100 Days of A Feminist Agenda
Healing From Centuries of Oppression: Our Work Is Not Yet Done
A Partnership between BWB and NOW (National Organization for Women)
The first 100 days are crucial in setting the tone and establishing the priorities for any administration. Under the Trump Administration these past four years, the bold advances that women have made over the past decades, particularly those of our Black, Indigenous, Women of Color, Latinx, trans, and gender non-conforming relatives, have come under threat of regressing. These communities have been healing from centuries of oppression and are no longer willing to be ignored or silenced. The Biden-Harris Administration has committed to uplift our much needed diverse voices, but we know there is so much that needs to be done to truly make a difference in our lives and the lives of the women we serve.
This is why, beginning with the first 100 days of the new administration, and continuing throughout 2021, we are bringing these voices to the forefront, so we can share our perspectives and experiences, highlighting how we have been personally impacted and what issues matter most to us. With a collaborative spirit in mind, we have partnered with the National Organization for Women to create a space where our intersectional and radical feminism can live in action. We are co-hosting a free listening and discussion series on what we hope will be the priorities of a feminist agenda in the first 100 days of the Biden-Harris Administration.
This series will include perspectives from community leaders, grassroots activists, state and local representatives, and national legislators. We believe that through the active effort of coming together, listening to one another, sharing ideas and perspectives we can make an impact in the legislation and policies we want to see moving forward.
ASL translators will be available at all events.
The series kicked off with an inaugural session in January and will continue through May.
March 11
Gender Equality As the Law of the Land – The Work to Pass the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA)
Moderated by: Kathleen Murphy (Michigan NOW)
Guest Speakers:
Representative Carolyn Muloney (D-NY12), Congressional leader of the effort to pass the Equal Rights Amendment
Belan Yeshigeta, Executive Director, Generation Ratify
Carol Jenkins, President and CEO of the ERA Coalition/Fund for Women’s Equality
Delegate Hala Ayala, Virginia House of Delegates
Read more about our Guest Speakers
In 2021, gender equality is still not the law of the land. Nearly 100 years since Alice Paul introduced the Equal Rights Amendment (1923), the Constitution does not entirely prohibit discrimination based on sex. While we celebrate the many achievements we’ve made since, we know our work is not yet done. Women were deliberately left out of the U.S. Constitution and women of color have been left out of the discourse for equality for centuries.
For progress to continue, we must enshrine gender equality in our founding document. In January 2020, Virginia voted to become the 38th and final state needed to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). In January 2021, resolutions to remove the deadline of ratification of the ERA were introduced in the House and Senate.
The passing of the ERA would offer many constitutional protections for women - it would guard against sex-based discriminatory practices, especially in the workplace, and be a more effective tool in closing the gender wage gap which disproportionately affects women of color. It would make it constitutional to create laws ensuring women can take legal action if they are victims of gender-based violence, as well as provide constitutional language that women can use to defend their claims, once in court. It would also protect any rollbacks in equity by legislation or court cases that are often politically motivated.
It is more important than ever to make sure that we are using every platform available to us to insist our elected officials and those in positions of power are pro-equality, understand intersectional justice, and take into account the compounded discrimination faced by women of color (both on the basis of sex and the basis of race) as they work to ensure the ERA is passed.
Upcoming conversations:
March (3/25) - Amplifying LGBTQIA+ Activism and Uplifting the Pursuit for Equality and Fundamental Rights
April (4/8) Economic Justice: We Are Not Percentages of a Dollar: Solutions for Equal Pay Every Day
April (4/22) - Katrina, Maria, & Sandy: Climate Justice is a Feminist Issue
May (5/6) - Addressing the Femicide: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women
Registration information will be available closer to each event.
PAST EVENTS
February 25
A Holistic Approach to Equitable Reproductive Healthcare
Moderated by: Sevonna Brown (Black Women's Blueprint) & Annette Bethel (NOW)
Guest Speakers:
Marcela Howell, President and Founder, In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda
Dr. Corrine Sanchez, Executive Director, Tewa Women United
Jessica Garcia Lujan, Indigenous Women's Health & Reproductive Justice Program Manager, Tewa Women United
Read more about our Guest Speakers
The battle over reproductive freedom and access to care has been a contentious one for decades. The United States lags well behind its counterparts in other high-income countries in terms of access for women to health care and health status, and holds the position of having the highest rate of maternal mortality. This issue is amplified for BIWOC communities. With an unbalanced, conservative Supreme Court, and state and local legislators trying to restrict access to women’s healthcare, the stakes have never been higher. This fight for reproductive freedom and improved healthcare for BIWOC populations impacts us all, and is a fight we must all join to ensure we ALL have equitable access. Join us as we discuss the need for the new administration to make women’s health a top priority in the first 100 days.
February 11
The Unspoken Impact of Police Brutality against BIWOC, TGNC & Latinx Communities - click to register
Moderated by: Triana Arnold James, Georgia NOW State President and National NOW Board member
Guest Speakers:
M. Adams, Co-Executive Director of Freedom Inc.
Stephanie Morales, Esq., Commonwealth’s Attorney in Portsmouth, VA, founder of the Ctrl+Alt+Del Program, youth mentor as part of the Future Leaders Initiative
During this incredibly transformative moment, police brutality against Black people, although not a new phenomenon, has recently been exposed on a much wider scale than ever before. While these instances have garnered more public attention and outrage, the national discourse consistently decenters the lives of Black women and girls, disabled sisters, trans and GNC communities, sisters across the border, and women that exist along all other axes of oppression. This type of erasure insists that we use these first 100 days to ensure that the continued fight for BIWOC representation and the issues that affect our lives is centered in the new feminist agenda. Join us as we discuss how we can create a new frame and make space for a future where all BIWOC, Latinx, TGNC communities are liberated from persistent police violence, domination and discrimination - whether it is on the streets or in our own homes.
January 28
323 Days of COVID: The Lasting Impact on Women
Moderated by: Christian Nunes, President of National Organization for Women (NOW)
Guest Speakers:
Fatima Goss Graves, President and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center
Lisa J. Pino, attorney, public service executive, and former Obama appointee and national security official, serving as a Biden-Harris USDA Agency Review Team Transition member.
Click here for an in depth Coronavirus and Women Factsheet from our partners at NOW