2025
LATEST INFORMATION
NOW of Greater Marion County members and friends:
Because of health challenges, I will no longer be active in our NOW chapter. Before I close everything down, I’d like to invite anyone who wants to keep the chapter active to let me know. If someone steps up as president, I will be available to help in any way I can.
Debbie DeLand, President of FL NOW, guided us in organizing this chapter. I incorporated the chapter with the State of Florida as a non-profit corporation, received our EIN#, and set up the chapter as a 501 c 4 (allowing limited political lobbying) organization and eventually as a 501 c 3 to facilitate funding.
In the beginning, we formed a board with me as President, Bosch Rogers as Vice President, Sarah Falkowski as Secretary, and Francine Julius Edwards as Treasurer. Artist Paul Ware worked on our logo for branding, and Brian Donnelly built our website https://nowofgmc.org.
I expanded our Facebook Pages, and Sarah opened a Linktree account.
Let me remind you what this chapter accomplished in the years we were active. Thanks to our friend Lisa Irwin, we held monthly meetings at the NOMA Art Gallery. We drafted our Bylaws in April 2022 and hit the pavement in May that year, partnering with The Women’s March for the Bans Off Our Bodies demonstration. We registered 381 people and had nearly 200 attend here in Ocala as we joined people across the country rallying to support a woman’s right to control her body.
We gained board members Judy Lins as secretary, Rachelle Dobin as Freedom from Violence Chair, and Jacalyn Brown and Chris Pratt as Economic Justice Chair.
Please visit our Facebook page NOW of Greater Marion County to see photos of our work, you may be there: Bans Off Our Bodies on 5/22, “Enough is Enough: March for Our Lives” on 6/22, Solstice Spoken Word Fundraiser at NOMA 6/22, table at Fish Fry DWMC on 6/25/22, support for ODA’s Abortion Rally on 7/22, table at the Vagina Monologues on 8/22, Power to the Polls Rally: My Body! My Choice! on 9/22, We vetted and worked with local candidates for FL NOW endorsements—Rodney Long, Yvonne Hinson, Danielle Hawk, Brian Donnelly, and LeAnn Mackey Barnes, table at the Marion County Democrats Candidate Forum/Silver Springs on 9/22, and the Ocala Pride event on 10/22, International Women’s Day: A Feminist Perspective: Spoken Word event on 3/23, Frontpage on Town Talk Magazine on 3/23, 1st Anniversary event at NOMA with President of FL NOW on May/23, Many Amendment 4 (Abortion Rights) signature events June/23- 24, we secured around 1,000 signatures, Loud and Proud event at NOMA on June/23, Membership Drive event at NOMA on 8/23, Rally 4 Love: a Counter to Hate Speakers and Signs 10/23, Fundraiser: Jam Out With Your Glam Out/Brick City Glam at NOMA on 11/23, Bigger than Roe rally on 1/24, Marion County Voter Summit Co-coordinated with other organizations, meetings 1/24-3/24, Voter’s Registration at Marion Day, on 3/24, worked with OLIN to coordinate International Women’s Day Celebration 3/24.
We accomplished a lot, networked a lot, and learned a lot, and I still believe that, given the right team, we could get back up and going before too long. You know what we are up against. There is so much still to do. Please get in touch with me if you are interested.
In Solidarity,
Pam Armstrong Escarcega
NOW of Greater Marion County
nowofgreatermarioncounty@yahoo.com
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Who is NOW of Greater marion county?
Our Mission
NOW of GMC is an intersectional, multi-strategy organization that takes a holistic approach to women’s rights. We champion racial justice, LGBTQ+ rights, economic justice, reproductive rights, constitutional equality, the end of violence against women, and climate justice. Through educating, mobilizing, and convening a network of grassroots members, we advocate for policies that promote an anti-racist and intersectional feminist agenda.
*Feminist— advocating equality for women.*
National Organization for Women (NOW)
The National Organization for Women is the largest organization of feminist grassroots activists in the United States. NOW has hundreds of chapters and hundreds of thousands of members and activists in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. NOW activists do extensive electoral and lobbying work and bring lawsuits to bring about systemic change. We also organize mass marches, rallies, pickets, non-violent civil disobedience, and immediate, responsive actions. NOW’s actions have established the organization as a major force in the sweeping changes that put more women in political posts; increased educational, employment and business opportunities for women; and enacted tougher laws against violence, harassment, and discrimination.
Community Solidarity
NOW of Greater Marion County is a group dedicated to standing in solidarity, through community engagement, with those in the struggle for equality and equity. This mission attracts women and men of diverse backgrounds and asks us to look at the systemic oppression in our lives and determine actions that will bring about change for us all.
Please, reach out, we want to build strong alliances and stronger communities.
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