Dear John,

As the second African American president in the organization’s history, the youngest person of color and the youngest president in more than 40 years, it is my absolute priority to lead the organization through an intersectional lens, bringing together a diverse coalition of grassroots activists to work against structural sexism and racism.

I am proud to stand on the shoulders of so many BIPOC leaders in the women’s rights movement, including feminist icon and esteemed civil rights lawyer Pauli Murray, NOW’s first Black woman president Aileen Hernandez and of course the legendary Shirley Chisholm, a NOW member who became the first black woman to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and the first to run for President.

NOW was formed at a time when the women’s rights and civil rights movements were often kept separate. Women from more privileged positions grew accustomed to being at the center of the discussion, creating barriers to inclusivity and progress for BIPOC women and the LGBTQIA+ community.

While we have seen marked improvement in the last 55 years, today we continue to work on creating an organization that provides a safe space for BIPOC women, trans, and non-binary people to be heard.

Change is never easy, and that is why we must take these moments to reflect and appreciate the community we have built together and build on our progress. Tomorrow, we will take time to talk about our year so far, address the challenges we have tackled, celebrate our grassroots leaders’ victories, and discuss what we need to do to build a powerful an intersectional movement going forward.

I hope you can join us tomorrow.