Come see us at this year’s Women’s Market!
If you’re interested in helping us table, please sign up at the link below.
Visit our table at Bloomington Pride’s 2025 Pridefest!
We are looking for a few more volunteers for our table. Click the link below to volunteer. See you there!
Indiana NOW is pleased to announce the 2025 annual conference, hosted by Indianapolis NOW. Please join us on Saturday, September 20, at the All Souls Unitarian Church, located at 5805 E. 56th St. in Indianapolis. Our welcoming address will be given by the Indianapolis City-County Council Vice President Ali Brown. Our keynote speaker will be Sheila Suess Kennedy. Indiana House Representatives Sue Errington, Carey Hamilton, and Renee Peck will host a panel discussion on the state of Indiana politics.
Check in/registration on September 20 begins at 9:45am, the conference begins at 10am, and programming will conclude by 3pm. Lunch (vegetarian option available), coffee, tea, and water will be provided. There is a Zoom option on the advanced registration page. For those who wish to Zoom, we will email information prior to the conference. NOW members are eligible for a sliding scale conference fee. Pay what you can afford. Choose the "Donation" option to do sliding scale and/or to sponsor another individual to attend. Credentialing for active members will be done on site. For those looking for overnight accommodations, we recommend the nearby Fort Harrison Inn (10 minute drive). Join us for some lively discussions, empowering speeches, and networking opportunities.
If you have any questions, please contact Indianapolis NOW at now.indianapolis@gmail.comand allow 48 hours for a response. Register at the link below and we'll see you there!
List our table at this year’s Spencer Pride Festival.
We could use a couple more people to help us table. Click the link below to volunteer.
Come join Monroe County NOW in the cool AC of the downtown public library (in person) as we march through this Hot Labor Summer. We will be spending our July chapter meeting sitting down with organizers from the Indiana Graduate Workers Coalition and Monroe County Education Association. Let's discuss the ongoing attacks on education, the labor movement, and working people! A feminist future with a just economy and education for all can only happen when we act together in our schools and workplaces. See below for more details and join us! Light refreshments will be available.
Date: Thursday, July 24
Time: 7pm
Location: Monroe County Public Library Downtown Branch, Meeting Room 1B
Please note: We are working on a Zoom option for those who prefer to join us from home. Click below to register for the Zoom link.
The 2025 National NOW Conference will be held July 11-13 at the SAHARA in Las Vegas! You can currently register as a NOW member for $65. There is a sliding scale fee that starts at $10, no questions asked. Join us for a weekend of workshops, inspiring speakers, caucuses, and feminist fun. We will elect National Officers for the 2025-2029 term at the conference as well.
The room block for the SAHARA Las Vegas is also open. This is an election conference, so rooms will go fast--book your rooms now! You can book using this passkey link.
For more information, please visit https://now.org/2025-conference/?emci=22bd3549-0eca-ef11-88d0-0022482a9b45&emdi=963539cc-7dcc-ef11-88d0-0022482a9d92&ceid=426442. We hope to see you in Las Vegas!
#2025NOWConf
Join Monroe County NOW for our June Chapter meeting on Thursday, June 19, at 7pm via Zoom! During Pride Month we will feature the Bloomington LGBTIQ+ Community Center. This brand new organization exists "to support and enhance the lives of our diverse queer Family through the development of: safe and sober spaces for all, community engagement and education opportunities, programs and services that elevate and empower one another to lead healthy and fulfilling lives, and advocacy work for social equity and civil rights locally and beyond." MC NOW will welcome guest speaker Melanie Davis, who will give us information on the formation of the LGBTIQ+ Community Center and the board's goals. There will be time for a Q&A with Melanie. Stay tuned to next month's newsletter, our website and social media for any additional guest speakers. Let's learn about this important community resource and find ways we can help get the word out.
Learn more about the Bloomington LGBTIQ+ Community Center at https://www.facebook.com/LGBTIQCommunityCenter.
Participants must register in advance for this meeting at
https://us02web.zoom.us/.../register/3_UfH6yoSl6BxH-eJAjeuw.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. See you there!
Looking to feel inspired and connect with other Monroe County NOW members? Join our chapter president TammyJo Eckhart at the Sidney and Lois Eskenazi Museum of Art at noon on Saturday, June 14, to tour the first American exhibit of Blanche Hoschedé-Monet's paintings. TammyJo has been a volunteer educator at the museum since 2010. She took special training with this exhibit and would love to share it, as well as information about the role of women in the art scene of Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. While other visitors may come into the gallery, our tour will be the only formal one scheduled for that space from 12pm until 1:30pm. The Eskenazi Museum of Art is located at 1133 E. Seventh St. in Bloomington, on the IUB campus near the IU Auditorium. Admission is free. Come along with other MC NOW folks, enjoy lovely art, and be inspired by an amazing woman artist. For any questions, please email TammyJo.
