A Message from NOW President Kim Gandy

December 23, 2003

Snow is lightly falling as I look out my window, reminding me that we are in the holiday season and this is a time to remember the things that brighten our lives—like the love of friends and family.

So I have put aside my list of "horribles," which gets longer every day, because you already have your own list and don't need me reminding you that our health, our rights, our democracy is teetering on the brink.

So here's to the sense of accomplishment and hope that the last few days have brought for us here at the National Action Center and hopefully for all of you as we rest up and regroup for 2004.

Here's the "accomplishment" part: NOW activists rock! A hearty band of New York and Florida NOW stalwarts met up on Dec. 16 in suburban Maryland and joined me in testifying before a dual panel of health experts on the question of whether the Food and Drug Administration should allow emergency contraception (the morning-after pill) to be sold over the counter. That very afternoon, the advisory committees voted 23 to 4 in support of our recommendations.

Linda Freeman, co-chair of NOW-New York State Reproductive Rights Task Force, was on NPR's "All Things Considered," and among other great news coverage, the New York Times quoted one of the Florida activists and included a photo of me testifying.

The "hope" part came when I listened to pollsters Stan Greenberg and Celinda Lake describe the massive untapped pool of single women whose belief in the political system and the power of their vote has been suppressed, depressed, oppressed, unaddressed, and unredressed. "There are 22 million unmarried women who did not vote in 2000—16 million simply weren't registered and the rest didn't have a good enough reason to make it to the polls."

What's so hopeful about that, you ask. Well, they are with us—if we can just find them and convince them that their vote counts!

They have deep concerns about the social welfare of the nation and their families; they have progressive views about women's roles and our right to privacy and they are tolerant about "lifestyle diversity." OK, those are pollster words, but you know what they mean! Most of these women struggle economically and three quarters earn under $50,000 a year. A third of those under 45 have kids living at home and they want a better education for their kids than the one that they had themselves. They are old and young and 23% of them are women of color. They don't stay in one place very long, but a large number of them still find time to volunteer at schools or in their community. In any community, they sound like the beginning of a NOW chapter!

Our hope, and our challenge, is to find these women whose hopes and dreams we share, and help them overcome their cynicism about the system and restore their belief that their opinion and vote counts. As our Drive for Equality kicks into high gear in 2004 we'll be registering and mobilizing to beat the band, to beat the bad guys and to elect people who have our best interests at heart. Well, that's our holiday wish to all of you. That accomplishment and hope give you warmth and strength in the year ahead.

As Susan B. Anthony said in her final public words, "With women such as these consecrating their lives, failure is impossible."