Dear John,
Over the past few months, I’ve visited with NOW members in communities across the country, delivering on my promise to better connect the national team with the grassroots members and supporters who are the backbone of our movement.
During these visits, members often share stories not just about the initiatives they’re working on locally, but also about what brought them into the fight for women’s rights in the first place.
And for many, their involvement is a family tradition.
One member recently talked fondly about watching her mother—who joined NOW in the 1980s—rally their community to defend hard-won reproductive rights, call for more protections for survivors of domestic violence, and demand more accountability for perpetrators. She was inspired by her mom’s strength. Even at a young age, she understood that her mother was fighting so that she could have a brighter, more equal future.
Today, she’s proudly carrying on her mother’s legacy as a second-generation NOW member. But she admits to being a little saddened by the fact that part of our work today is about restoring the victories that her mother’s generation already won.
And I understand why. In so many ways, we’re being forced to fight old battles to regain historic ground won by our foremothers, while also pushing to claim new ground for future generations.
I believe this moment should serve as a reminder that we must always be vigilant in this fight—because opponents of women’s rights will never stop in their mission to chip away at our rights.
We cannot afford to assume that our wins are set in stone. We must keep our defenses up, expand our movement, and prepare the next generation for their turn in the fight.
This is the work before us in the year ahead. I know it will be challenging, but I’m also confident that we’ll have successes because dedicated supporters like you will be fueling NOW’s efforts.
Together, across the many generations that make up NOW’s members and supporters, we’ll ensure that 2026 is a year of progress in the feminist movement. |