Join Monroe County NOW for our April Chapter meeting on Thursday, April 24, at 7pm via Zoom! This month we will feature the Sojourn House, which exists to defend, restore, and liberate women who have been exploited and trafficked. We will welcome Program Director Caitlyn Graber, who will start off with briefly sharing what Sojourn House is and who the organization serves. Caitlyn will give a presentation on how trauma, such as sexual assault and other forms of abuse, impact the body and brain. Afterwards, there will be time for discussion and questions for Caitlyn. The Q&A will be facilitated by MC NOW's newest Chair Pia Martin, who also works at the Sojourn House. Let's learn about this important community resource and find out ways we can get involved.
Learn more about Sojourn House at https://www.sojournhousewomen.org.
Participants must register in advance for this meeting at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/3_UfH6yoSl6BxH-eJAjeuw.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. See you there!
Join Monroe County NOW, IU Cinema, Girls Inc. of Monroe County, Girls Rock Bloomington, and the League of Women Voters-Bloomington/Monroe County on Thursday, March 13 for a special film screening event. Take a look at what American democracy would be like in the hands of teenage girls as part of an immersive experiment to build a government from the ground up. See Girls State!
From the Emmy Award winners behind Boys State, Jesse Moss and Amanda McBaine, comes the Emmy Award-winning film Girls State. Set against the backdrop of a nation grappling with a deepening democratic crisis and heightened political polarization, this compelling documentary delves into the experiences of 500 teenage girls participating in a week-long program where they construct their own state government. It underscores the significance of civic engagement, the intricacies of democracy, and the influence of female voices in political leadership.
A Q&A with Tochi Ihekona and Emily Worthmore, two of the film's subjects, will follow the screening.
Our hope is that in this off year in the Indiana election cycle, we can encourage women and girls to get involved in politics by showing them how a diverse group of young women in Missouri proved the value our voices and experiences can bring to government. All of us do so much to try and get out the vote and hold our elected officials accountable. Now imagine the impact we could have if even one or two more percent of the girls today were inspired to get involved after watching Girls State? This is a free but ticketed event. Get your free tickets at https://am.ticketmaster.com/iucinema/buy/MarchMay25.
This meeting is rescheduled from October 2024. Monroe County NOW needs you to help build a healthy and successful community in South Central Indiana.
Doing that starts with each of us. Join us on Thursday, February 27, at 7pm via Zoom for our interactive chapter meeting: Understanding Others. Our moderator is Jess Hoopengardner, MSEd, a diversity and inclusion facilitator who has been helping communities of all types to grow their influence by empowering their members and fostering collaboration among members. Fun fact: Jess was previously one of our board members before she left Bloomington!
The meeting should only last an hour.
Just bring yourself and your desire to make our world a better place.
The MC NOW Board looks forward to working with you all at this event.
You must register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/3_UfH6yoSl6BxH-eJAjeuw
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. See you there!
A message from Chapter President TammyJo Eckhart:
If it looks like everything you've been fighting for is falling apart, you aren't alone in that feeling. So let's build Monroe County NOW back up from the inside to help us keep working to protect and improve our lives. We do that by starting with ourselves. This workshop needs you to show up and participate because all of our fights for a more just world begin in our hearts and minds. Yup, folks, the current federal and state administrations can try to take us back to the early 19th century, but we are doing the DEI work to make our chapter, our members, and our communities better and safer. Show your belief in our core issues by taking this step with me to gird up for the battles ahead of us.
– TammyJo Eckhart, MC NOW President 2024-25
As 2025 begins, Monroe County NOW wants each of you to know that we are here to help fight to protect and reclaim our rights to improve our lives, particularly those of women and girls. Join us for our next chapter meeting on Thursday, January 23, at 7pm! Come meet our 2025 board members, learn the results of our Member Survey from last year, discover ways you can help the fight, get fired up by our current plans for 2025, and share your ideas for what we should do going forward. Let's have each others' backs NOW and for the future.
You must register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/IbQaQZEESP6nO-Txu4FUOQ
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. See you on the 23rd!
