The National Organization for Women has roughly 550 chapters in communities in all 50 states, but for at least a half century, there has not been been a chapter in Bloomington-Normal.
Until now.
Lindsey Delahunt is the president of Normal NOW, which officially launched this month with the group's first member meeting.
“NOW is a grassroots feminist group dedicated to advocacy, education and building a strong local network,” Delahunt said. “We hold monthly meetings, we’re going to participate in community events, and we organize around issues that matter — from reproductive justice to equal pay and LGBTQ rights.”
While the chapter itself is still in its infancy, the drive to create a space for women to organize began in 2022.
“It started for me personally with the overturning of Roe v. Wade and just realizing that rights can be taken away,” Delahunt said. “My generation has always had these rights. We’ve always known them to be true and never had to fight for them in the way the women before us did.”
The overturning of Roe v. Wade was a national issue, but it became more local for Delahunt when Planned Parenthood in Bloomington closed its doors for good.
“[It] was kind of a wake-up call for our community,” she said. “It wasn’t just the loss of a clinic; it was the loss of affordable health care, preventative care, birth control, STI testing, gender-affirming care, gynecological care ... and that gap in care is going to affect people across age, income, race and identity.”
According to Delahunt, the effects of the Planned Parenthood closing can be exacerbated by other community–wide issues.
“We are also impacted by affordable housing,” Delahunt said, “It’s coming to be an escalating concern in our area. When people face housing insecurity, it makes every right harder to access, including health care, education, employment and safety.”
NOW may stand for the National Organization for Women, but the group plans to advocate for causes beyond women’s rights.
“We had a member that did an amazing job of pointing out that it’s the National Organization for Women, not of women,” Delahunt said. “Modern feminism looks at rights being denied across all gender, race, ethnicity, religion ... and the need for us to use our power as community and keep those rights equal for all.”
Normal NOW held its first meeting on May 13, with another scheduled for June 10 at the Bloomington Public Library. According to Delahunt, the group’s resolve for change was palpable.
“I’ve never been in a room with so much power...” she said.
Delahunt also has been impressed by growing momentum in Normal NOW's Facebook group, which already has attracted more than 100 people.
No official dates have been released yet, but the chapter plans to organize events in July and August with the goal of holding three advocacy events per year.
