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Latifa Lyles

Latifa Lyles
Candidate for President
Washington, DC

Biography | Testimonials | In the News | Follow on Twitter

For the past four years, I have served as Vice President for Membership for the National Organization for Women. Before this, I was an active grassroots NOW leader, serving as president of the DC Chapter as well as Regional Director and National Board Member for the Mid-Atlantic Region. During this time, I have had the great privilege of working alongside some of the most impressive trailblazers in the civil rights and women's rights communities. From them, I have drawn strength, ideas, and inspiration to dedicate my life to the fight for women's rights, equality, and justice, and against oppression, discrimination and violence.

More than ever, the time to push forward is now. We face great challenges in our movement, including a struggling economy and workforce and the effects of several decades of backlash against women's rights that has begun eroding our past gains. The central challenge for us in the next four years will be to find a way to move forward in a rapidly changing society and grow as an effective feminist activist organization.

NOW has been the largest feminist grassroots organization for over forty years. Since we first burst on the scene, a vast and diverse movement of feminist and activists have joined the fight for equality for women across this country and the world in communities, organizations, and in the streets. It is time we join our legacy, our stature, our traditions, and our networks with new technology and new voices to emerge as the unparalleled social justice movement that we are. I want us to reenergize feminist activists everywhere and connect supporters of women's rights to achieve our common goals. I believe we can do this, and I believe we can do it bigger, better and stronger than we ever have.

It is for this reason and so many more that I have declared my candidacy for the office of President of the National Organization for Women. We have come far in the past decades, but we still have farther to go and more work to do. I have asked three incredible women, all prominent leaders in NOW and the social justice community, to be part of my slate and join me in this hour of opportunity -- Liz, Janice and Sonia. These are activists and leaders whom I deeply admire, and whose vision I share for a larger and more vibrant organization.

I hope you will join us as we move NOW, the feminist movement, and the conversation forward. This movement is yours. And the time is NOW.

Biography

For the past three and half years, Latifa has served as NOW's Vice President for Membership, starting her term in 2005 as the youngest-ever National officer. She oversees the organization's Direct Marketing and Membership programs, including NOW's online and web fundraising program. In addition to development and fundraising, Latifa is a chief spokesperson for the organization on issues ranging from sexual violence on campus to women in the media to Title IX. She has appeared on The Today Show, CNN, MSNBC, PBS's To the Contrary, local radio and news and numerous print media. Also, she serves as Treasurer of the NOW Political Action Committee (NOW PAC). Prior to her current position, she managed the membership fundraising program for Public Justice, America's public interest law firm. Before joining Public Justice, she worked on the NOW staff as the Development Planner on the fundraising for four years. Before turning to fundraising, she worked at the Older Women's League doing policy analysis on issues affecting mid-life and older women, including pension reform and Social Security.

Latifa attended her first march on Washington in 1992, joining the half-million men and women in the March for Women's Lives in support of reproductive justice. Since 1999, she has been a NOW member and leader, serving in various leadership roles in the organization from the chapter level to the national board. Prior to her election as a National Vice President, she served in other key roles in NOW, including Board Liaison to the first National Young Feminist Task Force and member of the national 2005 Women of Color and Allies Summit organizing committee.