Key West NOW

06/14/2026

Your strength for today, please share.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZK1uRfhhJF/?igsh=cTM2bHZuNGtuNnNr

06/11/2026

This is exciting! Diane is a member of the Key West Chapter of the National Organization for Women, but truly INTERNATIONAL💜

🏈✨ A historic moment for women’s flag football!

Our founder, Diane Beruldsen, has been recognized as the “Mother of Flag Football” for her decades of dedication to growing the sport and creating opportunities for women and girls around the world.

From local parks to international tournaments, Diane’s vision has empowered thousands of women and girls to lead, compete, build confidence, and discover their potential through flag football.

More than a sport, her work has helped create a global community where women can develop leadership skills, lifelong friendships, and opportunities that extend far beyond the field.

Congratulations, Diane! Your legacy continues to inspire generations of women, players, and leaders. 💙🏈

06/07/2026

In 1965 the case of Griswold vs Connecticut ruled that married women could have access to contraception. The birth control pill had been developed however there could be fines or even imprisonment. Read Planned Parenthood article.

I remember this and visited my doctor for the prescription. Did you? As a result the births of our children were planned. we still have struggles for our bodies.

Forty-eight years ago, the Supreme Court ruled on a case concerning a Connecticut law that criminalized the promotion or use of birth control.

06/06/2026

Stop by to see us TODAY at the Key West Pride Street Fair, we’ll be there 5-6:30, 700 block of Duval Street. Info on NOW, human trafficking, sexual assault, bodily autonomy.

06/04/2026

The Disco “era”, a Revolution.

Pop

06/04/2026

Take a few minutes and review history as women in the USA fought for the Constitutional right to vote. However note that there were continued struggles for ethnic groups until the 1960s. Do NOT be complacent on your right to democracy

The 19th Amendment was passed by both houses of Congress in 1919, which began the state ratification process that would lead to the Amendment's certification in the Constitution on August 26, 1920.

But the battle for women's right to vote didn't end there. While it represented a major victory for the movement after nearly 70 years of activism, the 19th Amendment did not simply grant universal suffrage for all women.

Native American women were not considered US citizens until 1924, but until as late as 1962, individual states still prevented them from voting.

Asian American immigrant women were excluded from voting until the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 allowed them to gain citizenship.

Black women faced Jim Crow-era barriers like poll taxes, voter ID requirements, and acts of violence that threatened their ability to cast a ballot until the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Latina women faced literacy tests and other language-based setbacks that prevented them from voting until a 1975 extension of the Voting Rights Act.

As we celebrate this monumental achievement for women, we also recognize that only some of the women who fought for suffrage were able to exercise their newly-won right to vote. Despite being some of the movement's fiercest advocates, suffragists like Mabel Ping-Hua Lee, Zitkála-Šá, and Luisa Capetillo could not cast their first ballots in the 1920 election because of their race.

Today, we honor the women who not only fought for the 19th Amendment's passage, but also after it, as their efforts on behalf of their communities paved the way for the freedoms of all American women.

📷: Dora Lewis (seated), Abby Scott Baker (seated), Anita Pollitzer (standing), Alice Paul (seated), Florence Boeckel (seated), and Mabel Vernon (standing) conferring over ratification of the 19th Amendment at the National Woman's Party headquarters, 1919.

06/03/2026

June newsletter out, have you subscribed?

Link in bio

06/02/2026

On June 4, 1943, Florida Governor Spessard L. Holland signed into law what the media had dubbed the "Women's Emancipation Bill." This landmark legislation was introduced by Mary Lou Baker, a St. Petersburg attorney, and the only woman serving in the Florida Legislature at the time.

Wasting no time once in office, Baker (pictured) boldly introduced the Women’s Rights bill. The measure provided a married woman “the legal right to carry on business when her husband goes away to war.” The bill addressed a significant legal inequality: prior to its passage, married women in Florida faced strict legal limitations on their autonomy. They were often unable to manage their own property or enter into contracts without the consent of their husbands. Baker’s bill sought to modernize these outdated legal norms.

With its passage, the new law granted women greater control over their separate estates, property owned independently of their spouses, and gave them the legal authority to do business in their own name. It was a major step toward economic independence and legal recognition for women in Florida, particularly married women.

When she ran for reelection in 1944, Baker’s 'feminism' became a campaign issue. Although married to U.S Army Captain Seale Matthews, she firmly retained her maiden name. When an opponent pressed her to explain, she famously replied, 'I received my law degree as Mary Lou Baker.”

06/01/2026

APPLICATIONS FOR THE 2026 CONNIE GILBERT SCHOLARSHIPS ARE NOW OPEN TO FLORIDA KEYS FEMALE IDENTIFYING WOMEN

The Key West Chapter of the National Organization for Women has opened the 2026 application process for the Connie Gilbert Scholarship Awards. A total of $10,000 will be awarded.

The scholarships are given to Florida Keys applicants who identify as female, wish to continue their higher education career entering at least their second year of college, earn a certification or procure a professional license. Applicants’ awards will be chosen by the Scholarship Committee as follows: 3 - $2000, 4 - $1000.

DEADLINE TO SUBMIT APPLICATIONS IS JULY 15, 2026, AND WILL BE AWARDED BY AUGUST 1, 2026 APPLICATIONS CAN BE OBTAINED NOW AT:

[email protected]

The funds are raised throughout the year by KWNOW members through donations, their March Film Festival, Orchid auction and other community events. Connie Gilbert was an organizer of the Key West Chapter and is remembered in the community for her commitment to social justice, equality, patronage of the arts. She was accomplished writer, published in many works of fiction, poetry and journalism.

APPLICATIONS ALSO AVAILABLE IN SPANISH & Creole