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Uniquely Intrepid Women Honored at Annual NOW Gala

By Lisa Bennett, Communications Director

Josie Ashton, left, and Jane Goodall were honored at NOW's annual Intrepid Awards Gala for their bold contributions to raising awareness on pressing issues throughout the world.

Intrepid (in-trep-id): resolutely courageous; fearless; bold.

NOW and NOW Foundation held our third annual Intrepid Awards Gala on Sept. 15 at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C.. The event brought together longtime NOW leaders and activists, allies and friends. Honored this year for their bold actions were Josie Ashton, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Dr. Jane Goodall.

Marching to End Domestic Violence

Four years ago Josie Ashton initiated what has become known as the "Brides' March." When Ashton heard about the brutal murder of Gladys Ricart, a Dominican woman killed on her wedding day by an abusive ex-boyfriend, she felt compelled to do something to raise awareness about domestic violence in the Latina community.

Ashton donned her own wedding dress and on Sept. 26, 2001 — the second anniversary of Ricart's death — she walked from the New Jersey home where Ricart was killed to Miami, Fla., spending nights in numerous domestic violence shelters along the way.

While accepting her award — again in her wedding dress — Ashton touched the audience with her words. With her husband and daughters watching from a nearby table, she told this story about her first march: "During Thanksgiving I was in Orlando, Florida, and I was staying at a shelter and my family decided to join me for Thanksgiving dinner."

"As we were having dinner, this lady came in with black eyes and her ear drum had been damaged due to the blows to her ear and she had two young boys with her, and I remember my girls being there and … my eight-year-old … with tears in her eyes … said, 'This is why you left us. Now I get it. This is why you're not home with us.'"

Ashton's first march inspired annual brides' marches against domestic violence in New York, Miami, Washington, D.C., and other cities across the U.S. Ashton herself went on to become the executive director of the Safespace Foundation, which offers financial assistance, information, referrals and advocacy to survivors of domestic violence.

A Champion for Women and Voters' Rights

Sen. Barbara Boxer was honored for her tireless advocacy for women, children and families over the course of her 22 years of public service. She has been an avid defender of women's reproductive rights, working diligently to thwart efforts by extremists in Congress to weaken this key constitutional right. She authored the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and the Freedom of Choice Act of 2004, and worked to ensure passage of the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE). She authored a Patient’s Bill of Rights in 1997 and continues to advocate for affordable health care for all. She is also a leader in the fight to preserve and protect Social Security against harmful privatization schemes.

Boxer demonstrated singular courage and leadership after the 2004 elections when she took a principled stand for electoral justice and democracy by becoming the lone senator to object to the certification of the state of Ohio's electoral votes which were reportedly mishandled and not reflective of the actual votes cast. This act of defiance became popularly known as "the Boxer Rebellion."

Boxer could not be present at the Gala; but in a videotaped message, her spirit jumped off the big screen, eliciting cheers and applause from the attendees.

Boxer told the crowd: "Every citizen of this country who's registered to vote should be guaranteed that their vote matters, that their vote is counted and that, in the voting booth, in their community, their vote has just as much weight as any member of Congress, any president, or any CEO of any Fortune 500 corporation, no matter how powerful."

Guardian of the Planet

The final Intrepid honoree of the night was the captivating Dr. Jane Goodall. Goodall began her landmark study of chimpanzees in Tanzania in June 1960. Her work at the Gombe Stream Chimpanzee Reserve became the foundation of future primatological research and redefined the relationship between humans and animals.

In 1977, Goodall established the Jane Goodall Institute, a global leader in the effort to protect chimpanzees and their habitats. The Institute is widely recognized for establishing innovative, community-centered conservation and development programs in Africa, and the Roots & Shoots education program for young people that has 6,000 groups in more than 87 countries. In 2004, at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace, Prince Charles invested Goodall as a Dame of the British Empire, the female equivalent of knighthood.

Goodall travels an average 300 days per year, speaking about the threats facing chimpanzees, other environmental crises, and her hope that humankind will solve the problems it has imposed on the Earth. She is a United Nations Messenger of Peace, and continually urges her audiences to recognize their personal responsibility and ability to effect change through action.

After sharing stories about her childhood and how she realized her life's calling, Goodall concluded on a hopeful note: "Hundreds and thousands of young people around the world can break through, can make this a better world. The most important message? Every individual matters. Every individual has a role to play and every individual makes a difference every day. You can't live through a day without impacting the world around you. … We all have a choice as to what kind of impact we're going to make."