Baltimore
NOW Planned Parenthood of Maryland worked in coalition on the chapter's
annual Roe v. Wade rally.
The gathering on Jan. 22 at the local courthouse was a public show of respect
for reproductive choice and health service providers and an attempt to
counter the climate of hate and violence surrounding the issue.
In January, many
NOW chapters
held vigils in remembrance of the anniversary of Roe
v. Wade (the 1973 Supreme Court decision which legalized abortion)
and participated in coalition efforts to commemorate the birthday of Martin
Luther King, Jr. Many chapters sent in exciting photos over the past
month, so NOW Acts is happy to share a number of these photos and the following
highlights with our members.
On
Jan. 18, members of Cobb County (GA) NOW joined members of Atlanta NOW
in Atlanta's annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday March. NOW signs emphasized
the importance of affirmative action. The Cobb County contingent pictured
from left to right: Pat Chapman, Bill Bolton, chapter president Beverly
McMurray, Leah Moreas, Roberto Moreas, Donald Walker and Eleanor Babcook.
Photo courtesy of Beverly McMurray.
NH NOW Treasurer Barbara Bazemore of Merrimack was quoted in the Manchester Union Leader as saying, "We want to send the message that we don't want to mix religion and politics."
Protest signs included NOW rounds. One sign read "My Christian values
are not your Christian values," and others quoted Thomas Jefferson and
George Washington on the theme of separation of church and state. Despite
the presence of Bauer, Keyes, Pat Robertson and Steve Forbes, the picture
published in the next day's newspaper was of NOW protesters.
The
Raleigh (NC) NOW chapter commemorated the 26th anniversary of Roe
v. Wade with a demonstration of support outside the Raleigh Women's
Health Clinic. The chapter presented clinic owner and National Women's
Health Organization President Susan Hill with a plaque in recognition of
her leadership in the abortion rights movement. In addition, the
chapter recognized all clinic personnel with certificates of appreciation.
Event participants read the names of people who have been murdered in anti-abortion
violence and stated their commitment to keeping abortion safe and legal.
Pictured left to right: Diana Haskell, Rochelle Guilford and Ellen Willis.
Photo by Anthony Rocco, courtesy of the Raleigh Spectator.
The chapter has already sustained major legal bills and now will incur even more. If you would like to help protect NOW chapters' ability to speak out about bad judicial decisions, please send contributions to: Legal Defense Fund, Cincinnati NOW, P.O. Box 9422, Cincinnati, OH 45209.
Tulane NOW President and former NOW Action Center intern Meghan Streit spearheaded the efforts to have the display taken down.
After residence hall officials refused to remove the display, Streit and Attebury filed a complaint with the University Honor Board, charging that the display amounted to sexual harassment. The Honor Board ruled for Tulane NOW, and the display is now down.
The Action Team's next aim is to secure a commitment from the University
to a safe environment for women students.
Candi
Churchill (third from left), president of Florida / Santa Fe Community
College (UF/SFCC) NOW, looks on as Allison White speaks out against rape,
sexual assault, and harassment on campus. The chapter's demands include
proper handling of rape cases and a women's center on the Gainesville,
Fla., campus. Photo by Jenny Brown.
"The University continues to address rape as a safety, communication or education issue," Churchill said. "We [UF/SFCC NOW] do not focus on how a woman can prevent a sexual assault, but how we can prevent an assault from happening due to the imbalance of power between men and women."
Churchill went on to state that the university's programs should hold men responsible for their actions.
More than a dozen NOW members and other women from the audience came
forward to tell about acts of violence and harassment against them. Churchill
credits the chapter with starting a campus-wide discussion about sexual
assault. She promised, "We will continue to push our demands."
Westchester
(NY) NOW President Luba Fineson (right) awards Linda Castro for her work
on a successful campaign to achieve equality of racial representation on
the Mount Vernon school board. Also , the county Board of Legislators declared
Dec. 19, 1998, Westchester NOW Day in recognition of the chapter's "advocacy...
to combat domestic violence, support legal aid for women, and provide a
climate for diversity and freedom from hate crimes in the county."
Photo courtesy of Luba Fineson.
Thanks for information provided by: Christine Brodak, Lynn Buck and
Nesli Karakus of Baltimore NOW; Robin Davis of Raleigh NOW; Candi
Churchill and Jenny Brown of UF/SFCC NOW; Kris Moody of NH NOW; Beverly
McMurray of Cobb County NOW; Luba Fineson of Westchester NOW; Mindy Grantham
of Cincinnati NOW; and Terry O'Neill from New Orleans NOW.