Monroe County NOW is proud to support the 2024 Spencer Pride Festival! We will be tabling at the event. Interested in volunteering at our table? We need volunteers for two of our shifts. We will be registering people to vote just before the Indiana voter registration deadline. Sign up to volunteer at https://www.signupgenius.com/.../20F0E44A8A828A5F49.... See you there!
Come meet and greet candidates for Indiana Senate, Indiana House of Representatives, and Monroe County County Commissioner. Candidates will respond briefly to questions, then meet and converse with voters.
Co-sponsors: Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce, League of Women Voters of Bloomiongton-Monroe County, League of Women Voters of Brown County, Monroe County Branch NAACP, and Monroe County NOW
Where: This is an online Zoom event
Moderator: Sonia Leerkamp
Candidates: Russell Brooksbank (L) and Tim Peck (D); Erin Houchin declined
Hosted by: League of Women Voters of Bloomington-Monroe County
Cosponsors: Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. - Kappa Tau Omega Chapter, Big Ten Voting Challenge, Greater Bloomington Chamber of Commerce, IU PACE, League of Women Voters Bloomington-Monroe County, League of Women Voters Brown County, League of Women Voters Southern Indiana Monroe County NOW, Monroe County Branch NAACP, South Central Indiana Citizens’ Climate Lobby, Citizens’ Climate Lobby - New Albany
Have you had the feeling that our local news sources are disappearing or becoming biased? You aren't wrong and it is happening.
Join Monroe County NOW for our next chapter meeting on Thursday, September 26 at 7pm! We will have a conversation with a couple of representatives from our local news media. Bring your questions and let's learn more about how their agencies function in this age of rapid online news, misinformation, and development of news deserts right here in Indiana. Invite your friends to attend this important discussion.
Attendees must register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEqdOygpzooHtNOe7kR-slE9lzehLoodmsD
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Where: Bloomington City Hall Council Chambers
Moderator: Beverly Calender-Anderson
Candidates: Joe Davis (write-in), Trent Deckard (D), David Henry (D), Cheryl Munson (D)
Hosted by: League of Women Voters of Bloomington-Monroe County
Cosponsors: Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. - Kappa Tau Omega Chapter, Big Ten Voting Challenge, IU PACE, League of Women Voters Bloomington-Monroe County, Monroe County NOW, Monroe County Branch NAACP, South Central Indiana Citizens’ Climate Lobby
Monroe County NOW will be at Bloomington Pridefest this Saturday! We are in need of more volunteers for our table. Please consider helping us staff the table.
Members of the League of Women Voters Bloomington-Monroe County, Indiana and Hoosier Asian American Power will be tabling with us. We will be registering people to vote. If you're able to volunteer, please sign up at https://www.signupgenius.com/.../10C0A4FACAB2BA7F9CF8.... See you Saturday!
It's all about election protection during the 2024 election season! Join us on Thursday, August 29, at 7pm for a discussion with this month's guest speaker Ami Gandhi. Ami is the Director of Strategic Initiatives and Midwest Voting Rights Programs for the Chicago Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights (CLCFCR). Her work helps "reduce barriers to voting and improve civic participation, especially in communities of color and low-income communities in the Midwest." For more information about CLCFCR and the work they do, please visit clccrul.org.
You must register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/.../tZEqdOygpzooHtNOe7kR...
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. See you there!
Mark your calendars! The Indiana NOW 2024 State Conference will be held Saturday, August 24, from 9:30am to 4pm at the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne. Our Northeast Indiana NOW chapter is hosting this year's conference.
Fort Wayne Mayor Sharon Tucker will welcome attendees. Join us for amazing speakers (others will be announced soon), motivational handouts, planning for the year ahead, and to vote for our next slate of State Council members. There will also be a PAC fundraising event on Friday, August 23. More information will follow.
You don’t want to miss this!
ARE YOU READY TO GO?
Need a place to stay? Reserve your room today! There is a reserved hotel block at the Hilton Hotel at the Grand Wayne Convention Center, located at 1020 S. Calhoun Street. The block is for Friday and/or Saturday night at $129 per night. Be sure to ask for the NOW rate if you call (260-420-1100). You can also make your reservation online at https://www.hilton.com/en/attend-my-event/fwafhhf-now-b5941977-ec6f-4fb4-856e-c384f5c84c12/.
Life has been CRAZY... And we need to laugh out loud to get through the craziness of this election season! Join us Friday, August 23, at 8pm as we raise money for the Indiana NOW Political Action Committee. We're heading to the Fort Wayne Comedy Club @ 469 Sports & Spirits where standup acts Asia Chardonay (https://www.alldisbody.com) and Sears (https://lissasears.com) will hit the stage. Check out their bios and let's have some FUN!
