Category: Action Items

Chicago NOW has reviewed several recent news articles claiming a disturbing pattern of racist behavior among NOW’s national leadership.

We call for transparent and concrete answers from President Toni Van Pelt. We also call for a comprehensive investigation into all allegations at the national level, and for the results of this investigation to be provided to local chapters.

As one of hundreds of independent local chapters of the National Organization for Women, we do not have the facts surrounding the allegations made at the national level. Chicago NOW affirms that no form of feminism is legitimate unless it is intersectional. That means trusting the experiences of women of color and taking all allegations of racism seriously. We must denounce racist acts within our own organization before we can effectively advocate for anti-racism in our communities.

As intersectional feminists, we must reckon with some hard truths: the feminist movement has a long, storied history that includes many racist practices, and the city of Chicago has its own racist history. It is on every one of us to recognize these realities and take active steps to improve them. We demand the same from our leaders and look forward to a full and transparent investigation into allegations of racism among our ranks.

Racial justice is one of CNOW’s core issues. Grounded in our belief that human rights are indivisible, CNOW is committed to identifying and disabling barriers to equality and justice that are imposed by racism. We aim to combat systemic racism through intersectional feminism. We know racial justice is important to all members of our community, but we also must recognize that we do not all experience that deep-rooted fear that we or our loved ones could be harassed or killed simply while jogging, while in their homes, while bird watching in a public park or while interacting with law enforcement over a non-violent incident. Accordingly, we cannot look away. We must continually repeat the names of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Christian Cooper and George Floyd.

Your feelings of rage, fear, devastation, despair, and anxiety are justified. Let’s channel our anger into collective action.

It is not enough to stand next to each other advocating for justice when tragedy based in racism goes viral and ripples through our communities. Relentless action must be taken through voting, legislation, policy, funding, education, criminal justice reform, economic equality, and access to justice. CNOW is active in these fights and will join in yours. There is power in numbers. For the sake of our humanity, this is our call to action for critical change.