National NOW Conference: 2009

Elections, Speakers Highlight 2009 National Conference in Indianapolis

By Lisa Bennett, Communications Director

July 06, 2009

The 2009 National NOW Conference, June 19-21 in Indianapolis, was an action-packed event -- with exciting speakers, dynamic workshops and a spirited election. Two slates of committed, passionate NOW leaders, one headed by Latifa Lyles and the other headed by Terry O'Neill, ran for national office. In a close race, chapter delegates elected Terry O'Neill president.

It was also Kim Gandy's final conference as NOW president. Gandy will retire from her office on July 20 due to the organization's term limits. She has been a leader in NOW for 36 years, with 22 years of service at the national level, including the last eight as president. Gandy noted that she would continue to serve NOW as a member -- the most important position in the organization! Other officers who served the organization during this four-year term are Melody Drnach, action vice president, and Latifa Lyles, membership vice president, both of whose terms end this month, and Olga Vives, who served as action vice president from 2001 to 2005 and executive vice president from 2005 to 2009.

Speakers Wow the Crowd

The fabulous speakers at this year's conference had the crowd on its feet again and again. The Friday evening plenary session featured four speakers who addressed a variety of issues related to economic justice and advancement for women. The first speaker of the weekend was Shirley Harrington-Watson, who welcomed participants on behalf of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a major sponsor of the conference. Harrington-Watson spoke about the importance of civil rights at the USDA and the women who have been working in the ranks and are now becoming leaders there.

NOW presented its Woman of Action award to Donna Smith, who was featured in Michael Moore's movie "SiCKO" and went on to found American Patients United. Smith spoke about her experiences with this country's broken health care system and why she's fighting for single-payer reform. Speaker Lulu Flores, attorney and national president of the National Women's Political Caucus, talked about the importance of women's groups working in coalition to elect more women to public office, battle sexism in the media and achieve equality for all.

Barbara Ehrenreich, journalist, activist and author of the bestselling book "Nickel and Dimed," spoke about the devastating effects of the recession on poor and working class women and their families. Just that morning, Ehrenreich had met with local area hotel workers, in a meeting room at the conference hotel, to discuss working conditions and their efforts to unionize, and she shared some of their stories with the audience.

The first plenary session on Saturday had a political theme, with two women in public office addressing the crowd. Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner -- who is running for U.S. Senate in 2010 and will be the first woman senator from Ohio if she wins -- spoke about her decision to enter politics, her experiences campaigning, why more women don't run for office and why they should.

Next up was Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.), a compelling leader with firsthand experience struggling to make ends meet. Moore told about her early days running for office when her son was injured and she couldn't afford to keep her health insurance, and it was NOW founder Catherine Conroy who helped her make that payment. Moore urged activists to keep on fighting for all the women who need the power of NOW to make a difference in their lives.

Saturday's final plenary was a session to remember. NOW honored National Women's Health Foundation President Susan Hill with its Woman of Courage award. As a longtime owner of women's health clinics, Hill has been a perpetual target of anti-abortion protestors. She was a close friend of Dr. George Tiller, who was murdered recently, and a key plaintiff in the NOW v. Scheidler case that charged abortion opponents with using violence, intimidation and extortion to put women's clinics out of business. NOW had not publicized Hill's scheduled appearance at the conference due to security concerns. Unfortunately, illness prevented Hill from attending the conference, but the award was accepted for her by Jeanne Clark, a former clinic administrator from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Rev. Dr. Katherine Ragsdale, president and dean of the Episcopal Divinity School, gave an intelligent, insightful speech that had the audience enthralled. Ragsdale explained how our words and our strategies matter, using the way we talk about abortion as her prime example. She appealed to activists to describe abortion not as a tragedy nor as a necessary evil, but as a blessing.

Normally, following Ragsdale would be a tough task, but Dr. Julianne Malveaux was up to the challenge. Malveaux -- a well-known journalist, news commentator and current president of Bennett College for Women -- talked about "fair share" thinking. Why shouldn't women demand their half, Malveaux asked. She reminded the audience of a few of the key areas (like childcare and flex time) where we still have a way to go, and she encouraged feminists not to be afraid to push President Obama to do more.

NOW President Kim Gandy gave the final speech of the weekend and the last of her tenure as president. Gandy recalled eight years of battling George W. Bush, pushing back against the constant efforts to limit women's rights at the federal level, while defeating state-level attacks on reproductive rights (including winning every single anti-abortion ballot measure) and moving forward on workplace issues.

Looking forward, Gandy described NOW's impact on the Obama administration's economic stimulus plan, ensuring the inclusion of more jobs for women, and our active advocacy for women-friendly policies. From bringing 1.15 million people to the March for Women's Lives, to the shameful media treatment of Hillary Clinton, to passing the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, the past eight years have been full of ups and downs for women's advancement.

Workshops Focus on Issues and Action

A staple of NOW conferences are the workshops, which cover a wide range of subjects and focus on what activists can do to get involved and advocate for change on the issues that move them. Topics included: sexual violence by clergy members; Islamic fundamentalism and its attacks on women; equal marriage; Title IX; women with disabilities and sexual empowerment; feminist blogging; CEDAW, the international women's treaty; trafficking and other global issues; watching the family courts; and so much more.

Entertainment, Too!

After voting closed on Saturday night, it was time to dance! The local organizing committee invited two regional bands to perform, and they rocked the house. Sunny Disposition (from Indianapolis) and Mother Jane (from Lexington, Ky.), both all-women's groups, gave voters a way to blow off steam and have some fun as they awaited the election results.

What's Next on NOW's Agenda?

As usual, Sunday was devoted to debating and voting on resolutions that shape NOW's agenda for the coming year. Eleven resolutions were passed this year on issues including: stopping domestic terrorism at women's health clinics; single-payer health care as an issue of economic justice for women; health care for women with disabilities; the horrendous practice of shackling pregnant incarcerated women before, during and immediately post-childbirth; the reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act in 2010; the long-overdue U.S. ratification of the international women's treaty CEDAW; calling for the criminalization of sexual exploitation of women by clergy; the continued need for an Equal Rights Amendment; and more. Read the full text of all the resolutions.

Members also passed an amendment to the National NOW Bylaws that calls for the president to appoint a taskforce that will advise the board on implementing virtual NOW chapters.

The excitement of this year's conference might be hard to top in a non-election year, but we'll try our best in Boston in 2010. We hope to see you there the weekend of July 4th, when we'll make our own feminist fireworks!