NOW rift: Gandy vs. old vs. new
The Feminist Majority reported June 22:
The National Organization for Women elected Terry O’Neill to be its next President in a tight race this past weekend at their national conference in Indianapolis, IN…. O’Neill’s ticket won by a razor-thin margin over Latifa Lyles, who currently serves as Membership VP, and her team.
How innocuous. But here’s the backstory – indicating dissension in the ranks – from the New York Times…
NOW elected a new president in a victory over a rival who had been endorsed by the group’s departing leader….
Ms. Lyles, who is black, had said she could help give the organization, with a membership that is mostly white and over 40, a new image of youth and diversity that would appeal to younger feminists. She had been enthusiastically endorsed by Kim Gandy, who is retiring on July 20 after 8 years as president….
Lyles is 33. O’Neill is 56.
Per the Catholic News Agency, it appears the nasty old guard doesn’t want to give up the power, to the detriment of the organization, which is fine with me:
Lyles was seen as a figure who could modernize NOW. Her campaign website spoke of working with “new technology” and trying to “re-energize feminist activists.”
Among important goals, she listed an increase in membership, including “the recruitment of young women and women of color, both as members and leaders.”
… In her endorsement [of Lyles], feminist Nancy Redd acknowledged membership growth had “stagnated” and thousands of similarly-minded activists “dismiss involvement with NOW, not seeing our organization as ‘for them.'”
[HT NYT story: Amanda Carpenter; top photo attribution: CatholicNewsAgency.com; bottom photo attribution: fadingstarlet]
Jill Stanek is a nurse turned speaker, columnist and blogger, a national figure in the effort to protect both preborn and postborn innocent human life.
My mom was there. Here’s the deal:
Back during the primaries there were a lot of Hillary supporters who were very angry that NOW supported Obama.
Those Hillary supporters rallied in support of O’neill a fellow Clinton supporter, and against Terry, an Obama supporter.
There is still a major rift in the democratic party after the primaries, and it is starting to show in organizations like this.
Interestingly, my mom asked both women in q&a session “Is there a place for pro-life women within NOW?”
O’Neill said yes, that there was common ground that all women could work for.
Lyles said No, there were a pro-choice organization.
They HAVE to continue to be a pro-choice advocacy organization. What else would they do with all those “Keep Abortion Legal” signs?
Lauren’s mom is bank. We know exactly what’s going on inside these pro-abort orgs because she tells Lauren. Lauren’s like our secretive operative who ain’t so secret.
I would join NOW if it was NOAW, National Organization for ALL Women (not just the born ones).
Actually it is NOLW. L for Liberal. They do not represent women’s issues. They only represent liberal women’s issues. It is a fraction the size of Concerned Women for America, conservative group, yet the media only seeks out NOW for the “woman’s perspective” on any issue.
Now is going the way of the YWCA. That latter having dropped any semblance of it original Judea Christian mission.
Here’s a site talking about the situation.
http://riverdaughter.wordpress.com/2009/06/23/hells-grannies-takeover-now/
Lauren @ @ 2:04 PM,
I love the title of the article:
“Hell’s Grannies takeover NOW”
Talk about gossipy old ladies! I don’t have time to read all of the comments but I get the gist of it. NOW is one unhappy group.
Posted by: Lauren at June 24, 2009 9:31 AM
“Interestingly, my mom asked both women in q&a session “Is there a place for pro-life women within NOW?”
——————————————————
The more relevant question would have been is there room for a conservative heterosexual woman in the National Oraganization of [some liberal lesbian] Women.
This the segement of the the female population in the U.S.A. that is under represented in the National Organizaition of [some liberal lesbian] Women.
yor bro ken
I am George Tiller by Michelle Obama
yor bro ken
I am George Tiller by Bella Abzug
yor bro ken
By the way did you you know that Terry O’Neill has two women under 30 years old on her team? Stop with the ageism. It’s what keeps all women down.
Ken 7:09PM
How well I remember her hatness.