WHERE WE GO FROM HERE

Dear Mass NOW Family:Like all of us at Mass NOW, we imagine many of you are going through the stages of grief with the presidential election results: shock, denial, heartbreak, anger, seeking to understand, and looking for signs of hope.In the midst of our heartbreak, we find inspiration in looking back to our beginning-- to the NOW founders who faced a daunting political climate, but who nonetheless harnessed the incredible power of the feminist community, the poignant truth in their personal stories, and the commanding promise of justice to demand equal rights for all women. Our foremothers mobilized around the opportunities they had to advance reproductive rights, end violence against women, ensure full constitutional protections for the LGBTQ community, and fight for racial justice.  This unwavering commitment to intersectional justice has defined NOW since its inception and, in this moment, we at Mass NOW double down on this mandate. Now more than ever it is important for us to come together to share love and support, and work together to advance intersectional justice for those who identify as women and girls in the Commonwealth.Despite the dreary results of the presidential election, we have much to celebrate here in Massachusetts. Six Mass NOW PAC endorsed progressives ran successful races for state legislature, and we want to congratulate:

• Senator Pat Jehlen
• Senator-elect Julian Cyr
• Representative Marjorie Decker
• Representative-elect Natalie Higgins
• Representative-elect Jack Patrick Lewis
• Representative-elect Mike Connolly

We are looking forward to working with them on advancing intersectional justice in the coming legislative session.In the days since the election, we have also been inspired by the huge number of you who have reached out looking to connect to our movement.  Here are some ways you can join the fight:

• If you haven't done so already, please take our 2016 engagement survey! We want to hear from you about what issues you think Mass NOW is uniquely positioned to champion, and how you'd like to get involved in our work this year.
• Register for our state conference taking place on December 4, 2016 at 12:00. We will present on the achievements of the organization in the last year, preliminary results from our membership engagement survey, and share opportunities for you to get involved!
• We're now seeking applicants for our Vice President of Communications & Co-Vice President of Action to join our leadership board! Check out the position descriptions and the application process on our website, here.
• And finally, please consider making a donation to Mass NOW Inc. Your contribution allows us to keep working to advance intersectional justice for women in the Commonwealth and we need your support now more than ever.

Thank you again for your commitment to Mass NOW --In solidarity,Sasha and EllieMass NOW Co-Presidents