About Us

This is the place to learn about our chapter, check out our upcoming events, get the latest news from National NOW, become a member or renew your membership, and much, much more!The Minnesota Valley NOW chapter was formed in 1989 and has been active over the years with informational picketing at Wal-Mart, CVS pharmacies, Smith Barney, and Mitsubishi. We hosted the Annual State Conference in 1999 and 2004. And our members have attended national events such as the March for Women’s Lives in Washington D.C. in 2000 and the recent March for Choice in 2004. During the past few years we have focused on community education on such issues as sex trafficking in the United States and equal marriage in Minnesota. In addition, each year we celebrate Women’s History Month in March. We have hosted joint meetings with the Girl Scouts, performing plays about women in history, and more recently we have hosted an exhibit at the Prior Lake Public Library, celebrating famous women throughout history.

In 2008, Minnesota Valley NOW had one of our most active and successful years to date.  Our chapter has been around for over 20 years, yet we had never launched as large a project as we did for V-Day Prior Lake 2008.  Minnesota Valley NOW partnered with The Chameleon Theatre Circle and the Southern Valley Alliance for Battered Women to produce The Vagina Monologues in Prior Lake, Minnesota.  Our members performed in the production, sold tickets to the show, solicited sponsors and advertisers, and hosted a reception for all attendees.  Our efforts netted over $4,000.00 for the Southern Valley Alliance for Battered Women and $500 for the Katrina Warriors – women of New Orleans affected by domestic violence – and we raised the issues of domestic violence and violence against women to new visibility in our community.  In addition, our productions on Valentines Day 2008 and on February 16, 2008 met with critical success in our community.

Since February our monthly membership meetings have included lively speakers such as Janet Williams, the first female mayor of Savage and the Reverend Dr. Nadean Bishop, coordinator of Christian Lesbians Out.  Both Sue Bruns and Kristoffe Taylor Jones addressed our group in the fall regarding their candidacy for public office and running on a progressive platform.

In October, Minnesota Valley NOW tabled at the Spirituality Conference in Mankato, Minnesota where the keynote speaker was Riane Eisler.  Our November meeting included a discussion of Ms. Eisler’s new book, The Real Wealth of Nations: Creating a Caring Economy. This subject has been particularly relevant considering the devastating losses in our economy in 2008.  Ms. Eisler’s ideas about connecting the human and environmental costs to the overall economic equation have led to fervent discussions and shared experiences.

If you are looking for a place to air your feminist views and participate in changing our community to reflect the feminist values of equality for all people.  Please join our chapter for a meeting or a year and lend us your wisdom and support.  Our meetings are held the fourth Thursday of the month at our new meeting location at Prior Lake City Hall, located at 16200 Eagle Creek Avenue SE, Prior Lake (just north of the library).  The general membership meeting begins at 7:00 p.m.  We often schedule speakers and discussions for 7:30 p.m. Our meetings are free and open to the public.  For upcoming meetings and speakers, check the calendar.

All this makes us one of the most vibrant and active chapters in the state!

About NOW

What is NOW?
NOW stands for the National Organization for 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.

When and how was NOW founded?
NOW was established on June 30, 1966 in Washington, D.C., by people attending the Third National Conference of the Commission on the Status of Women. Among NOW’s 28 founders was its first president, Betty Friedan, author of The Feminine Mystique (1963). Another founder, the late Rev. Pauli Murray, the first African-American woman Episcopal priest, co-authored NOW’s original Statement of Purpose which begins:
The purpose of NOW is to take action to bring women into full participation in the mainstream of American society now, exercising all privileges and responsibilities thereof in truly equal partnership with men.

What does NOW do?
NOW strives 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;
• promote equality and justice in our society.

NOW achieves its goals through direct mass actions (including marches, rallies, pickets, counter-demonstrations, non-violent civil disobedience) intensive lobbying, grassroots political organizing and litigation (including class-action lawsuits.)

How many members does NOW currently have?
NOW is the largest feminist organization in the nation, with more than 500,000 contributing members. NOW has more than 500 local and campus affiliates in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. These affiliates include chapters and Campus Action Networks.

What are NOW’s official priorities?
NOW’s official priorities are pressing for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that will guarantee equal rights for women; achieving economic equality for women; championing abortion rights, reproductive freedom and other women’s health issues; supporting civil rights for all and opposing racism; opposing bigotry against lesbians and gays; and ending violence against women.

Is NOW funded in any way by the federal government?
No, NOW is a non-profit organization which receives all its operating funds from private donations and membership dues.

Is NOW affiliated with any one political party?
No, NOW is a non-partisan organization. Candidates of all political parties are eligible for endorsement by NOW/PAC and by state and local NOW Political Action Committee.

What is NOW/PAC?
NOW’s Political Action Committee, or NOW/PAC, supports candidates in federal elections (for Congress and the Presidency.) You must be a member of NOW to contribute to NOW/PAC. NOW/PAC is the only part of the national organization that can endorse federal political candidates.
NOW Equality PAC (NEP) supports candidates for state, county and city offices, from governors to school board members. Many state and local NOW chapters have political action committees which can endorse candidates for governor, the state legislature, and local offices.

How is NOW organized?
The membership, meeting yearly in Conference, is the supreme governing body of NOW. NOW draws its broad grassroots strength from a nationwide network of local chapters, which are chartered by national NOW and which engage in a wide variety of action programs in their communities.
State organizations serve to develop chapters, coordinate statewide activities and provide resources to the chapters.
There are nine regions which, in Conference, elect members to the National Board of Directors, the body which governs the organization between national conferences.
The national level of the organization is led by four elected national officers, by the national Board of Directors, and by national issues committees. These national leaders are responsible for implementing policy as formulated by the annual National Conference, for coordinating national actions, and for providing membership services.

What are the membership dues for NOW?
Current membership fees are as follows:

• Regular Dues: $35 covers national, state, and local dues ($40 for residents of AZ, CA, CT, NY, IL, IN and MI)
• Reduced Dues: A sliding scale is available from $15 to $34 (for any reason)
• 2-Year Membership: $65 ($75 in states listed above)
• 3-Year Membership : $95 ($110 in states listed above)
• Lifetime Membership: $1,000

What is included in the NOW membership?
Included in your NOW membership are:

• Membership at local, state, and national levels
• Access to local NOW chapter activities
• A subscription to the National NOW Times (NNT), mailed four times a year
• Any information or national alerts from NOW
• E-mail action alert network (by request)