Letter of appreciation to Commissioner Stephanie Singer

The Philadelphia Chapter of the National Organization for Women and the Philadelphia Chapter of Coalition of Labor Union Women would like to express thanks to Commissioner Stephanie Singer for the invaluable information she provided to the public about the political process. Our organizations, supported by a grant from Bread and Roses, in 2013 organized very well-attended workshops “How to Run for Judge of Elections and Election Inspector,” and in 2014 even better attended workshops on “How to Run for Committeeperson.”

The success of these workshops was largely due to Commissioner Singer and her staff who provided a wealth of information--information which has always been available to political insiders but not readily available to the general public. Commissioner Singer conducted workshops not only for our organizations but for any non-partisan civic group which requested this.

Commissioner Singer made a powerful case for the critical role played by committeepeople. She cited a body of research demonstrating that the most effective way to encourage people to vote is having a neighbor/friend speak to them directly. Nothing is as powerful as personal contact with someone you know and trust.

The Philadelphia Chapter of the National Organization for Women and the Philadelphia Chapter of the Coalition of Labor Union Women concluded its series of workshops on how to run for committeeperson and for election board with “A workshop for new committeepeople: The ward re-organization meeting,” held immediately after the May 2014 primary election. This is the meeting at which committeepeople are officially seated and the ward leader is elected. This can be a very confusing experience for new committeepeople who might not know the party rules and not know what to expect.

Again Commissioner Singer generously shared her information about how the Democratic Party and the Republican Party are governed not only with our group but with any non-partisan civic group which requested this. Attendees were very grateful for Commissioner Singer’s demystification of the process.

Committeeperson elections are the only elections for which ordinary citizens without connections and financial resources can easily run. It is critically important that citizens have information about how to run for committeeperson and we applaud Commissioner Singer for her commitment to educating the public about the political process.

Nina Ahmad, President, Philadelphia Chapter of National Organization for Women Laura Wentz, President, Philadelphia Chapter of the Coalition of Labor Union Women Karen Bojar, Co-Chair of Committeeperson Project, Past President, Philadelphia Chapter of National Organization for Women Kathy Black, Co-Chair of Committeeperson Project, Past President, Philadelphia Chapter of the Coalition of Labor Union Women

PHILLY NOW ENDORSEES - SPRING 2014

Philadelphia and Pennsylvania NOW PAC endorsements for Philly area:

Statewide:
Brad Koplinski, Lt. Governor

State Senate:
Brian Gralnick, 4th District

State House:
Micheal O'Brien, 175th District
James Clay, Jr., 179th District
W. Curtis Thomas, 181st District
Brian Sims, 182nd District
Steven Kinsey, 201st District
Jared Solomon, 202nd District

Democratic State Committee:
Karen Bojar, 4th Senatorial District

HOW TO RUN FOR COMMITTEEPERSON IN THE 2014 PRIMARY ELECTION

Make a Difference! How You Can Strengthen Democracy in Philadelphia

Come to this non-partisan training; learn how you can win one of these positions. Help strengthen women’s voices in our political process and protect the right to vote!

HOW TO RUN FOR COMMITTEEPERSON IN THE 2014 PRIMARY ELECTION

When: Tuesday, January 14, 2014 from 5:30-7:30 pm Where: 1606 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA Speakers: Stephanie Singer, City Commissioner Tracey Gordon, Deputy City Commissioner

FOLLOW-UP SESSION FOR THOSE WHO HAVE DECIDED TO RUN

When: Tuesday, February 18, 2014 from 5:30-7:30 pm Where: 1606 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA (Nominating petitions will be available at February 18 session.)

Running for committeeperson is a very easy entry point into electoral politics. You don’t need to raise money; you just need the time and willingness to talk to your neighbors. Running for committeeperson is a way to learn grassroots organizing skills, gain leadership experience, and learn how the political system works.

Sponsored by the Philadelphia Chapter of the National Organization for Women and the Philadelphia Chapter of the Coalition of Labor Union Women.

For more information, contact Karen Bojar at kbojar1@verizon.net or Kathy Black at kblackphilly@yahoo.com (labor donated)

Please share this info and the attached flyer. RSVP at https://www.facebook.com/events/241874925975110/

New Slate of Officers Elected to the Philadelphia Chapter of the National Organization for Women

December 9, 2013 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Contact Person: Karen Bojar at kbojar1@verizon.net

Nina Ahmad, Ph.D. to lead the Philadelphia Chapter of the National Organization for Women New Slate of Officers Elected to the Philadelphia Chapter of the multi-issue progressive feminist advocacy group

Philadelphia, PA – The Philadelphia Chapter of the National Organization of Women (NOW), a key feminist advocacy group in the region has elected its new slate of Officers for the 2014-2016 term. Nina Ahmad, Ph.D., co-owner and Executive Vice President of Government Affairs of JNA Capital, Inc. has been elected as the President of the Chapter. Dr. Ahmad brings a wealth of experience in engaging diverse audiences through community outreach as the Chair of the Mayor’s Commission on Asian American Affairs of Philadelphia and is involved with a host of other organizations including serving on the Board of Women’s Campaign International, which focuses on women’s equality through building skills that help women become effective agents of change. Dr. Ahmad stated, “As a mother of two daughters I am alarmed at the current regression of women’s rights in our country; hard-fought rights earned with blood, sweat and tears. Our future generations should not have to fight these same battles.” She further stated, “I envision our Chapter being engaged in ensuring the promise of equal opportunity for all women by leveraging our collective assets. To that end, I am committed that our chapter membership will be multigenerational and diverse, and from all walks of life.”

