National Organization for Women Race and Class

One of the toughest things to teach in school is issues surrounding discrimination. There is discrimination on the basis of race, class and gender among other things. These are so much a part of the world we live in that it is impossible to ignore these issues. While there are no easy ways to create rubrics and study skills to sensitize children to repression or discrimination, there are some organizations that have worked around these issues which can facilitate the introduction and handling of this theme.

The National Organization for Women (NOW) is an organization focused in establishing gender equality by relentlessly exposing all cases of abuse of women's rights. The organization also realizes that the fight for equal rights cuts across various boundaries and that the path to gender equality involves addressing issues of class and race. All believers in human rights, whether they are advocates for racial or gender equality, realize that these battles cannot be fought in isolation. For one, there are many people in the world who are victimized or discriminated against for multiple reasons and for another working with those committed to other causes helps make for a larger army in the battle. If talking about NOW in a classroom, a teacher must remember to note that while NOW's primary agenda is equal rights for women, it has done much to forward the cases of those facing racial and class-based discrimination also.

Any individual who has perceived the wrongs done to a group of people because of their collective identity is likely to be sympathetic to other groups that are discriminated against. So, it is not really surprising that NOW, which is committed to gender rights, is very concerned with the injustices committed in the name of race, class and religion. A lesson plan that is intended to address the issue of discrimination and the struggles against systemic discrimination will talk about gender discrimination and the role of NOW. The key thing is for the teacher to segue this into a conversation about how there are no markers between racial and gender discriminations and about how some women bear both the burdens. This can lead to a debate about the intersection of race, gender and class and the difficulties that come with this kind of intersection.

Moreover, NOW has an agenda of working to increase the self-esteem of girls and women and this is an approach that works in the context of race and class also. While a bulk of the issues related to discrimination are directed from the outside world, there are also some elements of this which are driven from the inside - low self-esteem and inadequate self-confidence serve to undermine a person who needs to learn to be assertive in claiming their rights. NOW is involved in educating girls and women to learn to be comfortable with themselves in physical and emotional terms so that they feel confident and have a strong sense of worth. This is a mission that relates to those belonging to an economically weaker section of society and to those who come from a marginalized race also. It is important for individuals to believe that they are worthy of respect from the world and this comes from self-respect. An agency interested in tackling issues of discrimination should devote energies to handling both the outward and internal elements of discrimination.

Diversity is the key to a healthy and successful society. Education should enable people to acknowledge differences and yet be accepting and tolerant. Organizations such as NOW play a big part in the process of life-long social education.

More Information On National Organization for Women

• California NOW Online Activism Center
• National NOW Times
• National Organization for Women- NOW's official site.
• NOW Foundation, Inc.