“The Power of Institutions: NOW at 60 Years/the United States at 250 Years”
In preparing for our annual meeting, we want to reflect on both the 60th Anniversary of the founding of the National Organization for Women (NOW) and the founding of our country with our Declaration of Independence from Great Britain in 1776.
The United States is the world’s oldest continuous constitutional democracy, and we have the oldest national constitution still in use. The National Organization for Women was founded on June 30, 1966, and survives as the largest feminist organization in the United States. It focuses on gender equality within the existing political system. It is still in existence, while many of the social justice and civil rights organizations founded in the ‘60s are no longer active. The 2026 conference speakers and topics will address the power of both institutions in our lives today and what the future holds for us as we work to make NOW stronger and as we work to save our country.
We have invited the Executive Director of the Maryland American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Dana Vickers Shelley, who will discuss with us where the government of the United States is today and how we can rebuild from the damage that has been done. We also want to review what can’t be restored. The ACLU, founded in 1920, has been on the front lines challenging the current administration, literally from Day 1. We hope, as an activist organization, our NOW members can leave with our own plan to save our democracy.
NOW, as both an organization and an institution, has become a leader in grassroots activism, focusing on achieving and establishing through societal, legislative, and judicial change, protections for the rights of women and girls in this country. “NOW’s purpose is to take action through intersectional grassroots activism to promote feminist ideals, lead societal change, eliminate discrimination, and achieve and protect the equal rights for all women and girls in all aspects of social, political, and economic life.”1 NOW has faced challenges since our founding in 1966, and as the world has changed, so has the need for our strong advocacy. Ellie Smeal and Kim Gandy, former NOW presidents, will review our strengths and how we have survived our own struggles and growth.
1 NOW’s Statement of Purpose