In addition to Dr. Ahmad, the following slate of Officers was voted in for the 2014-2016 term: Executive Vice President: Natalie Catin, Principal for Grover Cleveland Mastery Charter School is a fierce advocate for enhancing educational opportunities for all children and furthering the feminist agenda.

Vice President for Finance: Kathy Black, Health and Safety Director for AFSCME DC47 is also the Philadelphia Chapter President of the Coalition of Labor Union Women, will continue to fight for women’s rights.

Vice President for Membership: Sharon Hurley, computer specialist with extensive administrative experience is focused on engaging our membership in feminist issue areas and on creating strong member network.

Secretary: Melody Lam, recent graduate of Temple University with a Bachelors of Science in Biology, is eager to leverage her organizational skills and experience in civic engagement/minority empowerment.

Treasurer: Louise Francis, the Consulting Principal and founder of Francis Analytics and Actuarial Data Mining, Inc. is a long time member of the Chapter, who has been engaged in advocating for feminist issues.

Delegate to the State Board: Karen Bojar, Professor Emerita of English and Women’s Studies at the Community College of Philadelphia, is a longtime feminist activist, past President (2001-2009) of Phila-NOW and looks to strengthen the relationship between Philadelphia NOW and Pennsylvania NOW.

Delegate to the State Board: Sharon Hurley (see above) will liaise with Pennsylvania NOW.

Delegate to the State Board: Sharon Williams Losier, practicing attorney and owner of Losier & Associates, is a civil rights activist engaged in furthering the feminist agenda and will liaise with Pennsylvania NOW.

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The National Organization for Women: The National Organization for Women (NOW) is the largest organization of feminist activists in the United States. NOW has 500,000 contributing members and 550 chapters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Since its founding in 1966, NOW's goal has been to take action to bring about equality for all women. NOW works to eliminate discrimination and harassment in the workplace, schools, the justice system, and all other sectors of society; secure abortion, birth control and reproductive rights for all women; end all forms of violence against women; eradicate racism, sexism and homophobia; and promote equality and justice in our society.

Visit NOW: http://www.now.org/; Philadelphia NOW at http://www.phillynow.org/

Philly NOW Happy Hour with NOW VP Chitra Panjabi 11-7

Download the .pdf flyer (right click)

The 2013 Pennsylvania NOW Convention

The Pennsylvania State chapter of the National Organization for Women will hold its 2013 Convention on Saturday, September 28th at the Harrisburg Hilton, from 9AM-5PM. Register online at PANOW2013.Eventbrite.com (flyer with more info here). It's a chance to attend workshops and get up to date on the issues you care about and to connect with fellow feminists from around the state. It's also the time when NOW members will elect new state leadership.

I am a candidate for President of Pennsylvania NOW. It's time to change the conversation about feminist issues in this state. My main goal for PA NOW is to promote a Women's Equality Agenda for Pennsylvania that begins with a comprehensive Reproductive Health Care bill and a Pay Equity bill. Reproductive health means more than access to safe abortion, it means sex education, access to birth control, and high quality prenatal and maternity care. Pay equity means not only narrowing the wage gap and pushing for affordable child care, but passing basic worker rights like earned sick time and raising the minimum wage so workers can better support their families. I hope to help PA NOW empower feminists to empower themselves by providing the tools, opportunities, and statewide feminist network to help move women into leadership roles in their communities and government.

If you're a NOW member attending the Convention, you can vote for me. I am running on a slate with wonderful women from across the state: for Vice-President, Michele Hamilton (Centre County); for Secretary, Susan Woodland (Erie County); and for Treasurer, Betsy Parziale (Montgomery County). But whether you're a member or not, you should come to the Convention. Our program includes workshops like:

The Importance of Social Security & Medicare for Women
How I Met Your Movement: Involving Millenials in Reproductive Justice
Thank You Diego, but We'd like to Hear about Frida: Women Engaged in the Arts Community
LGBT Equality in Pennsylvania
Domestic Violence: Prevention, Intervention & Treatment Strategies Empowering Women
Financial Literacy: How to Preserve & Maximize Your Income and Investments
Documenting Our History & Celebrating Grassroots Activists
and More!

We are honored this year to have "Liberal Lion of the Senate" State Senator Daylin Leach as our Guest Speaker for Lunch, so when you register for the Convention, register for this lunch as well. Senator Leach is a terrific speaker, and one of our strongest supporters in the General Assembly. Lunch is at the Hilton and is an additional $25. All proceeds benefit NOW.

Registration begins at 8AM, or you can register online at PANOW2013.Eventbrite.com. Tickets include breakfast, access to all workshops, and an after-Convention reception with the Central Pennsylvania Womyn's Chorus. For more information, search PA NOW Convention on Facebook, or the PANOW.org website, and please forward this to friends who might like to attend.

I hope to see you there!

Caryn

SAVE THE DATE! PA NOW Convention is September 28th in Harrisburg

The 2013 PA NOW Convention is on Saturday, September 28th from 9AM to 4PM at the Hilton in Harrisburg.

Please join us for this very important convention.  Our very own Caryn Hunt is running for President and needs your support. We will have a group going up on the train and would love to have you join us! You need to be an active NOW member in order to vote for Caryn, so join/renew at NOW.org website (you'll see a tab for join/renew).

Information for registration at the hotel for the PA NOW State Convention is:

http://www.hilton.com/en/hi/groups/personalized/M/MDTHHHF-NOW-20130927/index.jhtml?WT.mc_id=POG>

Use the group code: NOW at Harrisburg.hilton.com or 1-800-HILTONS.

The Convention will be held at the Harrisburg Hilton, and you can book a room Friday night - there will be a Friday night reception. There will also be a Friday afternoon state meeting (a short, 2 hour meeting), which all NOW members are free to join. There will also be interesting and informative workshops. More details to come.