy is stepping down after eight years in which she led the group in opposition to many of former President George W. Bush's policies. Running to replace her are Latifa Lyles, a 33-year-old who serves as a vice president to Gandy, and Terry O'Neill, a 56-year-old who served as NOW's vice president for membership from 2001 to 2005. Lyles, who is black, would be NOW's youngest president while O'Neill, who is white, would be its oldest to start a term. According to the AP/Star, the election represents "both an unusual clash of generations and an opportunity for activists to confront some of the challenges facing the feminist movement." The election will be held at NOW's conference in Indianapolis this weekend.

The candidates share the goals of ensuring that women's needs are represented in health care reform and economic recovery efforts, and they both support working to make abortion and birth control more accessible. Lyles said she contrasts with NOW's current membership, which is mostly white and older than age 40. Lyles believes she could help give the organization a more diverse, younger image and help encourage participation from a broader range of women. "The profile of NOW is just as important as the work we do," she said, adding, "There are a lot of antiquated notions about what feminism is." Gandy, who has endorsed Lyles, said, "It's hard to ignore the fact there's been a generational shift in the country, and an organization that doesn't recognize that is living in the past." She added that Lyles' "youth is not a detriment, but an advantage. ... She'll take NOW to a different level." Jessica Valenti, a prominent younger feminist and founder of the blog Feministing, said, "This could be the moment where NOW becomes super-relevant to the feminist movement again."

O'Neill said she would focus on grassroots organizing and membership recruitment. She said that "even with a friend in the White House and a lot of friends in the Congress, it's going to take well-organized, grassroots movement to advance our agenda." O'Neill added, "I keep hearing 'Terry, I want to see more activism in my community,'" adding, "The press releases, the media exposure, invitations to the White House -- these are excellent things, but they're not enough. The grass roots are not personally engaged." Former NOW President Patricia Ireland, who supports O'Neill, said, "There is a role that requires us to take unpopular stands and push on our friends. That's what I think [O'Neill] really gets. She's the one I believe will be very willing to use a wide array of tactics -- not just traditional letters and e-mails, but also engage in civil disobedience, organize fasts, be at some congressman's district office" (Crary, AP/Kansas City Star, 6/14).

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