Feminism in Black and White
June 16, 2009 by blackgirlgrown
Filed under black women, politics, race
Intriguing to say the least. The National Organization for Women (NOW) is set to elect its new president this week. The two candidates are a case study in contrasts: Latifa Lyles, a 33-year-old African-American woman and Terry O’Neill, 56, a long-time activist, and white woman.
After years on the defensive during the Bush administration, the National Organization for Women is elated to have a president sharing many of its goals. Yet NOW heads into its own leadership contest — a sharp contrast of age and race — mindful of the need to energize its ranks.
Kim Gandy, a savvy former prosecutor, is stepping down as NOW president after eight years leading the battle against many Bush-era policies.
The election to succeed her, set for NOW’s three-day national conference starting Friday in Indianapolis, is both an unusual clash of generations and an opportunity for activists to confront some of the challenges facing the feminist movement.
Delegates will be choosing between Latifa Lyles, a 33-year-old African-American who has been one of Gandy’s three vice presidents, and Terry O’Neill, 56, a white activist who taught law at Tulane University, who was NOW’s vice president for membership from 2001-05, and who most recently has been chief of staff for a county council member in Maryland’s Montgomery County.
The two have waged a polite campaign but are aware of the contrasts. Lyles would be NOW’s youngest president ever; O’Neill one of the oldest at the start of a term.
