Charlottesville NOW 

On March 20, hear Rachel Beanland discuss her novel, Florence Adler Swims Forever. The book won the 2020 National Jewish Book award and was chosen for the Same Page Community Read by the Jefferson Madison Regional Library. 
5:30pm Wednesday, March 20, Jefferson School African American Heritage Center (book signing at 6:30)
FREE -- Limited seating so arrive early.

On March 23, hear Virginia Senator Danica Roem speak about her book, Burn the Page: A True Story of Torching Doubts, Blazing Trails, and Igniting Change. Roem, the first transgender state senator in the U.S. and a vivid storyteller, shares how she transformed what some might consider weak points into her greatest strengths.
10:30am Saturday, March 23, Paramount Theater (book signing at 11:30) TICKETS $15 General Admission / $8 Students

Screening of the 2024 Oscar nominated short film, The ABCs of Book Banning, a powerful and timely examination of book banning efforts which are sweeping the country. Showcasing those impacted by school district book bans, the film explores the human toll future generations will pay for depriving children of the right to read and learn about our complex world. After the film, panelists will discuss book bans in Virginia and share their lived experiences of not seeing books that reflect and speak to them. And bounteous bagel spread for refreshments!

Join Cville NOW to wrap up 2023 and get fired up for 2024! At this last chapter meeting of the year we’ll recap this year’s work and accomplishments and make plans for the future. Bring your ideas and your questions. Afterward we’ll get social! Join the fun as we mix, mingle and jingle our way toward the new year together. Ugly holiday sweater attire is encouraged! Light festive refreshments.

Post-election, celebrate with feminist friends—join Charlottesville NOW for Friendsgiving! Enjoy potluck savory or sweet snacks (appetizer or dessert) as we engage in an election debrief and preview what’s next. Nosh and network Friendsgiving fun for everyone!

Candidate meet and greet at The Center at Belvedere. An informal gathering to hear from state and local candidates whose platforms align with NOW priorities. And plenty of postcards to write there or to take home to do later. All supplies provided for this immediate, easy action to turn out underrepresented voters in the critical November General Assembly election. And refreshments to fuel the fun! Bring friends, bring kids—everyone welcome! The Center, 540 Belvedere Boulevard, has plenty of easy parking.

Charlottesville NOW interest meeting and postcard writing party! We know you’re ranting…we are too! Learn more about Cville NOW and how you can get involved. Take immediate action by writing postcards to underrepresented voters to turn them out for the Virginia General Assembly election in November. Stop by or stay for a while. We have 1000’s of postcards, all the supplies you need and refreshments to keep you fueled for the write! Handwriting not your thing? There are labels. And stamps. Bring your friends…bring your kids! Feminist fun for all!

On Saturday, August 26, the day women gained voting rights in 1920, we celebrated from 2:00-4:00pm at Firefly. Suffragist Susan B. Anthony made an appearance! Members brought friends and their kids.

On Thursday, June 22, Charlottesville NOW will hold an in-person chapter meeting. Join us at 5:30pm to say thank you to outgoing board members and welcome our newly elected board! After chatting over refreshments, we’ll enjoy a speaker program about indigenous people from our area. Local Native American Mary Wilson will share a synopsis of her personal journey and how the topics of erasure, sovereignty, and justice have been and are woven into her Red Road path: erasure in not being seen, sovereignty in pidgin-holing through symbols, and justice in discrimination. Register to attend.

Charlottesville NOW will hold a chapter meeting via Zoom at 7:00pm on Wednesday May 24. Pursuant to our Bylaws, this meeting will include the biennial election of a Board of Directors. Only members in good standing may vote, but all are welcome to attend as we look back and ahead. Come participate in the festivities to say thank you and goodbye to outgoing board members and welcome the incoming directors.

Charlottesville NOW in-person chapter meeting with light dinner provided as we got acquainted and caught up. For those new to Cville NOW or considering applying to join the Board of Directors, this was a great chance to learn more about us and get their questions answered. Meeting was in Albemarle County, just east of Charlottesville city limit (near Darden Towe Park).

