Released on August 22, 2023

Statement by NOW President Christian F. Nunes    

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In 1971, Congress designated August 26 as Women’s Equality Day to mark the date in 1920 when the 19th Amendment finally guaranteed women’s right to vote. This day marks a significant milestone in the women’s movement, but the name can be a little misleading — as we know, society is still far from equal for women.  

As we commemorate the suffragists’ fight to secure the vote, we also must reflect on the barriers that still exist today, especially for Black women, to exercise that right. State legislatures have moved at a near-record pace to enact laws that change voter register rules, limit the number of people that can be assigned to a particular polling location, or redraw districts as populations have shifted, among other proposals. Regardless of what they name these bills, these are poorly veiled voter suppression efforts to keep Black, Brown, Indigenous, young, new Americans, and yes – women – from the polls.  

These actions to undermine our democracy serve as a poignant reminder of the intertwined struggles against all forms of injustice. We must continue to speak out against inequality. We need to stand up against every societal barrier that seeks to divide us. Drawing on the passion of the suffragists and civil rights leaders before us, this August 26, NOW has partnered with the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington to carry on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream of freedom and equality for Black Americans. We urge you to join us to continue to fight for equality.  

NOW remains dedicated to gender equality, and when we recognize interlocking systems of oppression, we move forward to a world that listens to every woman’s voice and upholds every woman’s rights regardless of race, ethnicity, class, or any other aspect of their identity. 

Until the rights and needs of all women are equally valued and protected, we can only then truly achieve the ideals that Women’s Equality Day represents. 

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Contact: Press Team, press@now.org,

Released on August 9, 2023

Statement by National NOW President Christian F. Nunes 

On December 23, 1994, the United Nations General Assembly designated August 9 as the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People. It marks the date of the first meeting, in 1982, of the U.N. Working Group on Indigenous Populations. 

This year’s theme, Indigenous Youth as Agents of Change for Self-determination, recognizes Indigenous youth’s active role as agents of change working on the front lines of today’s most meaningful decisions. Now’s own commitment to engaging and supporting new generations reflects today’s observance. 

We know that Indigenous women are often the primary custodians of ancestral knowledge, passing on vital information on planting, medicines, food, the environment, and traditional ways of life. They are leaders, healers, elders, teachers, and providers—and the guardians of biodiversity, protecting forests, water, and ecosystems.   

Indigenous Youth, like all young people in the U.S. and around the world, are deeply concerned about the environment and believe in the grassroots activism that NOW members have always supported.   

As the world watches the 2023 Women’s World Cup, Indigenous flags of Australia and New Zealand are on display and First Nations and Maori cultures are strongly represented in ceremonies and on team captains’ armbands.  

Here at home, we see how polices that restrict access to asylum disproportionately impact Indigenous migrants, who face displacement from climate change and violence from gangs enforcing the building of industrial projects on ancestral land.  

As we observe today’s International Day of Indigenous People, NOW members celebrate the vibrant cultures, languages, traditions, and accomplishments of Indigenous people in the U.S. and around the globe. 

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Contact: Press Team, press@now.org,