Illinois National Organization for Women

Illinois National Organization for Women We are the grassroots arm of the women’s movement. The National Organization for Women is the largest organization of feminist activists in the United States.

Illinois NOW is a collective of chapters from all over the state taking action on six core issues: Constitutional Equality, Reproductive Rights & Justice, Racial Justice, LGBTQIA+ Rights, Economic Justice, and Ending Violence Against Women. NOW is dedicated to making legal, political, social, and economic change in our society in order to achieve our goal, which is to eliminate sexism and end all

oppression. NOW has hundreds of thousands of contributing members and more than 500 local and campus affiliates in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Since our founding in 1966, NOW’s goal has been “to take action” to bring about equality for all women. Both the actions NOW takes and its position on the issues are principled, uncompromisingf, and often ahead of their time. NOW is a leader, not a follower, of public opinion. NOW's 6 core issues:
- Reproductive Rights & Justice
- Ending Violence Against Women
- Economic Justice
- LGBT Rights
- Racial Justice
- Constitutional Equality Amendment

******************************************
NOW activists use both traditional and non-traditional means to push for social change. NOW activists do extensive electoral and lobbying work and bring lawsuits. We also organize mass marches, rallies, pickets, non-violent civil disobedience and immediate, responsive “zap” actions. In 2004, the March for Women’s Lives became the largest mass action of any kind in U.S. history, bringing a record 1.15 million people to Washington, DC to advocate for women’s reproductive health options. NOW’s actions have established the organization as a major force in the sweeping changes that put more women in political posts; increased educational, employment and business opportunities for women; and enacted tougher laws against violence, harassment and discrimination. NOW is a multi-issue, multi-strategy organization that takes a holistic approach to women’s rights.

06/06/2026

WE were happy to support the Illinois Family Neonatal Intensive Care Leave Act last year, effective as of last Monday, making Illinois only the second state in the nation to offer NICU-specific leave for parents.

Now, Illinois parents who work for employers with 16+ employees have a legal right to take unpaid time off to be with their child; up to 10 or 20 days, depending on the size of their employer. For employees who are already eligible for leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act, it can be taken after that leave is exhausted.

The law, although unpaid leave, should hopefully give parents of the tiniest patients a little more time to breathe. But, every NICU family should have rights to paid leave in the United States. That's why WE are fighting for Paid Leave for All!

Read more here: https://ow.ly/QpWo50Z8fcP

06/06/2026
From today’s Politico Illinois: “Four years after Dobbs: The median distance traveled to seek out-of-state abortion care...
06/05/2026

From today’s Politico Illinois:

“Four years after Dobbs: The median distance traveled to seek out-of-state abortion care in Illinois has increased threefold since Dobbs struck down Roe v. Wade in June 2022, a Chicago Abortion Fund and University of Chicago study found. Data collected between 2020 to 2023 found travel distances were especially long for callers under 18, in the second trimester, lacking health insurance or coming from rural areas.”

🔗https://bit.ly/4x7BX69

This cross-sectional study examines changes in travel distance and demographic information for pregnant people seeking support for abortion in Illinois before and after Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization Supreme Court decision.

06/04/2026

The 19th Amendment was passed by both houses of Congress in 1919, which began the state ratification process that would lead to the Amendment's certification in the Constitution on August 26, 1920.

But the battle for women's right to vote didn't end there. While it represented a major victory for the movement after nearly 70 years of activism, the 19th Amendment did not simply grant universal suffrage for all women.

Native American women were not considered US citizens until 1924, but until as late as 1962, individual states still prevented them from voting.

Asian American immigrant women were excluded from voting until the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 allowed them to gain citizenship.

Black women faced Jim Crow-era barriers like poll taxes, voter ID requirements, and acts of violence that threatened their ability to cast a ballot until the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Latina women faced literacy tests and other language-based setbacks that prevented them from voting until a 1975 extension of the Voting Rights Act.

As we celebrate this monumental achievement for women, we also recognize that only some of the women who fought for suffrage were able to exercise their newly-won right to vote. Despite being some of the movement's fiercest advocates, suffragists like Mabel Ping-Hua Lee, Zitkála-Šá, and Luisa Capetillo could not cast their first ballots in the 1920 election because of their race.

Today, we honor the women who not only fought for the 19th Amendment's passage, but also after it, as their efforts on behalf of their communities paved the way for the freedoms of all American women.

📷: Dora Lewis (seated), Abby Scott Baker (seated), Anita Pollitzer (standing), Alice Paul (seated), Florence Boeckel (seated), and Mabel Vernon (standing) conferring over ratification of the 19th Amendment at the National Woman's Party headquarters, 1919.

06/04/2026

On June 4, 1919, after more than four decades of advocacy, organizing, and persistence, Congress passed the 19th Amendment and sent it to the states for ratification.

The milestone marked a major victory for the suffrage movement, but the work was not yet complete. Members of the National Woman’s Party tracked each state’s progress using a ratification flag, adding a star every time a state approved the amendment.

That flag remains a powerful reminder that change is built step by step—and that every victory is the result of countless women who refused to give up the fight for equality.

06/04/2026

It's Wish List Wednesday! Nothing fancy except the logo! Laundry soap, paper towels, band-aids, antibiotic ointment, and personal hygiene products are always appreciated by our clients. Thanks!

06/04/2026

In New Mexico, former Interior Secretary Deb Haaland has won the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. She's a member of the Laguna Pueblo and could become New Mexico's first Indigenous governor.

06/04/2026

Exciting news! The Illinois General Assembly has passed SB 3465, requiring construction sites with 10 or more workers to provide private restrooms, and menstrual products and lactation accommodations for women and gender-diverse construction workers.

Led by Chicago Women in Trades and sponsored by State Senator Graciela Guzman and State Rep Theresa Mah, this legislation finally addresses what has gone unregulated for too long: a vast majority of women and gender diverse workers have gone without adequate facilities, basic protections and dignity while working on construction sites.

Please join us in urging Governor JB Pritzker to sign this bill into law and make inclusive worksites the standard in Illinois!

https://cwit.org/menstruation-and-lactation-support-on-construction-sites/ -this-bill

06/04/2026

“If you don’t stand for something,
you stand for nothing.”






🩵💙🇺🇸🇺🇸👍

Address

Box 474
Springfield, IL
62705

Website

https://linktr.ee/illinoisnow

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Illinois National Organization for Women posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category