Indiana NOW PAC raises funds to support our endorsed candidates in Indiana who are committed to our core values and progressive ideals. Money raised goes directly to candidates.
Buy your tickets at https://secure.actblue.com/donate/indiananow-comedynight; tickets are $40 each.
The Fort Wayne Comedy Club @ 469 Sports & Spirits is located at 1324 Minnich Rd. in New Haven, IN. Doors open 15 minutes prior to the show. This is a private event. All ticket sales are final. See more information at https://www.fortwaynecomedyclub.com/events/96609.
Monroe County NOW is taking a break from Zoom meetings and we're hosting a Get Out the Vote (GOTV) event with allied friends and groups.
2024 is an Important Election Year
Our community needs to be energized.
All of our efforts to Get Out the Vote should be amplified.
Monroe County NOW invites you to a Kick-Off Picnic to Get Out the Vote.
Date: Sunday, July 28
Time: 11am-2pm
Where: Southeast YMCA Lower Shelter at 2125 S. Highland Ave. in Bloomington. This shelter has table space for about 30-40 folks under a roof, so please fee free to bring lawn chairs and/or blankets if you would like to enjoy the time outside. There is a playground right by the shelter, so feel free to bring kids!
If you plan to attend, please RSVP by July 22 via this Sign-Up Genius form to help us get numbers for plates, napkins, and utensils for enough folks. MC NOW will also provide some drinks and sandwiches.
What to Bring: Food item to share, Get Out the Vote materials your organization is using so we can amplify all our efforts, sunscreen, bug spray, and lawn chairs or blankets if you would like to enjoy the time outside the shelter. See you there!
Join Monroe County NOW at the 2024 Women's Market on Saturday, July 27, from 9am to 1pm at City Hall. The Women's Market is hosted by the City of Bloomington Commission on the Status of Women. The event will feature dozens of women's organizations, businesses, and individual creators to inspire us all to get more involved in our communities. MC NOW will be giving out information about our projects to improve the community, registering people to vote, and signing up new members.
Thank you to our tabling volunteers! Thanks to the generosity of your time, we have a fully staffed table for this event. Our treasurer Mandy Yates will be reaching out to you with specific information. We look forward to seeing all of you at the 2024 Women's Market!
The National Organization for Women’s 2024 Conference, Women Will Save Democracy, No Democracy Without Intersectionality (#WWSD), will be held virtually July 19-21! We are getting ramped up and energized for the 2024 elections. Join us this month as we prepare for the final election push! There will be an exciting and inspiring line-up of speakers and informative, action-oriented workshops. Confirmed speakers are as follows: Tennessee State Representative Gloria Johnson and Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson.
We will take up resolutions and by-laws on Sunday of the conference. This is also an election year for the National NOW Board, and you must be registered and credentialed for the conference in order to vote in the Board elections.
In this crucial election year join us to get organized and energized for Women to Save Democracy! Check out https://now.org/2024nowconf/ for details and registration information.
Art can influence social issues by shining a light on injustices, offering insights into others’ lives, suggesting new ways of thinking, or it can reinforce existing systems of oppression. Join Monroe County NOW on Thursday, May 23, at 7pm via Zoom as we highlight the creations of Monroe County artists whose work is connected to the sociopolitical causes they and we care about.
Learn about how you can support their work and discover organizations where your own creativity could help fuel the goal of diversity, equity, and inclusivity.
Guest speakers for this meeting are as follows:
-Laura LaSuertmer, Assistant Creative Director and Facilitator of Women Writing for (a) Change
-Deborah Meader, Co-President of the Persisterhood Workshop
-Caleb Poer, Visual Artist
-Holly Warren, Assistant Director for the Arts, Bloomington Department of Economic and Sustainable Development
You must register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/.../tZEqdOygpzooHtNOe7kR...
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Mark your calendars! Our next chapter meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 25, at 7pm via Zoom. This meeting is all about housing equity and the impact on local women and marginalized communities. We are excited to have JaneAnn Gifford, CJAM (Community Justice And Mediation Center) Landlord-Tenant Case Manager and Senior Mediator and Erika Fotsch with the Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana. We will hear from our guest speakers about the challenges women in our community face regarding affordable housing; Q&A will directly follow. Join us and ask your questions!
You must register in advance for this meeting at
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEqdOygpzooHtNOe7kR-slE9lzehLoodmsD.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. See you there!
