Thread by @NationalNOW

The NOW 2022 Racial Justice Summit is starting NOW! We are livestreaming this event on our Facebook page. You can also follow along as we live-tweet on this thread! #RacialJustice #RJS22 facebook.com/NationalNOW

Today we will hear from three powerful panels:
🏠 The Housing Crisis
🏩 Reproductive Justice
🗳️ Voting Rights
Let's get into it!

National NOW President @ChrisFNunes is opening the NOW 2022 Racial Justice Summit with a big THANK YOU to all of our attendees, members, and panelists. Let's talk about how each panel is connected to #RacialJustice.

"As an organization and as individual activists, we must never stop moving forward in our commitment to racial justice." -National NOW President @ChrisFNunes.

We are getting started with our Housing Crisis panel. Joining us we have keynote speaker @RepRaskin. Our panel includes Renee Willis of @NLIHC, @DWhitehead2020 of @NatlHomeless, & @maria_m_town of @AAPD. Moderating we have Shawna Tarboro of ALIGN Center for Spiritual Growth.

Panelist Renee Willis of @NLIHC says there needs to be systemic change within housing. "When we look at home ownership, there are significant racial disparities."

Panelist @DWhitehead2020 of @NatlHomeless says
there are two big reasons why people face homelessness: poverty and low income.

He also says it takes on average, 2.5 years to get into a public housing unit. #HousingCrisis #RJS22

Panelist @DWhitehead2020 says housing is a human right. We couldn't agree more!

Panelist @maria_m_town of @AAPD says people with disabilities face additional challenges when it comes to the housing crisis. "One of the things that I think is important to know is that the Americans with Disabilities Act does not apply to dwelling." #HousingCrisis

Maria says we need to increase housing stability for people with disabilities by increasing home and community based services. (Also known as HCBS)

"A lot of this starts in our schools. Brown and Black girls are more likely to experience disciple in the school system. It's a feeder system to homelessness." -Donald Whitehead #PrisonPipeline #HousingCrisis

As far as a step in the right direction, panelist Donald Whitehead says @NatlHomeless and National NOW work together to address and raise awareness on the issues surrounding homelessness and racial inequities. "We are done talking, we are looking at policy." #HousingCrisis

And that concludes our Housing Panel discussion! Our next panel on Reproductive Rights will start in just 5 minutes. #RJS22

Now we begin our Reproductive Rights panel. Joining us we have moderator Joi Dean of @NOW_YFNC, keynote speaker @alexismcgill of @PPact and @PPFA, and panelists Chiquita Lockley of Eggs Over Easy film, Cindy Luquin of @howlatthewomb, and @FarahTanis1 of @BlackWomensBP. #RJS22

Our keynote speaker Alexis McGill Johnson, President & CEO of @PPFA and @PPact says we have never been closer to losing our fundamental, constitutional right to abortion. "We don't know exact numbers yet, but we know people are going without the abortions they need."

"It's not a coincidence that Black women have a maternity mortality rate 3 times higher than white women." -@alexismcgill. #ReproductiveJustice

Moderator Joi Dean of @NOW_YFNC asked the panel: Why does the US have one of the highest rates of maternal mortality?

Panelist Chiquita Lockley says doctors aren't always listening to their patients. She says there are racial disparities when it comes to care for Black mothers.

Panelist Cindy Luquin of @howlatthewomb says there needs to be more training for doctors and healthcare workers so they can understand racial bias and give them the tools to learn how to better show up and care for their patients.

Panelist @FarahTanis1 of @BlackWomensBP says we need to work on empowering midwives and doulas. "All of the marginalized groups must come together. We have to dismantle the system together." #ReproductiveJustice #RJS22

@FarahTanis1 @BlackWomensBP "When we think about a world post-Roe, it's a scary scenario. Know that we are already organizing. It's going to mean a complete transformation of how communities think about women, girls, and abortion care." - @FarahTanis1.

Cindy Luquin says there is a stigma around abortion and just understanding where that stigma comes from can be a huge stepping stone. "It's not a sin. It's not a moral gauge of who you are." @howlatthewomb #BansOffOurBodies #ReproductiveJustice

Moderator Joi Dean asked the panel: How do you combat the fatigue of working in this line of work? It can be extremely mentally taxing.

Chiquita Lockley says she limits her time on social media.

Farah Tanis says she takes the time to journal a few times a week and she connects with the land, water, and air.

Cindy Luquin says she has 'non-negotiables' each day which include daily mental health blocks.

You cannot be a great activist until you put yourself first! #MentalHealthMatters

And that concludes our #ReproductiveRights panel! We will take a short break before we head into our final panel on voting rights. #RJS22

For our final panel on #VotingRights we have moderator @ProfessorQuiana of National NOW, keynote speaker @LeahDaughtry, and panelists Vanessa Gonzalez of @civilrightsorg, @MsLaToshaBrown of @BlackVotersMtr, and @Lebronxruben of @BuildingBack_US. Let's get started!

@ProfessorQuiana @LeahDaughtry @civilrightsorg @MsLaToshaBrown @BlackVotersMtr @Lebronxruben @BuildingBack_US "How can we as an American democracy proclaim ourselves of the free world if we don't even allow our own people free and fair access to the ballot" -@LeahDaughtry #VotingRightsForThePeople

"We need to make sure we focus on the local levels. We need to create a pipeline of action!" -@LeahDaughtry. 👏👏👏

Panelist @MsLaToshaBrown of @BlackVotersMtr says a lack of fairness and representation has been an issue at the ballot box since the beginning. The system was built on racism.

Panelist Vanessa Gonzalez of @civilrightsorg says we need to give people the tools to advocate for democracy in their own communities.

Panelist @Lebronxruben of @BuildingBack_US says we have to reinvent the system. "In 2022, we are seeing Jim Crow relics. We have to create new spaces and ideas. It's going to take all of us." #VotingRightsForThePeople

"We have to engage in a different kind of way. It's going to require us digging deeper. We need to reaffirm and recommit to how we build a democracy." -@MsLaToshaBrown. #VotingRights

Panelist @Lebronxruben of @BuildingBack_US says who we elect on the local level is more important than the people in Congress. The local officials are the ones who can create real change in our communities.

Moderator @ProfessorQuiana asked the panel: What are some action items people can do today to make a difference? @MsLaToshaBrown says we need a political home and we need to help with the work on the ground.

A huge thing you can do today: USE YOUR VOICE! Participate in rallies, volunteer at the polls, go to the townhalls, be active in your community! #VotingRightsForThePeople

Vanessa Gonzalez says we have to start with the hard conversations. What is the life that you envision? What kind of community do you want to build? She says you can also read up on the important issues so you can feel more confident going into this fight.

And that concludes our Voting Rights panel and the NOW 2022 Racial Justice Summit. A big thank you to all of our moderators, speakers, and attendees. You can look for this playback on our YouTube page in the upcoming days!