Above: The 2020 Rose Parade float commemorating the Women's Suffrage Centennial
Welcome to Sonoma County NOW
March is National Women's History Month
"Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias,
stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that's diverse, equitable, and
inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we
can forge women's equality. Collectively we can all
#EmbraceEquity." Source:https://www.internationalwomensday.com/
President's Message
March 2023
Dear NOW friends,
If you've been in Sonoma County for a while, you likely know that the
origins of National Women's History Month are rooted here, in Santa Rosa,
specifically. National Women's History Month originated as simply a week in
1978, just in Sonoma County schools. Molly Murphy MacGregor, Mary
Ruthsdotter, Maria Cuevas, Paula Hammett, and Bette Morgan founded the
National Women's History Project (NWHP)in Santa Rosa, in 1980. Prior to the
NWHP, these five came up with the idea of honoring women's contributions in
schools. Sonoma County adopted the idea in 1978 for one week, with March 8
as the focal point. (March 8 has been designated International Women's Day
since 1911.) The event was so popular that the NWHP lobbied Congress to turn
it into a national week of remembrance. President Jimmy Carter was the one
who signed it into law. In 1987, the week became a month!
The NWHP became the National Women's History Alliance (NWHA) and still today
comes up with the themes for each year's commemoration in March. For 2023,
the theme is "Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories." For more on this
month's history, see the
NWHA's website.
****************************************
Our guest speaker this month is Dr. Catherine Meeks, and we are excited to
have this author. Dr. Meeks not only has written a number of books, but also
is the Executive Director of the Absalom Jones Center for Racial Healing.
Please see the details in the box below. Invite your friends and neighbors.
We expect to have an evening to remember! This will be recorded, so if you
miss it, we will post it on our YouTube channel. Also, Elaine interviewed
Dr. Meeks on February 27 during Elaine's radio program, Women's Spaces, and
that recording is
recording is here.
****************************************
If you are not yet a NOW member or need to renew your membership, please
join our growing organization! Our chapter's ID is CA0660 and you can select
it when you
sign up here.
--Amy Nykamp, President
Photo courtesy of Dr. Catherine Meeks
Dr. Catherine Meeks
Guest Speaker March 20!
____________________
Sonoma County NOW In Collaboration with Blacks United of Sonoma County
and Women's Spaces is sponsoring this event.
Time to have a real discussion about Racism in Sonoma County.
Catherine Meeks, PhD, a 2022 recipient of the President Joseph R. Biden
Lifetime Achievement Award for Service, is the Executive Director of the
Absalom Jones Center for Racial Healing.
She is the author of six books and one inspirational CD. Her latest book is
The Night Is Long, But Light Comes in The Morning: Meditations on Racial
Healing; she is the editor of the bestselling book, Living Into God’s Dream:
Dismantling Racism in America, and co-author of Passionate for Justice: Ida
B Wells as Prophet for Our Times.
We are proud to be the Sonoma County Chapter of NOW and working with Blacks
United of Sonoma County and Women's Spaces. We hope to see all of you at
this special ZOOM meeting. The time will be from 6:00-7:30 this month.
Please join us!
If you are not yet a NOW member or need to renew
your membership, please join our growing organization! Our chapter's ID is
CA0660 and you can select it when you sign up here.
--Amy Nykamp, President
----
Elaine B. Holtz in the News!
Photo courtesy of Elaine B. Holtz and was taken
during her graduation from Sonoma State University in 1975.
The Sonoma County Gazette just featured our current
treasurer and past-president, Elaine B. Holtz. Elaine has been a long-time
member of NOW and is very active in the Sonoma County community. She is also
the host of Women's Spaces on KBBF 89.1 FM. In addition, Elaine has given
out thousands of copies of the special pledge on self-esteem, which she
wrote for her grandson when he was a toddler. This can be found below and on
her
website. For the full article in the Gazette,
click here or on her photo.
----
Our proud Chapter
Above: Our Chapter celebrating the 50th Anniversary of NOW with the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors, October 2016.
----
August 26, 2020, the 19th Amendment Centennial and
Women's Equality Day was celebrated in Sebastopol with the Women's Suffrage
Banners.
----
The 2020 Rose Parade featured the We Heart float
commemorating the Women's Suffrage Centennial and won the Theme Trophy.
See video clip below for the passage of the float and the Women Suffragist
marchers in front of KTLA cameras January 1, 2020.
NOW Sonoma
Facebook Page 