Join us for our next general meeting next Thursday, February 22, at 7pm! We invite our members and friends to meet our 2024 Board and weigh in on future meetings, events, and happenings. We are also putting out a call for vacant board positions. And we'll have a conversation with longtime Monroe County NOW member Shruti Rana! We want to thank Shruti for her work with our organization and show appreciation for her time and expertise.
Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEqdOygpzooHtNOe7kR-slE9lzehLoodmsD
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. See you next Thursday!
Indiana NOW is pleased to announce its 2023 annual conference! Join us on Saturday, November 11, at the Monroe County History Center in Bloomington. Speakers include Indiana gubernatorial candidate Jennifer McCormick, State Senator Shelli Yoder, State Representative Carolyn B. Jackson, and Bloomington's next mayor Kerry Thomson.
Registration begins at 9:45am and the conference will conclude by 3pm. For those attending in person, IN NOW will provide coffee, water, snacks, and lunch from Hive Bloomington. The planning committee has secured a block of rooms at the Hilton Garden Inn in downtown Bloomington, only a few blocks away from the conference. There is also a Zoom option on the registration page. For those who wish to Zoom, the Planning Committee will email information out before the conference.
The Indiana NOW 2023 State Conference is a must-attend event for all advocates of gender equality and women's rights! Join us for a day filled with inspiring discussions, empowering speeches, and networking opportunities. The Monroe County History Center is located at 202 E. 6th St. in Bloomington. Register NOW, as tickets will sell out! See you there!
Indiana Period Action Day is Wednesday, October 18, from 11am to 2pm at the Statehouse in Indianapolis. Legislators from the House and Senate will be speaking on period poverty, healthcare access, and menstrual stigmatization, as well as legislation that will be introducedin January. Join MADVoters for this day of action!
Monroe County NOW is excited to once again table at the Spencer Pride Festival on Saturday, October 7. We need volunteers for our table set up, shifts, and tear down. Please review the available slots at SignUpGenius and click on the button to sign up. We will reach out to our volunteers with any updates as we receive final details. Thank you for your help!
Monroe County NOW invites you to join us for our next chapter meeting Thursday, September 28, at 7:30pm via Zoom.
The meeting will feature a conversation about the 2023 MCCSC referendum (https://www.mccsc.edu/2564_4). We'll be joined by Dr. Jeff Hauswald, MCCSC Superintendent, and Dr. Markay Winston, MCCSC Deputy Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction.
Advance registration via Zoom is required for this meeting. Please register at
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcoduGvqzsjGt1MwsNFi5PT_YFLnitODhBA.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. See you there!
Please join Hoosier Jews for Choice and Monroe County NOW for a vigil and call to action at the Monroe County Courthouse on Monday, July 31, at 5:30pm. WE ARE NOT DONE!
Confirmed speakers include State Senator Shelli Yoder, County Councilwoman Jennifer Crossley, City Councilwoman Sue Sgambelluri, City COS Josefa Madrigal, Bloomington Latino Outreach Coordinator Ximena Martinez Ruiz, Jessica Marchbank of All-Options, and Haddie Katz from Tandem Birthing Services.
Join us to grieve, hold space for one another, and fight for the future of reproductive justice in Indiana.
In lieu of a traditional July chapter meeting, Monroe County NOW is participating in a day of action. We are joining and supporting MC NOW board members Jennifer Crossley and Shruti Rana, as they host a community listening session with Kerry Thomson, Nicole Bolden, and Isak Isare.
Join us Thursday, July 27, at 7pm at the Steve & Connie Ferguson Crestmont Boys & Girls Club. We are tabling, registering people to vote, and will have water and swag to hand out. Let's show up and chat about issues that affect our community! All community members are welcome.
We are also asking people donate to the Crestmont Food Pantry, as the pantry needs the following:
toilet paper
dish soap
trash bags
ziplock bags
deodorant
body wash
cleaning supplies
wipes
anything else people cannot purchase with SNAP benefits
Donate these items and we will get the donations to the pantry.
Please note, Monroe County NOW is a 501(c)4 organization. Tabling at this event is not an endorsement of any candidates.
Mark your calendars for a weekend of feminist fun! The 2023 National NOW Conference will be at the Doubletree Hotel in Arlington, Virginia (Crystal City). The conference dates are June 30 through July 2. For more information and to book at the conference hotel, please visit https://now.org/2023-national-now-conference/.
At this conference members will consider proposed Bylaws amendments. The proposed amendments are posted on the NOW Members Only website for your review prior to the conference. If you are a member in good standing and need password information for the Members Only site, please email us.