For Women’s History Month, join Charlottesville NOW for a Virginia Festival of the Book event and social gathering afterward (or just come for the social if you can't make the author event).

About the Book
Sing Her Name, a novel by Rosalyn Story, follows two musically gifted women whose lives overlap across the boundaries of time—a 19th century concert singer whose career is thwarted by racism and a talented 21st century waitress who has a chance to revive the singer’s name and reach her own success—if her family ties don’t hold her back.

Catch up with long-time friends and make new ones! Join Cville NOW members and friends at C'ville Coffee and Wine for conversation over your beverage of choice. Or grab some lunch--a variety of sandwiches and salads are on the menu.

Mali Lucas-Green talks about her enslaved ancestor’s escape to freedom across the Rappahannock River in 1862 and his journey back into Confederate territory to free his family.

Moses Lucas and his wife Mildred, Lucas-Green’s great, great, great, grandparents, were among the enslaved who emancipated themselves during the Civil War—helping force the emancipation question by crossing into Union territory.

Lucas-Green’s presentation draws on two decades of research into her family history, after discovering in her great-grandfather’s library the first-person account of the escape, dictated by Moses Lucas.

An educator and artist, Mali Lucas-Green is founder and CEO of Infinite Inquiry, which provides adventurous educational expeditions by road for middle grades students. Lucas-Green travels “with an investigative lens to seek truth-telling...the multiple truths that exist in a complex society such as these great United States.”

Dr. Christian Chisholm, a nationally recognized expert in maternal and fetal medicine at UVA Medical Center, explains how the abortion bans in areas of the U.S. are affecting the practice of medicine and the best care of women. In a call to action, Han Jones, Political Director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Virginia, and Tannis Fuller, Executive Director of Blue Ridge Abortion Fund, discuss their organizations' work and the immediate and potential impacts of abortion bans on all pregnant persons locally and across Virginia.

UVA Law professor Anne Coughlin and UVA professor Bonnie Gordon discuss the legal principles, case history and cultural history behind the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health.

Panelists include experts from local and national gun sense organizations and local agencies that support survivors:

 Mike Fox and Katie Fox, 
Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America; Gayle Oko,
 Sandy Hook Promise; Madison Furgurson
, Shelter for Help in Emergency (SHE); and Renee Branson, Sexual Assault Resource Agency (SARA).

In recognition of Earth Day 2022, we showcase local efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change. Climate Protection Program Managers from Albemarle County (Gabe Dayley) and Charlottesville (Susan Elliott) present these governments' plans and progress. University of Virginia's Sustainability Director (Andrea Ruedy Trimble) shares the University's climate action goals and accomplishments. Charlottesville Tree Commission Chair (Peggy Van Yahres) shares the Commission's climate mitigation strategies. Co-sponsored by Piedmont Group of Virginia's Chapter of the Sierra Club.

For Women's History Month, and on International's Women's Day, powerhouse presenters Kolieka Seigle, DemocraShe and Jan Strout, Bozeman CEDAW Initiative reveal the intersection of domestic policy and international policy on women's rights worldwide. They cover such topics as reproductive justice (global gag rule), constitutional equality, violence against women, and feminist foreign policy. And they answer questions such as what the heck is CEDAW? (Hint: UN treaty barring all forms of discrimination against women, ratified by nearly all the world's countries, but not the U.S.!) Also presenting is high school student Prasidha Padmanabhan, who got one of the largest school systems in the U.S. to include more women's history in the curriculum and who is Founder and Director of WEAR, an organization created to write women back into history, and combat sexism through education, advocacy, and fighting for women's rights.

Lotte Lieb Dula, a descendant of slaveholders, and founder and lead curriculum developer of Reparations 4 Slavery, unpacks family histories to see how every American family is affected by white supremacy. For white families wishing to walk the path of racial healing through a better understanding of US history, family history and institutionalized racism and its devastating effects, there is no better introduction.

Panelists: Rangina Hamidi, Professor, Arizona State University (former Minister of Education in Afghanistan); Ellie Smeal, President, Feminist Majority Foundation; Harriet Kuhr, Director, international Rescue Committee of Charlottesville; and Afghan Student Association, University of Virginia.