Episode Description: The theme of this season is “women uplifting women.” Domestic violence is an issue that affects many women in this country, but the ongoing criminalization of survivors is often overlooked in our conversations about ending gender-based violence. For our last episode of the season, NOW National President Christian F. Nunes sits down with Becki T. Kondkar, Director of the Tulane Law School Domestic Violence Clinic and Founding Director of the Tulane Law School Women’s Prison Project to discuss how some women end up unjustly incarcerated, and what other women can do about it.

Links:

Women’s Prison Project

Report from the Sentencing Project on women serving life without parole and death sentences in the US

Guest: Becki Kondkar is Director of the Tulane Law School Domestic Violence Clinic and founding Director of the Law School’s Women’s Prison Project (WPP). Kondkar has represented hundreds of survivors of intimate partner violence, sexual assault, stalking, trafficking, and child sex abuse in civil and criminal courts, has trained generations of law students through Tulane’s clinical programs, and has educated attorneys, judges, mental health professionals, and advocates nationwide on legal system responses to gender-based violence. Since its founding in 2019, the WPP has been recognized for its groundbreaking work by the Conference on Crimes Against Women, the American College of Trial Lawyers, the Louisiana Association of Defense Lawyers, and the American Association of Law Schools. The program's mission is to end the criminalization of survival for women who experience gender-based violence and to free those unjustly incarcerated for killing an abusive partner or for participation in crimes under duress or coercion. Working alongside the law students they train, the WPP team has won freedom for 15 women who had served a combined total of 279 years in Louisiana's prisons.

Take Action NOW: This is our final episode of season 3, which means it’s time to plan for season 4 of Feminism NOW! Reach out to us at feminismnow@now.org to let us know what issues you’d like to hear covered on the show.

Listen to new episodes of Feminism NOW released every other Wednesday. To find out more about the National Organization for Women, visit our website.

Social Media Handles:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tulanelawschool/

Twitter: https://x.com/TulaneLaw

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TulaneLawSchool

The theme of this season is “Women uplifting women.” Indigenous women in North America experience some of the highest rates of violence in this nation. This week, NOW National President Christian F. Nunes sits down with Kansas State House Representative Christina Haswood, who is also a member of the Navajo Nation, to talk about how to support those searching for Murdered and Missing Indigenous persons.

Links:

Rep. Christina Haswood

HB 2008 | Bills and Resolutions | Kansas State Legislature

National Caucus of Native American State Legislators (NCNASL)

NOW on Native American and the Violence Against Women Act

Guest: Christina Haswood, a proud Dine’ (Navajo) from Lawrence, Kansas, embarked on her academic journey at Haskell Indian Nations University, earning an A.S. in Community Health. Transitioning to Arizona State University, she secured a B.S. in Public Health, followed by a Masters in Public Health from the University of Kansas Medical Center in 2020. Committed to elevating Native American representation, Christina, a Kansas State House Representative, is actively engaged in government and politics. Recognized for her advocacy, she serves on key committees, leads as the House Democrats' Policy Chair, and champions equity policies. A multi-award recipient, she continues to inspire through leadership and community service.

Take Action NOW: Make an end-of-year contribution to NOW’s 2024 campaign to empower feminists to support and enshrine reproductive rights in the United States.

Listen to new episodes of Feminism NOW released every other Wednesday. To find out more about the National Organization for Women, visit our website.

Socials:

Representative Christina Haswood:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/haswoodforks
• Twitter: http://twitter.com/haswoodforks
• Facebook: http://facebook.com/haswoodforks
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@haswoodforks

Episode Description: The theme of this season is “women uplifting women.” One issue that women often face is poverty. This episode, NOW National President Christian F. Nunes speaks with Leslie K. Gill, the President and CEO of Rung for Women, about why investing in women doesn’t just uplift those women, but their communities too.

Links:

Economic Justice | National Organization for Women

Guest: Leslie K. Gill is President of Rung for Women, a nonprofit organization in St. Louis that helps women climb the economic opportunity ladder so they can live equitable and abundant lives.

Recognized for her leadership and work empowering women, Leslie was awarded the Titan 100 Award recognizing top CEOs and executives in 2024, listed in St. Louis Magazine’s 50+ People Working Toward Solutions in St. Louis (2023), and named St. Louis Business Journal’s Most Influential Businesswomen (2022). In 2024, she gave the Commencement Address at Maryville University.

Take Action NOW: Learn more about Native American Heritage Month here, and the challenges that Native American women in particular face in this country.

Listen to new episodes of Feminism NOW released every other Wednesday. To find out more about the National Organization for Women, visit our website.

Socials:

Rung for Women:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rungforwomen/
• Twitter: https://x.com/rungforwomen
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RungforWomen/